Because the customer
Because the customer has a need, we have a job to do.
Because the customer has a choice, we must be the better choice.
Because the customer has sensibilities, we must be considerate.
Because the customer has an urgency, we must be quick.
Because the customer is unique, we must be flexible.
Because the customer has high expectations, we must excel.
Because the customer has influence, we have the hope of more customers.
Because of the customer, we EXIST!
CUSTOMER SERVICE
"It's high time the ideal of success should be replaced by the ideal of service." Einstein.
We laughed out loud at William Taylor, generation-xer, and cofounder of Fast Company, a magazine that covers real people with real solutions and gives people tools they need to succeed in today’s work world. His closing tip: how to increase your customer base, “the next time the phone rings in your company, how about having a real person answer it?” As we sat about and discussed some of the tips Taylor had given the audience, the conversation about customer service seemed consistent from the international group - Americans, Europe, South Africa, South America, and Asia - there were tales we could tell about poor service and tales we could tell about good service in each of our respective countries. Customer service crosses all industries.
The Customer is a person who buys our products, especially on a regular basis. Customer retention is the ability to keep a customer and, hence, profits. Happy customers extol our product virtues and contribute free marketing for your company. It is, simply, our “raison d’être”, our reason for existing - to sell our products to customers who want to come back again and again and buy more of our products. With global competition driving the need to exceed customers’ expectations, customers will not tolerate paying for someone else’s deficiencies. Understanding the customer’s needs means asking the customer what the requirements or needs are, implementing solutions, and continuously following up with improvements.
Rapid Response - Eliminating the Communications Gap
When we have a problem, it is our expectation that we will get help from the supplier of the product. We don’t want to hear excuses, we don’t care who is on vacation, nor for how long - Service should be seamless to the customer. The longer we keep an unhappy customer on the line without solving the problem, the angrier the customer gets and the quicker that customer will go to a competitor. Throughout my professional career, I have continuously upgraded a checklist I developed for businesses, small or large, to evaluate and reduce the communications gap that exist both internal and external to the business and impact our ability to exceed our global customer’s expectation in service. Audit yourself and find out how well your business is doing in given the customer a rapid (correct) solution. I've included a check list or audit to help you rate your organization.
The “self-audit” challenge -
internal & external to the organization, the customers
üDo you deliver what you promise, at the time you promise?
üDo you deliver service and products quickly and efficiently?
üDo you give every customer involved personal attention?
üDo you return calls promptly?
üDo you evaluate your customer complaints?
üDo you treat customers with respect, courtesy, and professionalism at all times?
üDo you SOLVE the problem?
üDo you actively solicit an audit from your customers on your customer service to them?
üDo you remain aware and evaluate customer satisfaction regularly?
üDo you review and implement customer feedback and suggestions into current procedures?
üDo you treat customers just as you would want to be treated?
üDo your employees understand that a customer expects them to act with a sense of urgency to their dilemmas?
üDo your employees know to always say THANK YOU!?
üDo you maintain a clean and neat appearance, including the workplace, at all times?
üDo your employees understand the need for personal hygiene as they are the first introduction to the company customers see?
Loyal customers bring other customers who bring other customers who bring other customers, increasing revenues, and all for zerO marketing costs. Customer service breeds loyalty, loyalty fosters customer retention. The benchmark to customer retention, and increased sales, is customer service. How well are you doing in reinventing your customers’ loyalty?
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