24

Wow. Now that’s great customer service!

I recently signed up for an online service where the tech support team guarantees a response to any question within 24 hours. In the last two weeks, I’ve hit two or three roadblocks I couldn’t figure out on their site and sent in a request for support.

They got back to me with a detailed answer, within two hours!

Impressive.

As a customer, I’m more likely to recommend this service to my family and friends because of their diligence and reliability, (that and the fact that they actually offer a GREAT product!). This company has no idea much of a fan I am or how much buzz I’m building for them due to their diligence in getting back to me so promptly.

So it got me thinking.  What if we set a goal of responding to 90%, (hey I have to be realistic) of all incoming communications within 24 hours? Whether it’s an email, a phone call, text message, tweet, or whatever, how might that improve the way people perceive you?

One of the smartest guys who ever lived writes about this kind of due diligence. It’s a little morbid, but still true. In the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes 9:10, king Solomon writes, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”

The apostle Paul repeats the same basic idea in his letter to the Church in Colossae, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23)

Both of these have to do with not only your response time, but also the quality of your work.

What if you offered both?

Up for the challenge? Let’s start small. For ONE MONTH, set a goal of returning 90% of all incoming communications within 24 hours, and see where it takes you.

→ → TALKBACK: On an average, how long does it take you to get back to people trying to communicate with you?  Up for the one month 24-challenge?