Try Sailing as a World-Class Customer Service Benchmark

Whether we are a packager or a supplier to packagers, we must from time to time ask ourself if we are receiving or providing world-class customer service. But what do we compare it to? Our auto dealer, our big-box store, our favorite internet site? Let me suggest the sailing equipment industry as a benchmark.

Cross-industry benchmarking is recognized as a means of making breakthrough improvements. Many of us have seen presentations at packaging conferences about reducing line changeover time by building upon experiences of pit crews in NASCAR. It really works. I highly recommend cross-industry benchmarking as a tool for packagers. I know it is hard to get away from day to day tactical emergencies to think about something as exotic as sailing or NASCAR, but in the long term, it may be the best time you ever spent.

In this day of alternative media, I religiously read two periodicals cover to cover. One is Invention & Technology, which only recently began to accept advertising, and the other is Practical Sailor, which accepts no advertising. Both are providing fodder for this month's blog posts.

Sailors are a thoughtful lot with analytical minds that are constantly seeking the little tweak that can improve the effect of the wind in their sails. They focus on the possibilities of the journey. Because they have a mindset of relying on nature for motive energy, they've been described to me by my boatyard manager as "cheap", meaning that they don't like to part with their money. But, their equipment is very important to them. It not only can provide the means of eking out that last tenth of a knot from a warm breeze, but it can also be the difference between life and death in a cold gale. And as sailors make their way from port to port, complex items needing professional service or parts must literally be supported in the outer reaches or the four corners of the world. Sailors choose their equipment carefully, frugally, and with expectations for consistent performance and the availability of service if needed.

In this context, the 'Where Credit is Due' column in Practical Sailor is particularly enlightening and shows how an industry has aligned itself with the need for outstanding customer service. This column contains an ongoing stream of testimonials from across the country and around the world praising sailing equipment suppliers for having gone that extra mile to provide outstanding customer service.

I've experienced this in my own sailing experience. After a near-miss lightning bolt boiled the sea-water at the end of my pier, my boat Cocoa-Bella, experienced several electrical anomalies. One of these included 5 blown out circuit boards used for LED lighting. A call to the supplier with and explanation of what had happened resulted in 6 new boards being sent to me at no cost. This company's policy is lifetime customer satisfaction. I am now a lifetime customer.

So, if it is customer service that you want to improve and you want to do some cross-industry benchmarking, I suggest the sailing equipment industry. Let me know how it turns out!

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Comments Cross-industry benchmarking is a great way to think "outside the box." Too bad many companies think the idea is irrelevant - that there is not enough common ground between industries to make it worthwhile. When you look at a process or system, there are many commonalities - just a different product or service is being made. More people need to take a system/process based viewpoint to take advantage of this. Posted by: Glenn Whiteside on December 3, 2009 Post a comment (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) Name: Email Address: URL: Remember personal info? Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style) Type the word 'packaging' (required):