Customer expectations aren’t getting met. Customers aren’t happy and we need to get them roped back in. Can customer delivery problems be addressed productively? Is there a cookie-cutter approach?
THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Exceed customer expectations. Deliver exactly what the customer expects and what you’ve agreed on. Customers who take time to explain their concerns are doing you a favor. Set up a system to learn from breakdowns. Match customer demands for the level of quality, pricing, and accountability.
Know your customer expectations?
Discover what customer expectations are. In the sales, delivery, and ongoing service phases, become a good listener. Shift the focus from telling customers what you can deliver. Find out what they’re looking to receive. Above all, ask questions about how their needs do, and don’t, get met. Frequently refresh that data, as the needs of your customers may change on a regular basis. Tailor your offers with the information you gather to meet their needs.
Customers can easily go elsewhere without saying a word. And, when they do, they often leave your company in the dark as to what went wrong. Show employees how to mine complaint calls for feedback on what needs to be fixed.
Teach everyone who comes into contact with customers how to act with grace under fire. Likewise, a calm demeanor and patience will go a long way. Successfully resolving an unhappy customer situation is key. Practicing what to say and do when a customer is hot under the collar. To clarify, enable your staff to be better able to maintain control as they work to fix the problem.
What the customer wants.
For example, develop a uniform approach to how you handle complaints. Teach your people to say “thank you for the feedback”. Then ask how the customer would like things resolved. Hold off making any promises as to what can be done about the issue. Make sure to get contact information and specify a time frame to connect back with the customer.
Likewise, fill out a customer complaint sheet on every incident. Log who called, who took the call, details about the complaint. Know who the problem was referred to, how it was addressed and whether the customer was satisfied. Use those sheets to track how and how well, incidents are resolved. Periodically meet as a team to review all complaints. Look for trends and opportunities to improve. Make it everyone’s mission to reduce incidents. Learn how to improve every aspect of your operation.
Similarly, make operations accountable for delivering a great customer experience. Do periodic check-ins on the quality and accuracy of what gets delivered. Moreover, put someone in charge of inspecting and reporting on the work performed. Keep an eye for exceeding standards for quality and satisfaction. In addition, figure out where the gaps are, where they come from, and how to fix them.
Customer expectations are rising.
For example, give operations the authority to intervene when customer expectations are not met. Review performance regularly. Publish results. Know what to work on next to reduce incidents and improve satisfaction.
Above all, talk to your people about the importance of earning customer loyalty. After that, deliver above and beyond what’s expected. Don’t allow delivery personnel to ask a customer for a quick signoff at delivery. That’s an accurate assessment of the experience. Certainly, circle back to find out how satisfied the customer was a day or a week later.
In short, remember, it takes much more effort to sell a new customer. Consequently, it’s easier to do what it takes to retain an existing customer. Improve profits and reduce stress. To sum up, focus on smoothing out the bumps in customer satisfaction.
LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK? Try “More is More; How the Best Companies Go Farther and Work Harder to Create Knock-Your-Socks-Off Customer Experiences” by Blake Morgan.
