As a consumer that’s been in the workforce for over 20 years I am sad to report that over 90% of my experiences making a purchase are negative.
I don’t think I ask for much.
I ask three things:
- I like to be warmly acknowledged at first contact,
- I want my questions answered and
- I like to be thanked for spending my hard earned money.
These are the basics in customer service and many businesses are missing the mark on one or all three of these steps.
Let me expand a little here on why I believe businesses are not accomplishing these three simple steps.
Your business, of course, is not included in the above statement… or is it?
You should ask yourself these questions:
- Does your customer service staff have clear direction on your policies and procedures for customer service satisfaction?
- When is the last time you expressed to your team your expectations of how they are to treat your most valuable asset – YOUR customer?
- Are you meeting with your team on a regular basis to discuss customer service standards? It is a great way to gently remind everyone why we are here (hint: to give the customer a positive experience during the buying process so they want to return)?
Here are a couple of stats that will reinforce your concerns in keeping your customers:
1. It costs anywhere from 5 to 8 times more to gain a new customer as opposed to retaining your customers. When you consider the cost of sales people, advertising, Internet marketing, etc. to attract new customers this becomes obvious.
2. 68% of customers will stop using your services or fail to return if they feel unappreciated. This is the number one reason businesses lose customers.
Based on these statistics, it is obvious your business needs to place an equal emphasis on keeping existing customers as gaining new ones.
Here are a couple of opportunities for going above and beyond your customers’ expectations.
Follow up
It blows me away how few businesses actually follow up with their customers after they have made a purchase.
In the last 5 years I can only recall two follow up calls from vendors asking me if I was happy with my purchase and confirming that all was well.
The first was about my car purchase (the dealer manager) and the second was about my house (my mortgage broker).
Sure, I understand both of these are big dollar purchases, but does that really matter?
Should I be treated any differently if I am making a purchase of a lesser value? To me, the answer is a clear, “No”.
I’m not saying you have to phone every customer every time they buy something. That’s not practical and it’s likely annoying to the customer. However, what I am saying is that if you make contact with a first-time customer after their first purchase it will not only impress them it will blow them away.
Here are some other ways you can exceed customer services expectation:
Keep in touch
Making contact with your customer on a regular basis can help you build a long-lasting relationship. This can be done over the phone, by e-mail with a newsletter or thank you note, even through snail mail for a birthday greeting.
Continue to understand your customers’ needs
Your products and services must be a reflection of your customer wants and needs. Stay up to date with what your customers expect from you. This can be done through customer feed back forms (in-house or online) or through a simple customer e-mail survey, perhaps with a draw prize incentive for customers to fill out the form.
Appreciate your customers
You can never thank someone enough – if it is sincere. A “thank you” can go a long way. Tell your customer in person or by phone, e-mail or regular mail:
“Thank you for your business. I appreciate having you as my customer.”
Stay competitive
Make sure your services have value. You don’t have to lower your prices when your competitors do, but make sure your customers know that you are worth the extra money. This can be done through consistent contact with your customer reinforcing why your company is the right choice for them.
Managing your customer experience will translate into a strong client base that will happily refer your business.
How are you handling customer contact? Do you simply get the sale and move to the next customer? Do you have a policy of customer follow-up and follow-on? If your existing customer base is the best source of new customers, what are you doing to ensure and on-going conversation with your customer?
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