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Build a bridge to
your customers
We get a lot of advice on how to provide great customer service. There’s a hundred books you could read but much of what they contain is re-telling us what we already know. The problem is remembering all this good stuff about exceeding expectations, building relationships and delivering what our customers really want. Sometimes you need a system of behaviour to make sure each step is followed with every customer.
Here’s six ways to make sure you get it right every time, with examples of how some our local businesses are already doing it.
1. Know who’s boss.
We are in business to service our customers so everything we do must ‘connect’ with them. Establish rapport and build trust. Introduce yourself, learn their name and be genuinely interested in them. In fact, if your not interested put up a ‘closed’ sign and move to the coast!
People know when you are genuinely interested and they’ll respond accordingly.
2. Discover what they want.
If you have a genuine conversation with your customer you will discover what they seek. At first they may not know or be unsure of how to express it. Sometimes they’ll know but be unsure how to ask. This where asking pertinent questions and listening carefully to the answers will provide you with the information you need. You can guide them towards getting exactly what they want. Exceeding expectations is not so difficult once you know what those expectations are. This will help ensure your customers come back again.
3. Know what you can do
We can’t be all things to all people. Sometimes the customer will be seeking what we can’t do or sometimes what we choose not to do. Every business has niche and it should match what it is you do best. The secret is knowing what you do best and how it relates to the needs of your customers. What business are you really in?
4. Do it?
This sounds easy in theory but it’s often where many businesses fail. They don’t do what they say they’ll do because they don’t manage the process of ‘doing’. That is: planning, performing, measuring and monitoring. What gets measured gets done. You need to convert your customer’s wants into actions you can measure. Then set up a system to measure the outcomes and the actions that produce them.
5. Follow up.
For customers this is the icing on the cake. This is good for you also because it’s easy to do and yet it pays huge dividends in customer loyalty. Make this part of your plan. Encourage customer feedback and suggestions. But also make sure you follow up with them via phone, letter, email, a visit or whatever works in your situation. The more direct and personal the better and because most businesses don’t do this consistently, it will help you stand out from the crowd.
6. Thank them.
This often gets forgotten so put it in your plan. It’s not just a matter of printing “Thanks for doing business with us” on your invoice. You don’t want to sound robotic or phony. Be real about it, be genuine. Thank them in a number of ways - a phone call, a card or even a text message! First impressions are important but last impressions last. |
