June 2016 | Page 22

competitors are new challenges. Cultural differences can pose some higher hurdles for the consumer as well as the business owner. Customer service that is outsourced to and from these countries across borders to the U.S. have to undergo some training to understand the nuances of language and meanings. There has to be a bridge to communicate. When training these crossborder customer service agents, cultural differences are highlighted to help make the translation. “To be relevant in your industry or field, you now need to be exceptional at creating a customer experience that makes the customer want to keep coming back.” She continues, “That is my conversation. How do you make that connection? How do you communicate that on the inside of an 22 | Eydis Magazine organization? Because what happens on the inside is going to show up on the outside.” If you take your eye off of customer focus, people will revert back to wondering what else is out there in terms of your competition. Customer service is not just a one-time thing. Companies must do it on a regular basis. It has to become part of their daily operations. There are no casual conversations with customers. I asked Marilyn what would be her one best piece of advice to business owners. She shared, “My one piece of advice is that customer love is in the details, so make each point of contact count. Every interaction that a customer has—on your website, on hold on the telephone, live in person, or thru chat— every time your company has an interaction with a customer, your organization is being evaluated. Every time customers decide whether their experience with your organization was positive, negative, or neutral, so make all those points count.