Excellence Everyday - Not Really! - Part 1
"Excellence is the ability to exceed expectations.
In terms of CRM, excellence is simply the ability to suprise customers," states Lior Arussy, author of 'Excellence Every Day'.
Excellence is the art of going beyong the expectations of your customers, your managers, and even yourself. When you go beyond expectations, you create something unique for your recipient. You add a personal touch and take responsiblity. You contribute from the reservoirr of your humanity. You suprise your customers (and sometimes yourself) with the creation of the new.
"Good Enough" simply doesn't cut it anymore.
Today and even more in the future, competition has presented us with a simple challenge: Excellence or nothing. "Good enough" simple doesn't cut it anymore. New competitors have demonstrated an ambitious spirit and drive to succeed. It is clear that the pursuit of excellence has to be an all-out effort.
Organizations are either committed to excellence and the continual improvement of products and services, or they're not. Make sure these aren't just buzz words andnice ideas. Active excellence can serve as a competitive differentiator and strategic advantage.
Ask ourselves:
- Why are we losing ground to others?
- Are we really willing and ready to compete?
- Are we pursuing excellence with everything we have?
- Do we have a fully committed organization, with employees who are dedicated to delivering excellence -- and to winning the customer's heart in the process?
- Do our employees have the freedom to shortcut or otherwise adapt controlling processes by making the types of personal choices that will let them rise to the challenge of excellent customer service?
Everyone Listens to Customers -- Not Really.... 
To identify the differences between employee and customer definitions of excellence, Lior designed the Experience Gap Analysis (EGA) study. The study examined 23,088 responses from customers and the employees who served them to measure the customer experience on four dimensions:
Capabilities - the extend to which the employee possesses the necessary tools and authority to deliver performance excellence (e.g. access to customer information).
Knowledge- the extent to which the employee understands the customer's business, lifestyle, challenges and aspirations (a customer-centric view).
Willingness - the extent to which the employee is motivated to deliver the performance and excellence (e.g. to go above and beyond the call of duty).
Attitude - the extend to which the employee's connection with the customer is affected by his personal communication style (e.g. arrogance, sense of privilege to serve).
The Gap Tells the Story:
The EGA study results revealed a significant disconnect between employee and customer perception.
79% of employees said they often go "above and beyond" and exceed customer expectations, yet only 29% of customers agree. Perception gap = 50%.
75% of employees said their work makes a difference in their customer's lives but only 29% of customers agreed. Perception gap = 46%.
88% of employees said they use common sense and discretion in the way they interact with customers, yet only 40% of customer agreed. Perception gap = 48%.
Never miss an opportunity for excellence, which is measured one customer at a time. These perception gaps indicate why excellence must be judged by the recipient!
In Part II - we'll cover the Excellence Aptitude test.
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