"Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus"

"Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy." [Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, Francis Pharcellus Church, and his quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897.]

That was the early payoff of what is probably one of the finest pieces of writing I have come across in a long time. Because of its frankness, clarity and poetry, it moved me deeply.

I too think that sometimes we let the smallness of the daily preoccupations with our process, our way, taint our perception of what is the right thing. Well, ask a child, or better yet, retain that spirit in you and you will know. As Church wrote, there is a Santa, and customer service can learn at least 5 things from him.

This is the topic of today's post at Fast Company Expert blogs, and it should be part of our brand promise. There has been talk lately about how customer service is the new marketing. Here are some of the bloggers who have joined that conversation in the last couple of days --

• Todd Defren -- "This is the Corp Comms Dept. How May We Serve You Better?"
• Kami Huyse -- Public Relations is Customer Service
• Brian Solis -- Customer Service is the New, New Marketing
• Neville Hobson -- It takes more than gestures to deliver amazing customer service
• Susan Getgood -- If Customer Service is the New Marketing
• Jeremiah Owyang -- The Four Tenets of the Community Manager

UPDATE: Thanks to Nathan Gilliatt for pointing out two more posts:

• Brad Burnham -- Customer Service is the New Marketing
• Nathan Gilliatt -- Customer Service is Marketing

The excellent Thor Muller and Lane Becker of Satisfaction -- I interviewed them in May before their launch -- are holding an event titled, you guessed it, Customer Service is the New Marketing, February 4, 2008 in San Francisco. Among the speakers some friends -- Tara Hunt, Chris Heuer, Deb Schultz, Becky Carroll, and Jeremiah Owyang.

When it comes to customer service, there should be a Santa Claus -- everything is possible.

Comments

[Jason Falls]

What a great story! That was one (story and response) I hadn't heard.

The customer service thing, though, I've got mixed reaction to. I kind of agree with Harry Hoover (http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=517 ) that customer service has always been marketing and those who don't include that as a marketing touch point lose big.

I also am happy the discussion is being had, however, because it's a nice reminder that we should all be mindful of it. And again, you have sparked a possible blog idea for me.

[Valeria Maltoni]

As I wrote elsewhere, right after you: "Put simply, companies forgot. In the midst of TQM, process/systems management, inside-out thinking, and the flavor of the day leadership, the concept of customer took a back seat."

Tom Peters said it years and years ago -- be the Services, Inc. organization. Glad to be of service ;-) And thank you for the link.

[Nathan Gilliatt]

Couple of related posts:

Brad Burnham -- Customer Service is the New Marketing
http://www.unionsquareventures.com/2006/11/customer_servic.html

Nathan Gilliatt -- Customer service is marketing
http://net-savvy.com/executive/strategy/customer-service-is-marketing.html

[Chris Baskind]

What a charming article, Valeria. It's companion over at Fast Company is a real winner, too. Very bookmarkable.

I love re-reading the "Yes, Virginia" editorial around this time of year. It's not necessary to believe in Santa or the supernatural to realize Francis Church was cloaked a deep truth in his deceptively simple response to a young child.

But I wouldn't have thought of using Santa as a customer service example. You're full of surprises. ;-)

[Chris Heuer]

Valeria thanks for the great post and the excellent collection of links to help tie this story together so well.

Jason - of course it has always been a form of marketing, but how many companies do you know that look at customer service as an area of investment rather than a cost. The entire outsourcing CSR's overseas movements is based on looking at it as a cost that must be kept down. Almost every customer support story you read from large corporations is about decreasing the per call costs, decreasing the amount of time CSR's spend on the phone and of course, the big one over the last decade - let customers help themselves.

Why was customer self service embraced in most corporate corners? So companies didn't have to pay for supporting them!

Of course, there are several who have great upsell scripts written, but that is not about helping customers, that is about squeezing more revenue from them. How many times have you received the call from the credit card company offering you that 'protection plan' for only an extra $0.70 per month (per every hundred bucks)

OK, now I need to write a blog post...

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Nathan -- thank you for the links. I have updated the post.

@Chris -- thank you for your kind words. Filling the heart with inspirational stories and actionable tips is very appropriate for a change of season and year. As we reflect upon where we've come from and plan for where we are going, it's good to remember that unless we strive to, we won't get there ;-)

@Chris -- I love your mini post here! Some companies are starting to behave to signal they believe in customer service. I wrote about NetFlix at FC Expert blogs a few weeks ago, for example. I like the idea of talking to a live person who can articulate and make decisions. Wanna know why customers went to automated emails? Because the person on the phone was either impossible to understand or so hurried that you did not want to bother. Another great example is Apple Customer Care (at least from my experience). Looking forward to reading your post now.

[Becky Carroll]

Thank you for this post, Valeria. I love seeing more people recognizing customer service as a major customer touchpoint. As I have written about many times, it is too often viewed as a cost to be managed.

There is vital customer interaction going on at each customer service touch. Companies that use the customer information shared in a customer service interaction will have a more complete customer profile. Companies that use the customer service touchpoint as another place to build on the customer relationship are winners.

Yet customer service is only one touchpoint with the customer (albeit a very important one). The overall experience with the customer of our companies needs to be consistent and planned for the optimal relationship-building opportunties.

Way to go, Valeria. This post rocks! :-)

[Kare Anderson]

And part of customer service is tracking and spoiling the "cream" - those biggest spenders/ top 5% ... or at least notice them and thank them + ask what they like best about your company
+ to name their 3 other favorite companies in the hopes of finding valuable partners to reach more of your kind of big spenders.

[Joe Raasch]

Hi Valeria,

What a great analogy and story!

"The Customer" seems to be the new holy grail. While companies pursued 'Quality' they forgot about 'quality'.

Will we see people championing integration of continuous improvement with customer service?

It would be sad to see the consultants and companies rush to be 'customer focused' at the cost of ignoring sound process management.

Then costs will skyrocket again, and the pendulum will swing back - the cycle repeating itself every 5-6 years (like innovation!).

The art is in the integration of service. e.g. the 'flexible factory' at GE.

Almost hypnotic, eh?

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Becky -- as you say all the time, why not use the interaction as an opportunity? To gain knowledge and insights, to develop deeper relationships, to provide the service... lots of potential. I hear you on the cost piece, marketing too is often viewed as a cost center. Consistency goes to brand building and stewardship as well. Why spend a ton of money every couple of years to repair a brand? Why not build it at every interaction?

@Kare -- I always wanted the company where I made many of my purchases to acknowledge it in some special way... Benetton actually does that. They send me coupons and thank you cards after purchases. Guess here I shop these days? Plus I get to hang out at the store trying on things as they know I am a good customer and everyone is really nice. I would love it if Benetton got together with an Italian accessory and shoes store, although they also sell them. I can see myself buying into that concept. Companies have the records, why not put them to good use? Yours is a fantastic suggestion!

@Joe -- well, who was the philosopher who talked about cycles, Vico? You probably did not study in Italy ;-) The secret sauce is always balance, in everything. My great grand mother lived to 100. She ate everything, just little portions of it, together. Yes, integration and never taking for granted.

[Kami Huyse]

Great conversation going on here, I always love hanging out in your blog.

I had been percolating the Public Relations is Customer Service post for some time, and a combination of Geoff's book and visiting DELL last month finally shook it free. I am so glad to see that it has started such a variety of conversations around the PR and marketing communities because I see it as critical to our success as the expectations for credible and personal information continues to increase.

There are many that are saying that "marketing as customer service" idea is
too simplistic and of course, at the surface it is. There is also great products and service and many other aspects to consider as well. But without the customer, all the rest are mere theoretical strategies and tactics.

The care of the customer must inform everything else that we do as public relations (in my case) professionals and marketers.

The satisfaction of the customer and the constituents that surround our brands, are the key to unlocking the door to gaining cultural currency.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Things are always more complex than we think to implement and simpler than we plan during strategy. As always, the truth can be found somewhere in between -- as the pendulum swings back, we may take a look at what it swept under the carpet on its way ;-)

To oversimplify even further we could remember the Golden Rule: "don't do onto others..." and build from there.