There is no one right way to provide great customer service.

Option 1:  Answer every call right away so our customers receive immediate attention

Option 2:  Take the time needed to help each customer without interruptions

In a perfect world, we could do both options when working with customers (or coworkers for that matter).  A not for profit organization is rarely a perfect world.

Not for profit arts organizations are obligated to provide great customer service to best serve the organization.  A theater or museum can not reach an audience if that audience is unable, or chooses not, to buy a ticket or pay the admission.  If an individual is unable to take advantage of services offered because of a system that is too confusing, or they can’t get the help they need to utilize the service that individual is not benefitting from the organization.  An organization must be funded to exist, an artist must be funded to continue to create art.  This is either done through direct sales to customers or evidence to funders that service was provided.  The question is not do we provide great customer service.  Rather, how to WE choose to provide that great customer service?

Frei and Morris point out a key issue in customer service that we must accept.  “You can’t be good at everything.” (Frei, Morriss, 2012)

1. We are human. We choose the best people we can.  People still have strengths and weaknesses
2. We have limited budgets. We can’t purchase the best software.  We can’t always afford to cut prices or give away complementary services.  There is even an argument not to devalue items this way.
3. There are only so many people. We can only hire what our budgets allow, and what is available in the market.
4. There is only so much time in the day. One person can only accomplish a finite number of things, take so many phone calls, do so much customer research.

Will all these constraints, we need to choose the best methods that we can, because we ARE GOOD AT SOMETHING.

Seth Godin identified the four roads we call customer service in his blog (October 5, 2018) that an organization or business can take as…

Road 1: I can learn from you and make things better

Road 2: You’re an important customer and I can bring empathy and care to this moment to strengthen our relationship

Road 3: I can teach you something and make things better

Road 4: Go away

Roads 1, 2, and 3 are all very viable options and road 4 doesn’t seem like customer service at all.  What is right for your organization?  How do I choose the right road for my organization?

Jeff Toister (2017) presents the idea of creating a “Customer Service Vision” to use as a guide when providing customer service.  The Disney Institute (2011) presents the idea of having a common purpose that serves as a promise to customers and a guide for employees.  (They say mission, but in nonprofit we already have a mission as an organization, that may or may not be what we choose to use when focusing on customer service.)

What it comes down to is knowing your organization and product, knowing your patrons, knowing your limitations, and knowing the staff that will be providing customer service.  (Moving forward there is something to be said for hiring the right person as well.)  When you know more, you can make an educated choice about the direction you take customer service.  You can create a “vision” or a “purpose” that is a useful guide.

 

References

Disney Institute & Kinni, T. (2011). The magic of service.  In Be our guest. (pp. 27-55). Los Angeles, CA: Disney Editions

Frei, F. & Morriss, A. (2012). Uncommon service. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press

Godin, S. (2018, October 5). Four roads we call customer service [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://seths.blog/2018/10/four-roads-we-call-customer-service/

Toister, J. (2017). The service culture handbook: A step – by – step guide to getting your employees obsessed with customer service. [Electronic book] Retrieved from Amazon Digital Services LLC.