Did you know a typical business hears from only 4% of its unhappy customers — the other 96% just quietly switch to a competitor? And that, on average, dissatisfied customers tell 10 people about their negative service experiences?
Customers have long memories…they remember two things: How they are dealt with when they walk into a store or call for information or get treatment, etc. AND how quickly and accurately their problems are resolved.
Here are three guidelines to improve your customer’s experience.
- Resolve problems immediately.
If a problem can’t be right then and there, make sure the customer knows how and when the problem will be resolved AND that the customer is reasonably satisfied with the solution.
Here is a common problem. A customer orders a special part for a kitchen appliance. The wrong part is delivered. The customer is understandable upset. Here is a positive way of handling this situation. You can say:
“I know you had hoped for the replacement by tomorrow. However, in order to make sure it’s the right part, we can deliver it to you in three days. Will that be OK? I apologize for this inconvenience and here is a 10% discount on your next purchase.”
Research, and my own personal experience, indicates customers will continue to do business with a company if their problems were solved quickly and satisfactorily.
2. Keep your team customer focused.
Most of the messages employees receive comes from their immediate manager as to what is important and what is not. Managers must constantly communicate that customer satisfaction is the team’s number one priority. Here are three ways to get that message out there to your people.
- Start each team or staff meeting with information about and feedback from your customers.
- Ask each team member to adopt a customer by calling them regularly and helping them resolve problems.
- Each quarter, target one customer with whom the team has been having difficulties and form a special SWAT team to resolve those problems.
3. Find out what it’s like to be your customer. Would you return or go somewhere else?
A cartoon showing a doctor holding a telephone and saying to the patient, “As the final part of your stress test, you have to call an automated phone system.”
Have you recently contacted your company to get information about one of your products or services? Or to check an order, change an appointment or find out an employee’s email or phone number? What was that experience like? Did you get put on hold more than once? Were you able to navigate the voice mail instructions? Did you actually get a real live person with a ‘ring’ in his or her voice?
Depending on your business, shop in your stores; eat in your restaurant; call your 800 number; place an order. Try to get something returned, explained or repaired.
Customers begin their evaluation of your business from the moment they enter your place, access your Web site or speak with your staff. Therefore, that phone call or email reply or “how can we help you?” greeting is a terrific opportunity to demonstrate to your customers that service quality is your #1 priority. There must be a routine in place that continually asks questions like: How can we make our services easier to use? How can we become easier to do business with?
Smart Moves Tip
The litmus test of customer focus is fairly simple: Is the entire company, including the front line, the support staff, the sales folks, all the managers focused on delivering a superior customer experience? Nothing else counts. The point about being service-driven is to install your customers at the heart of your operations with everyone at every level. Also read “Why Your Customer’s Experience Needs to be a Leadership Issue”.
My Motto Is:
If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got. Therefore, MOVE outside of your comfort zone; that’s where the MAGIC happens.” To bring that magic to your leadership and business, subscribe to Marcia’s monthly Execubrief: Business Edge- Smart Growth Strategies with insights, intelligence and inspiration on how to build great businesses that matter- those that do well and do good.
Did You Know That a New Kind of SMARTS is Needed?
75% of leaders are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including inability to handle people problems, unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict; or inability to adapt to change or elicit trust. – Center for Creative Leadership. Do you want to boost
