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Do you know what your customers really need and want? Have you asked them recently?
Just because your customers haven’t complained doesn’t mean they are happy. Research shows that 70% of consumers who experience problems will NOT complain. They may feel that complaining isn’t worth their time and effort or won’t do any good or they don’t know how or where to complain.
Why should businesses seek complaints and satisfy the complainants? Even though people aren’t unhappy enough to complain, some may be unhappy enough to stop using your product or service. Bad customer service means lost profits. And the money you are losing is being spent at your competitors. When complaints are handled properly they can have a significant effect on the bottom line. According to TARP research, it will cost you at least five times as much to acquire a new customer as it will to retain your existing customer. And don’t forget that customers who are dissatisfied with you will tell as |
many as 16 friends about the unpleasant experience with your products, services and customer care.
So why don’t more companies have better customer service? They may not have a corporate customer philosophy and environment that truly embraces “customers are where our money comes from so let’s meet their needs”. Employees may not have the necessary communication skills or haven’t been empowered to take the necessary action to resolve the customer’s problem. Whatever the reason, unsatisfied customers always affect the bottom line.
Take a minute to evaluate your customer satisfaction awareness:
1. Do your customers know how and where to complain or make suggestions?
2. If a customer has a problem or an idea, is there a person to contact beyond the sales or service representative?
3. Can your customers communicate quickly and easily with top management?
4. Do your senior executives and technical people interact regularly with customers?
5. Do you use surveys of customer’s satisfaction for past and present customers?
6. Do you have a customer-skills training program for employees?
7. Are your employees accountable for customer satisfaction? How?
8. Is customer satisfaction part of the performance measurement? |
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Step 1. Assess your customer service quotient.
You need to know where the problems lie and be able to identify ways to improve your customer service. Step 2. Understand your customer’s needs and requirements.
Do you know what their priorities are? Do you know how your customers think you stack up to your competition? Ask them. Step 3. Creating your customer vision and service policies.
Your company must have a vision and service policies that demonstrate the value you have for your customers. Step 4. Deal effectively with your customers. Once you’ve established a customer vision and customer-friendly service policies, the |
message must be embraced by the entire organization. Employees will also need to sharpen skills so that they are able to deal with customers effectively. How you communicate to your customers is just as important as what you communicate.
Step 5. Keep your customer in the process.
Excellent customer service is something that is ongoing. Your customer will immediately notice if you are taking a proactive approach with a team commitment. That starts with the employee feeling committed to the product or service, to the company and finally, most importantly, to the customer. Only the customer knows whether your company is meeting their needs. Take the time to create a customer service plan and watch how your profits increase. |
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by Laura M. Miller, IT Director, |
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It was apparent to Laura that customers were dissatisfied with service at the Housing Commission. Something needed to be done, and quickly. “We needed training to improve the overall service that our administrative staff was providing,” she said.
Laura met with Gayle to discuss symptoms and decided how to proceed. They evaluated the situation and determined that work was needed both in communications and customer service. They examined the customer service training package and the entire staff, and DISC® training. They established a time frame for the training and off they went.
Through DISC®training, the staff learned to effectively interact with customers. They especially gained from learning “how to diffuse upset customers” and “how to say no”. In the past, the IT staff in particular would simply say “no” without giving their customers any justification. Now the IT staff knows how to tell users that they understand their situation and can offer alternatives if they are not able to fulfill a request.
Because the training involved the entire administrative department–IT, Purchasing, Facilities, Accounts Payable and the training coordinator–the staff is now communicating better internally. They recognize personality differences and have learned how to accommodate them. Laura noticed an incredible difference and was delighted with the unexpected change. Gayle set up an aggressive schedule for this group with a process that took about 6 months from start to finish. They did one 4-hour session every 3 weeks. "I think breaking the sessions up this way helps the class absorb the material and actually start practicing what they have learned,” Laura stated. “In the past, the Housing Commission would have sent employees to a 3-day class for something like this and there would be |
no followup and no other opportunities to ask additional questions. In this scenario, the class was able to try what they learned and bring back successes and failures to share with the class. The success stories were uplifting for everyone and the failures gave us an opportunity to learn new techniques.”
“The biggest difference for me is that my department works like a team and doesn’t let the frustrations and problems of the users affect their morale”, Laura says. The improvement in staff communication has not only upgraded the internal workings of the department but has also improved the user’s perception of the IT department.
The next step for the Housing Commission is to set up the final management meeting where they will determine measurements for their customer service success and create surveys to help measure the results. Management will also work with Gayle to develop measurement criteria and rewards and consequences for the successes and failures. Call Gayle to see how she can help your organization. Or email her at gayle@posorg.com . |
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When you increase customer satisfaction and improve staff morale and productivity, the bottom line is: increased profits.
Using the DiSC® Dimensions of Behavior skill-building program, employees will develop first-class competencies in meeting the service needs of external and internal customers.
The complete 15-hour program covers key areas such as identifying and understanding your own DiSC® behavior, adapting to the customer’s behavior, increasing professionalism and managing problems. With video examples, individual exercises and small group activities, the complete 15-hour program is structured in 5, 3-hour modules. It’s a simple and effective way to include your entire staff in the process of your company’s growth.
Contact Gayle for more details on how to increase your company’s bottom line. |
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This is one of Victor Hugo’s famous doodles. Can you tell what it is? For the answer, visit answers . |
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An A.M. Business Connections Seminar |
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Positive Organizations, Inc., 13185 Berlin Tpke, Lovettsville, VA 20180
540-822-3946, info@posorg.com , www.posorg.com
Copyright 2000 Positive Organizations, Inc. All rights reserved.