Customer Service Toolkit Imperative: Cross-Industry Benchmarking

When I was a child, my family took a vacation to Naples Beach, Florida. When we pulled up to the Ritz Carlton, I remember the bellman welcoming my dad by name and wondered how he knew could possibly have known that already when our luggage and bag tags were still in the trunk. Throughout our stay, we were consistently provided with the same level of impeccable customer service.

When thinking about customer service, I often reflect on this memory. In the digital age, where industry lines are blurred and customer service has morphed into a customer experience where personalization has become crucial in most industries. Expectations are rising and businesses are challenged to keep pace and solve customer needs while providing this personalized care. Ultimately, the goal to elevate the customer experience should be prioritized and strategic for all brands.

What are expectations for an excellent service experience?  

Today’s customers expect low effort and ease, with a comprehensive set of options. They want empathy, albeit quickly. They seek engagement, but on their own time. They desire consistency and across all channels. Customers increasingly expect around the clock quality service, tailored to their needs where questions are answered, and issues are resolved expeditiously.    

What challenges have companies faced in trying to meet evolving customer expectations?

As companies strategize to remove obstacles in their service delivery, they encounter typical barriers such as organizational siloes, inability to clearly communicate capabilities, product centric vs customer centric models and heightened market and competitive threats.

What is the solution?  

Companies can no longer afford to operate in a vacuum using their own barometer for success. Competitive customer service benchmarking is imperative. It’s what top performers use to gauge their performance and utilize when developing customer experience strategy. However, cross-industry benchmarking surpasses even that. Cross-industry benchmarking creates a wider pool for comparison, provides a different and fresh perspective and is essential for brands in industries or segments that are not traditionally known for customer centricity.

Who should consider cross-industry benchmarking?  

Every company that wants to be in business for the long haul, especially those that strive to be brand leaders and differentiators, should have cross-industry competitive benchmarking in their toolkit. After all, evolving and heightened expectations are here to stay and leveraging innovation from best-in-class service providers is a smart investment and should be a part of any well-defined customer experience strategy.   

Today the Ritz Carlton still maintains their exceptional Gold Standard service philosophy and other brands are vying to follow suit. Let cross-industry intelligence help you transform your customer experience operating model and leave a lasting and positive impression on your customers. 

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