Getting it Right in the First Place

When discussing a truly great customer experience, it’s a natural reaction to focus on a specific customer service situation or service recovery. It is true that all organizations have problems to solve at one point or another and the way they solve them goes a long way toward establishing long-term customer relationships. But we should never lose sight of the easiest and least expensive form of service recovery which is getting it right in the first place.

Service recovery only works if it’s the rare exception and not the rule. Such is the case at Walmart stores who are reporting that increased productivity and improved inventory management are resulting in a better customer experience. Having what the customer wants in-stock and on the shelf is the surest way to please a consumer. It’s no surprise that these improvements have resulted in improved third quarter financial performance for this retail force of nature.

Wal-Mart officials are saying that their stores are running better than at any time in history, which is leading to market share and an all time high customer satisfaction level. One could make the case that the success is being driven exclusively by price, but even the best deal in the world isn’t a deal if it’s not available, hard to find or if associates can’t help you out.

This Wal-Mart story is a good example of putting the customer experience first in every step of the go-to-market chain. If you wait to the end of the chain to take care of your customer, it might be too late.