It’s not a typo, and although Google Translate thinks it’s Welsh, it’s not that either. DWYSYD is the easiest way to build trust with customers, with your team and even in your private life.
DWYSYD stands for Do What You Said You’d Do, and it’s all about personal integrity, credibility and trust.
We’ve all experienced customer service fails along these lines:
- waiting in for a parcel or plumber that doesn’t arrive when expected
- never getting the call back you were promised
- being in a 30-minute meeting that overruns by an hour
- arriving at the garage to find your car isn’t ready for collection
- ordering a salad without dressing only for it to arrive slathered in the stuff
- the friend, colleague or supplier who is always late
They’re all a failure of DWYSYD, because the individual just didn’t. They said they’d do something, we expected them to do it, they didn’t do it, so we’re annoyed/frustrated/disappointed/enraged (delete as applicable).
DWYSYD should be simple: “I’ll call you back at 5pm”, so you call them back at 5pm.
It is simple, but it’s not always easy to deliver. Here are a few practical ideas to help you DWYSYD:
Be a do-er
This means taking the conscious decision to be someone who has integrity, is trustworthy and reliable. People believe you because you DWYSYD.
Take notes
No-one has the memory of an elephant, so listen hard and take notes. The reason you got a flat white when you ordered a cappuccino is because it wasn’t written down.
Use technology
Schedule the call back on Outlook Tasks or iCalendar. Use an EPOS system to get the order to the kitchen. Put notes in the CRM system. Send an automatic SMS to the customer when their car is ready for collection. Technology helps us deliver better customer service.
Apologise, then do it
If it all goes wrong, then ‘fess-up straight away. Don’t make-up some nonsense about why you didn’t DWYSYD – do your customers really care if your cat’s sick, you lost WiFi or the Post-It note blew away? No. They’ll just go elsewhere next time.
Great customer service isn’t an art or a science, it’s just about treating people how you’d like to be treated yourself.