Get to Know Your Customers
How much do you know about your customers? Do you know what makes them happy? Mad? Restless? Let's face it - you should!
Businesses often operate in ignorance of what their
customers like or dislike, ignore and abhor. To ensure retention, pay
attention!
The Basics: What Customers Love
- When you know them, remember them by name and remember their preferences.
- To be treated with respect
- To feel special
- To know you're accountable when problems arise
- The ability to reach a live voice or person when problems arise
- To receive lagniappe — a little something extra, for their money's worth
The Basics: What Customers Hate
- The run-around — and having to repeat one's predicament repeatedly
- Labyrinthine voice mail systems
- Ignorant salespeople
- Apathetic employees
- Being put on hold
- Being left on hold
- Being disconnected after holding
- Poor routing of their phone call to the incorrect person
- Repeatedly hearing how important their patronage is while on hold
indefinitely
- Canned e-mail responses that are unresponsive or miss the particulars of
the problem
- Sales reps with surly or superior attitudes who are condescending
- Lack of empathy
- Taking customers for granted
- Being nickel and dimed!
- Adhering to the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law
How We Can Win Points With Customers
- Exceed their expectations!
- Anticipate client needs even before they do
- Proactively head off problems before they occur
- Advocate for your customers with management
- Provide full service — offering one-stop shopping for myriad client needs
- Make doing business with you fun and easy
- Don't make charge-backs, returns and problems problematic to address
- Grow with your customers
- Treat them like royalty and employ a touch of class in your interactions
Your Next Steps
- Audit your sales and customer service process; look for ways to streamline
both for your customers' convenience.
- Make sure your sales reps know your product lines inside and out.
- Poll your customers to uncover new ways to better serve them.
- Create a marketing plan for keeping in front of your customers: e-zines,
ads, invites, demos, sales and courtesy calls, focus groups and other
mechanisms.
- Review your returns; look for patterns and trends. Fix systemic flaws in
your systems.
- Seek to reward devoted, long-term customers for their loyalty.
- To the extent possible, meet and better acquaint yourself with your
customers so they're more than a customer number or account name.
Don't treat customers like strangers. Treat them like beloved family!
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