Customer Service - A Proactive Step
In this article Scott Lindsay looks at how to take the proactive step of creating a customer charter ..
A farm equipment company in Canada is blazing a new
trail in customer service. REM Enterprises Inc. of Saskatchewan, Canada has
developed a “Charter of Values”. This charter essentially lets customers
know what they can expect from the company.
The basics of the REM charter is…
* Joy
* Character
* Integrity
* Honour
One of the statements in regards to character reads, “We are committed to
corporate and personal integrity every day, through every transaction, in
every relationship.”
I don’t know about you, but this statement alone would cause me to be
interested in the company – and I’m not a farmer.
This ‘charter’ bears a striking resemblance to the Arena Football League’s
“Fan’s Bill of Rights”. This document delineates some of the following
expectations…
* The events will be wholesome in nature.
* The events will feature fair competition.
* The players will give their best effort.
* Fans will have access to players and coaches for autographs.
* Fans should expect all who are associated with the game to be positive
role models.
Certainly there is more to the “Fan’s Bill of Rights”, but I wanted to give
you a picture of what extremely positive customer service looks like.
The best customer service does not wait until after something negative
happens to respond. No, it looks for ways to reassure customers and
prospects that you already have their best in mind. A statement of what the
customer can expect from your company can produce a radical
and enthusiastic response from your customer base.
Of course, all the promises in the world mean nothing if you don’t back them
up. Don’t promise the world and then deliver a deserted island.
If you make big promises make big deliveries.
The “Charter of Values” REM Enterprises developed was a way to bring the
issue of positive customer service to their clients, but it was also a way
to move their staff to a place where they followed along with the team. When
everyone was on the same page, everyone began to respond in a way that kept
the client’s needs the focal point – not bottom line profits.
Interestingly profits seem to be a direct result of making customers the
main priority in business. This concept is one of the primary reasons the
Arena Football League continues to see strong fan support at the cities in
which they play.
If you take just one bit of advice from the marketing articles you read make
it this one – be proactive in customer service. When your customer knows you
are committed to them they develop trust much faster.
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