Operations: Just Do It

Nike is one of the world’s largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel, earning millions of dollars in revenue each and every year. Founded in 1964 under the name Blue Ribbon Sports, the company rebranded to Nike in 1971, and since has continued to make its mark in the athletics and sports manufacturing industry.

A few weeks ago, Missy Moss, the general manager of Nike Athletic Centers at Nike World Headquarters, shared some of the company’s customer service standards that she believes others in the industry could benefit from knowing. The acronym for those standards is CAP, CAN. 

C: Connect.

A: Authentic.

P: Passionate.

C: Clean & Functional.

A: Always First to Greet.

N: No Question Goes Unanswered.

Each of these customer service standards hold employees accountable to an experience that Nike Athletic Centers strives to provide its customers. Just like Nike’s products, the company wants customers to have the same “wow” experience when interacting with the brand one-on-one.

Nike Athletic Centers is certainly not the first company to have high customer service standards. Companies like Apple and Gainesville Health and Fitness are known for this as well, and allow them to stand out from the crowd when it comes to competition.

If you don’t have customer service standards written down, do so. But don’t just stop there. Take time to actively train and educate employees on why these standards are important.

Some examples of customer service standards include:   

—I will say hello and goodbye to every member that visits my club.

—I will answer the phone in a friendly, courteous manner.

—I will solve every member’s problem to the best of my ability.

What are your customer service standards, and why are they important?