Want consistent customer service? Think 80/20 

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One of the most common opportunities we’re asked to help our clients address is consistent customer service. 

Tough gig. No service interaction is ever the same. 

Customer service involves humans. Humans are unpredictable. Every human is unique.  

One realistic, achievable approach to consistent customer service, though, is to think 80/20. 

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, suggests that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results. You have a far greater chance of getting people to be consistent with 20% of their activities and service skills than 100%. 

So, rather than asking service professionals to remember a multitude of service skills and standards, choose to prioritise and focus on the 20% most critical customer service skills. Highlight, wherever possible – in your day-to-day briefings, town halls, meetings and coaching conversations – how those 20% most critical customer service skills are giving you 80% of your service outcomes. 

Oh, and one other helpful tip is to think of consistent customer service as relating to the ‘quality’ of the experience, rather than viewing it as steps and processes. If each customer, regardless of the steps and processes used, walks away ‘feeling’ like they had a consistent quality experience – you’re winning.