|
As many homeowners tend to do during the spring and
summer months, I decided to spruce up the old homestead. What
was the best place to start? The driveway. I called a few
highly recommended and well-known paving companies for
estimates. All three companies showed to inspect and give me
estimates. All three made outstanding presentations. I decided
to go with the middle estimate. What then was the problem?
An appointment for the actual job
was scheduled. Unfortunately, I had to cancel due to personal
commitments. I waited for a call back and started to diligently
leave messages requesting a return call. My fourth and final
voice message ended with: “If I do not hear from you within the
next week, I will assume that you do not want my business.”
Guess what? Three months later I
heard from them. They asked, “Are you still interested in
having us do your driveway?” Their rep sounded surprised that I
had turned to another company and even told me that she never
received any of my voice messages. Now what public relations
message was sent by this company? ‘When they are busy, they do
not need you. AND when they are slow, they will call.”
Kudos are sent to this company? They not only lost a
potentially loyal and advertising customer; they also succeeded
in creating negative publicity for their actions.
How is this story relevant to each of us working within a
business organization? We have been there on the receiving
end. Correct? Therefore, we must focus on the giving end by
remembering how we felt when frustrated by poor customer
service. Correct? For the sake of expediency, let’s use one
label to refer to any business provider you may consider to be
your customers and may label as clients, buyers, shoppers,
patients, accounts, students, constituents, etc. Whatever
label you give to your business providers, the people whose
money pays your bills and paychecks, servicing them should be
top priority. Never assume that your business organization is
too busy, too profitable, too good for customer servicing.
Never assume that it is ‘not your job!’
Let me give you another example.
My friend retained a large accounting firm (recommended by his
accountant who was unable to provide the kinds of services
needed by my friend’s business) for succession planning
negotiations. He found that this firm’s partner referred his
‘job’ to an associate. No problem! What then was the actual
problem? This associate failed to return calls, seemed to be
unaware of scheduled meetings, seemed to come across as if my
friend’s multi-million dollar business was not an important
enough account.
What happened next? My friend
retained another firm after firing the seemingly apathetic
firm. By the way, there was more business to be attained from
my friend’s father, who was a retiring physician and needed a
practice valuation, as well as his son’s father-in-law whose
second company needed strategic planning. What did poor
customer serving cost this accounting firm? More than it will
ever know.
What then is excellent customer service? How can you make
customer service a top priority in your business organization?
Here are a few suggestions.
1) Orient, indoctrinate and hold accountable every employee,
manager, supervisor and partner for quality servicing and
treatment of every customer. Every single one – no matter what
the size of the account or how old or new the account may be.
2) Invest in the training of every member of the business
organization regarding products, services AND customer servicing
as well as personal development courses in interpersonal
communication skills.
3) Hold staff meetings on
concerns, needs, changes, interactions and case studies
involving customers.
4) Set up an internal auditing
system to ensure that customers’ requests, problems, concerns
are addressed and responded to in a timely fashion. Institute a
follow-up system of communication to ensure that solutions
(plans of action) are working to the customers’ satisfaction.
5) Follow up with customers to see how your company or business
organization is measuring up to their expectations. Your
customers are a huge resource of information about your business
operations and its public image. Tap into them.
It is the responsibility of every business organization to help
its employees (at all levels of the organizational hierarchy) to
consciously avoid becoming complacent about existing and
prospective customers. All members of the company must feel
confident and competent in their abilities to recognize and
handle the difficult customers and the ideal customers. A
company that acts unconsciously while going through the motions
of doing business as usual is in trouble. Why? There is too
much competition out there.
Permit me to remind you of the results of a 1985 survey reported
by the Sales and Marketing Executives International. Customers
stop buying for the following reasons:
1% die
3% move away
5 % develop other interests and needs
68% leave because they were treated with indifference,
disrespect, apathy or neglectful behaviors on the part of
employees of that business organization with whom they
interacted.
Remember: companies do not make decisions, people make them.
Companies do not buy, people buy. Companies are not governed by
emotions, people are governed by feelings and emotions.
Companies do not advertise compliments or complaints about your
business, people do. Avoid getting fired by your real boss –
your customers, clients, patients, buyers, consumers. Do your
best to give your best in order to reap the best. Service your
customers until they move beyond the level of merely being
satisfied to the level of feeling delight about doing business
with you.
For more information on customer
servicing go to
www.motivator-on-call.com
© PEOPLE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
2001
Editors
Note: Esther Bogin,
M.S., C.C.C., is founder and president of People Communication
Skills, LLC, owner, Motivator-On-Call.com as well as a professor of Communications at Nassau
Community College. Her
vast expertise in interpersonal communication strategies help
business and professional people to move to their next level of
their inner achievement.
|
