Customers Who Rave About You and Your Service
Ten qualities you must possess to gain your own raving fans..
According to customer service studies by marketing
gurus of the world, here are the following qualities, which must be present
in your life and your business in order to develop raving fan customers who
are not just satisfied but completely loyal to you over the long haul.
1. People want you to show an interest in their lives.
You not only know about their business, you know about their families, the
hobbies they enjoy, and their life experiences. You know when they have had
a win or a wow in their business, the birth of a new child, or a milestone
celebration around the corner.
2. People want you to be quick!
People want their products and services yesterday, not tomorrow or 3 - 4
days down the road. In today’s fast paced world, if you take more than 24
hours to respond to a request from a client, there is a very likely chance
that he/she will find someone else to take your place. These are no longer
the days of the Pony Express. These are the days of overnight service by Fed
Ex, Palm Pilots that call personal messaging systems, high speed internet
connections, and fax machines galore. Be quick and be energetic, or you will
fall behind in a flash.
3. People want you to be very available.
People are tired of automated message machines or the words “Press 1 for Bob
Smith, press 2 for customer service, press 3 if you speak Spanish…press 4 if
you want to hire another company!” There is very little excuse for not being
available. Provide your customers with your business phone, mobile phone,
fax machine, e-mail address, and your physical mailing address. If you live
alone, work out of your home and don’t want to share your home office
address, then get a P.O. Box. Your customers want to know that they can
reach you when there is a problem or a concern with their product or
service.
4. People want a friendly voice and a warm smile.
The first rule of customer service when you meet any person or when you
answer the phone is to grin from ear to ear. If you are not smiling, this
will come across over the phone and will definitely be seen and noticed in
public, so get busy being happy when you are out and about and when you are
engaging in a phone conversation. If you have a virtual company, put a fun
photograph or a 5 x 7 card on your desk that says “Smile…Today is a great
day.”
5. People would rather you under promise and over deliver.
Customers never forget a mistake or your delaying their product or service.
If you promise something on Friday, and you deliver it the next Tuesday,
they will tell the world about you…in reverse referral. They will tell the
whole city that you were late, and there won’t be one thing you can do to
reverse the negative publicity around your delay. Do not make promises that
you cannot fulfill. Let the customer know that you will get them their
product or service beyond the time that you know you can actually make it
happen. When they receive it early, they will be pleasantly surprised, and
will tell the world how wonderful and quick you are!
6. People want you to help them…they don’t want to be sold.
Hey folks…people do not like pushy people. Your job as a business owner is
to continue to add value to the lives of your clients without pushing a new
product, service, or extra fee on them before they are ready. The bottom
line: Don’t be a pushy pest! It will drive folks away in a heartbeat.
7. People want to hear you say “Yes, I can do that.”
People don’t want to hear dumb excuses. Customers and clients of today are
smart and savvy, and when they call for help, the last thing they want to
hear is:
“That’s not my job.”
“I can’t answer that, because I don’t know the answer.”
“Can I put you on hold?”
“My policy does not allow for that.”
“I’m sorry...that is the best I can do. I am only human.”
And the frustration begins to build.
People don’t want to hear your problems. They want their problems fixed.
There is always some sort of solution, even if you cannot fix the problem!
You will win points forever with comments like:
“You are absolutely right. I will get the answer to your problem by the end
of the day.”
“I thank you for your concerns. I am going to incorporate your idea as a way
so that it works for us all.”
“This is Sally Jones. How may I help you today?”
“I do not provide that service, but I have 15 people on my team who do work
with that. May I refer you to one of these men or women?”
8. People want to know that you are highly trained and skilled.
Are you continuing your training? Are you working with a coach? If not, your
customers will know it in a heartbeat. Your clients want to know that you
are on the cutting edge and that you are constantly devoted to the highest
level of learning and training made available. To begin with, get the
training…incorporate training monthly, then let your clients know what you
are learning. You can show your clients how you continue your training
through monthly announcements in your newsletter, e-mails about your
schedule, and through blogging.
9. People want you to drop the “nit picking.”
If you are charging nickels and dimes for added extras such as an additional
ten minutes on the phone or for each document you send a client, you will be
viewed as “cheap,” and this will leave a bad taste in the mouths of your
clients. Remember…these nickel and dime expenses can add value to the lives
of your clients and will create walking billboards for your business.
10. People want to hear the magic words “Thank-you.”
This is music to a client’s ears. Say it with sincerity, and say it often.
Your clients are allowing you to own and operate and business and to earn
money doing it, so thank them again and again for what they add to your
life.
