The Fickle Customer
As technology advancements in e-commerce, automated telephone menus, e-mails, PDAs, instant messaging and cell-phones have made us more “reachable” somewhere we have lost touch with the customer.
Service Oriented businesses have gotten lazy! Today a few lucky people still
have relationships with their bank manager, insurance broker, and other
service organizations they interact with. The majority have a relationship
with their bank machine or an on-line web form.
I’m a Project Manager by trade, but was lucky to have the experience in
Customer Service/Sales early on in my career. Recently while going about my
job, I get a call from a Customer! Goodness knows, with all our technology
advancements, how the customer got to me, but they did. And they are talking
about a product we no longer support, Yikes! Now what?
Ever happened to you? Ever been the person calling in and got the wrong
person or department? Ever heard “Sorry can’t help you not my department”,
Click.
This lack of supporting the customer makes your customers fickle. If they
can get it cheaper, faster, and easier somewhere else they will jump ship.
Why? Why not? Your customers are just a number in your organization, there
are little to no relationships built, so why would the customer want to be
loyal to your organization?
Well I put on my “Customer Service Hat”, asked the customer to hold, asked
around, and broke the bad news. It didn’t end there. I popped on my “Sales
Hat” and walked the customer through our current products. That’s right 5
min out of my day, and the customer thanked me and asked me to send along
product praise for the discontinued product. And yes I passed it along, why?
I popped back into Customer Service mode, for my internal customers.
So let’s throw technology out the door, hire loads of people, and drive up
operational costs! Nope, that’s not what I am saying. As we go more and more
hi-tech we need to remain hi-touch.
As part of your organizations culture teach your staff:
1. How to answer a phone
2. How to shake hands
3. That everyone is a potential customer
4. That selling is not calling someone out of the blue
5. That relationships are key in an ever impersonal world
Five simple steps and you’ll be amazed at the results in your business, in
customer loyalty. I know I’ll look forward to being your customer.
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