What do you think of when you think of when you think of great customer service? Perhaps you have a company in mind, Nordstroms, your favorite cafe, or hotel. The Ritz-Carlton sets the Gold Standard in customer service for many throughout the world. (There have been many great articles, profiles of the Ritz-Carlton experience, here is one that I enjoyed from a Harvard Business School Professor.) While I have never stayed at a Ritz-Carlton, I’d like to think I know what great customer service is all about, but like many others, I really judge customer service based on the various bad experiences I’ve had.
In the non-profit world, customer service is a concept that doesn’t get much traction. Many, if not all, non-profits exist to serve so you’d think that customer service would be a hallmark. Instead great customer service is more readily associated with for-profit business. Why is this?
Crazy-Good service is possible at non-profits but you first have to address some of the pervasive attitudes and perspectives that stifle great service.
Here are a few of my ideas on why non-profits typically don’t hold a high standard of customer service:
1. Not Paid to do it: Not exclusive to non-profit’s, many people only do what’s written in their job description, caring and over the top service are extras. But in the non-profit world, the focus should always be on the people, not just on delivering a service. This may be true in the abstract, but how about in the practical? Put the people first, job description second.
2. Noble Cause Syndrome: one of the number one viruses affecting non-profits, NCS is a disease of the mind that says “if what I’m doing is a noble cause, it doesn’t matter how effective, excellent, and efficient I am at doing it”. This syndrome has been around so long, most don’t even recognize it any more. The antidote is to find people who believe “if it’s the most important thing I could be doing, I need to do this with excellence”. (More about this in tomorrows blog)
3. Survival: Most non-profits are consumed with keeping their doors open, customer service is farther down on the priority list. Unfortunately, this is self-defeating, as it puts a premium on cutting corners rather than on creating an environment of life transformation.
Are there other reasons why customer service is not a priority at non-profits? Are there examples of great customer service at a non-profit that you know about? Let me know what you think.
David Curry
