What Are Moments of Truth?

In a severely-competitive world, how do businesses distinguish themselves, i.e. ensure that they attract and keep customers more than the competition does? Product differentiation, technological advances, and price-cuts are often not enough. One of the best ways to put your business at the top is by continuously improving the positive impact you have on the customer.

Touch points in customer contacts are also known as ‘moments of truth’. During any stage of customer contact, the customer could form a positive or a negative opinion of any aspect of the process.

Many people think of customer service as treating the customer in front of them as politely as possible and, if they have problems, to resolve them as quickly as possible. However, effective customer service goes far beyond being polite to the customer.

Definition: In customer service it is the instances of contact/interaction between a customer and a firm (through a product, sales force, or visit) that gives the customer an opportunity to form (or change) an impression about the firm.

There are two types of ‘moments of truth’, i.e.

Moments of Magic

Favourable moments of truth have been termed as ’moments of magic’. These are instances where the customer has been served in a manner that exceeds his expectations, e.g. an airline passenger being upgraded from an economy to a business class ticket or the 100th (or 1000th) customer of a new department store being given a special discount on his purchase. Such gestures can go a long way in creating a regular and loyal customer base. However, a moment of magic need not necessarily involve such grand gestures. Even efficient and timely service, consistently provided by a coffee shop assistant, can create a moment of magic for the customers.

Moments of Misery

These are instances where customer interaction has a negative outcome. A delayed flight, rude and inattentive shop assistants or inferior quality food served at a restaurant all qualify as moments of misery for the customers. Though lapses in service cannot be avoided totally, how such a lapse is handled can go a long way in converting a moment of misery in to a moment of magic and creating a lasting impact on the customer.