Job #1: Customer Service

Keeping your customers happy is probably the most outstanding job your company has. If customers feel good about your business and its products or services, they will not only be less inclined to switch suppliers but more likely to increase the amount of business they do with you. In today’s hypercompetitive marketplace, keeping customers happy requires more than just “doing your job.” You must make customers feel they are getting what they paid for. Moreover, you must avoid becoming complacent and taking customers for granted.

The fundamental truth in business is that repeated business from faithful customers builds profit. We have all heard that, statistically, it is much easier to keep a customer and expand sales to that customer than it is to gain a new customer.

Here are five tips for providing outstanding customer service to generate new and repeat business:

1. Sell a product or service that you believe in.

2. Develop a customer-first philosophy in everything you do.

3. Make it easy for your customers to contact you with questions or concerns.

4. Take your customer’s comments, concerns or questions about your product or service seriously.

5. Solicit your customers’ opinions about your product or service and encourage them to be honest! If your business is customer service driven, it will be apparent throughout every customer’s sales and service process. While many business people understand that they need to provide a quality product or service, they must remember that customers care just as much about service as quality. You must give both to keep your customers coming back.

The customer is always right, but making the customer consistently happy means much more. Producing the best product is not necessarily enough if you do not know what your customers think.

Keeping the customer satisfied demands different things from product businesses than it does for service companies. Product companies often have intermediaries between them and their clients — distributors, reps, and others. Service companies, though, are usually in direct contact with their customers and must pay attention to them to survive. Owners of both companies must devise ways to inquire about customer reactions and feelings about their business operations.

One sure sign that you have a problem with their clients is if you do not get repeat business. Unfortunately, this warning comes too late to resolve. So it is essential to pick up other signs earlier. Here are some suggestions for keeping tabs on customers:

• Use every device to determine customer reactions and feelings about your company’s product or service. Quiz customers directly and question your sales, service people, and distributors. Find out what customers think about your offerings and what they think of the competition. Try short written surveys, monitor your social media and watch for commentary on service web portals.
• Managers should go out on sales calls. They can go alone or with salespeople. In the latter case, sit on the sidelines and listen. You will often be amazed at what you hear being said between the lines — about what customers think of you and what they think of competitors.
• Use samples as a way to initiate a smooth relationship with customers. Those who buy based on having tried a sample are much more inclined to be satisfied and feel the product meets their needs.

• Use after-market service judiciously. While you should be able to make money on such a service, many customers resent paying for follow-on service. A solution: Build the cost of such service into the product’s price structure to make the service available at seemingly nominal rates.
• The farther you are from the customers in the distribution cycle, the more innovative and persistent you must be to stay in touch with them.

Nationwide studies show dissatisfied customers fail to make their complaints known to management in 50% of all cases. Furthermore, when customers complain, only half are satisfied by the company’s response. Because dissatisfied customers talk to as many as eight acquaintances and friends about their negative experience, a business can lose sales yet not understand why.