The Life Cycle of Customer Service: From Conception to Birth
By Ken Ng

Like the birth of a human baby, the ideals of customer service in an organization go through a similar “birth-cycle.”  From the moment of realization that there is a need for customer service to sustain competitiveness in business (Conception) to the actualization of an impressive customer service delivery process (Birth).

The following analogy provides a frame of reference to couples who are thinking of or wish to be parents and organizations that aspire to conceive an infallible service delivery standard.  This article will also attempt to tell you what to expect whichever your objective may be.

Conception
The news of a new baby always puts couples into a tumultuous emotional roller coaster ride.  The joy of discovering they’ve played a role in creating life brings about an emotional experience ranging from indescribable joy to gut-wrenching fear.  Not unlike organizations that suddenly realize that the playing field in the ever raging war for customers has come down to one battle.  The battle for exceptional service delivery standards that surpasses the competition. 

This realization is usually accompanied by an organization-wide scramble to examine how they could have overlooked this overly essential “minor” detail in their grand strategy for market supremacy.  The business emotions range from mass panic to the satisfaction of the basking individuals who are heard saying “I told you so…” 

The First Trimester
The new about-to-be parents will find themselves in the first three months discovering the rude shock of morning sickness.  They scour bookshop shelves and internet websites, accumulating as much information as they can in preparation for their baby.  They will also begin conducting impromptu surveys with friends and family who have gone through this life-changing phenomenon every chance they get to compare notes.

The organization on the other hand, will begin the drafting of an ambitious strategy that will undoubtedly be spearheaded with uncovering what their competitors are doing; gaining market intelligence.  Some organizations will look internally first and conduct a mystery shopping exercise to establish where they currently stand.  Budgets will be approved into acquiring consultancy from experts in the field and researching what are the world-class benchmarks they should be soaring toward. 

Both parents and organizations will accumulate so much data and information that they begin to be overwhelmed and start questioning the relevance of all this information.  Morning sickness is also quite common among the corporate bigwigs at this point, where the fear of the competition overtaking them in getting to THE Customer causes their morning cappuccino to be regurgitated, forming a foam which always seems to be enviously fluffier on the competitor’s side.

The Second Trimester
A quiet lull descends upon pre-mummy and pre-daddy.  They announce to their acquaintances in the most politically correct, “We are pregnant!” every chance they get.  The excitement has died down and they are cruising through the pregnancy like it is the most natural thing in the world.  The dire effect of complacency sets in.

“We have all the information”, announces the project head and the team takes their time in digesting all the information and coming up with a multiple pronged strategy to take this customer service “bull” by the horns.  “Besides, launch date is still six months away.” 

Many a countless days are spent in unyielding meetings navigating the corporate minefield of opinions, approvals and buy-ins.  We begin to see a familiar routine fall into place of special sub-project team meetings, organization wide road shows to seek buy-in, numerous interviews with nameless individuals, inter-departmental roadblocks causing project jams; ad-hoc projects like these are put in the back seat and the most infamous of all, confusion of task delegation where no one claims ownership to difficult areas.  The buzz and excitement is gone, project paralysis sets in where tasks are put through the motions like every other never-completing internal project.

The Third Trimester
Nervous anticipation is setting in for the parents-to-be. Will the baby be healthy?  Does the baby have enough clothes?  Should we breast feed or formula feed?  The questions begin to take on a life of its own hounding your every waking moment and in your REM state.  You suddenly take notice of articles in the newspapers on violence being committed against children, orphanages in need of assistance and on the brighter side, champion babies being put on show in the mass media puts a smile on your face.  This is all becoming overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Mr. Project Head is updating the board on the strategy the organization should take in implementing the world-class-every customer delighting program.  The project comes to life again.  However, it is a fear that grips all the different sub-project teams.  Have we done enough?  Are we absolutely sure this will work?  Do we really know what our customers want?  What companies should we start sending our resumes to?  A list of valid and real questions as the project moves closer toward launch.  There is a mad scramble as strategies are reevaluated and data is rechecked for feasibility of launch.

Full Term
It is 36 weeks and there’s no sign of baby.  You believe everything is in place and can’t be anymore readier for the birth of baby.  It is a waiting game.  Every little discomfort mother-to-be experiences sends both into a panic.  Contingency plans are running through your heads preparing you for any eventuality.