Sage Pastel Accounting is in the service business.

Most will argue that we are software developers and therefore manufacturers of sorts but I disagree.

We may produce some of South Africa’s leading accounting and business application programs but it’s the technical support, ongoing training, business seminars and other host of backup services we provide to our customers that firmly places us in the realm of service provider.

Automated service isn’t service at all

To succeed in business‚ exceptional service is essential. Everyone says they do it but I question its true impact‚ particularly when I consider that everything is automated these days. In the world of electronic communications‚ everyone auto-signs their emails with a warm and fuzzy salutation, your birthday is recorded in a customer relationship management (CRM) system that triggers a congratulatory SMS on the appropriate date and it’s seldom that you get to talk to a real person at a call centre anymore. The result of the‚ so-called benefits of technology, is a techno-void between a company and its customers.

The Extraordinary Customer Experience

Sage, the global parent of Pastel Accounting has just launched a new Extraordinary Customer Experience initiative which will benefit its 4 million clients globally. The programme’s key objective is to build real relationships with customers using an old-fashioned method: people.

Initially I was cynical about the advantages such a plan would bring us. Our local contact centre is manned by real people and it’s considered one of the best – it wins local and international awards all the time and is currently a regional finalist in three categories of the highly regarded Contact Centre World Awards run by ContactCentreWorld.com.

However‚ our new service initiative requires more than just people to offer extraordinary customer service; it’s their attitude and approach to the customer that is so crucial. In addition to the programme’s need for passion, accountability, collaboration and being enterprising when dealing with customers‚ I am drawn to its requirements for creating working conditions that encourage people to succeed!

It’s all about attitude

As a business leader‚ I’ve always said that it’s important to stimulate the thinking of those around you. This can only be applied if you understand that attitude and not just aptitude is essential when employing at any level in the organisation. I like to see the interview process as a gate that only lets exceptional people in – and it’s part of my management ethos to pay more for a good person. So, I think I am on the correct path to getting the customer service experience right but now the hard work really begins.

For the Extraordinary Customer Experience to become a reality we need to change the way we think about customer service. I want us to own every customer experience and not simply sell stuff to people because we have targets to meet. We need to build real relationships with all of our clients and recognise that a new client or a satisfied contact centre customer is not just another successful transaction. In addition it’s important to define what we are delivering to our customers in relation to what our customers think they are getting – a disconnect at this point is the difference between exceptional or deficient service.

Sage Pastel’s service evolution

A shift in customer service won’t happen overnight. This fundamental change in the way things are done requires adjustments to the organisation’s culture and that, as you will appreciate, is not always easy and can take time.

What makes this service evolution even more challenging is the fact that we are not starting from a zero base. I think it would be much easier to alter thinking amongst our employees if we were doing things so badly that all service-related systems and processes could be scrapped and new ones introduced. But as I mentioned before, we do things well around here. Although I am the first to admit that sometimes things do go horribly wrong in our approach to our clients so it’s important to embrace this new global service initiative and use it to enhance our current service methodology.

I suspect that once in place, we will all be winners because of the Extraordinary Customer Experience. The real relationships created with our clients will build and sustain their trust in our ongoing ability to deliver on their needs. Trust will entrench our market leadership position and doing business with the market leader is good for entrenching trust.

So, look out for better customer service from Pastel Accounting that offers more than just an automated birthday wish.