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Ever heard of customer service? You probably have. But, have you ever seen it in action? I bet you haven’t!
I don’t understand the mentality of some businesses these days. There are so many businesses that put themselves above their customers. This is just so hard to believe as that without customers, you have no business.
In times like these, your business should be going out of its way for existing customers.
I have recently had a situation where poor customer service (either incompetence or just pure laziness on the part of the business’s employees) has not only just disappointed me but has actually put me in a bind – a double whammy so to speak.
Typically, when one receives poor customer service, the customer quits patronizing that business. In some situations, the now ex-customer will tell several people about how bad the company and its service was – even exaggerating the situation. In my case, the detriment of the service was so grave that I was inclined to tell everyone that would listen about the extremely poor service I was provided.
Regardless of my situation – keep the following two quasi facts in mind regarding your customer service efforts if you want to set your business apart from all the others:
According to one of my graduate professors (Roger Best, Ph.D.) – it is 10 times more expensive to attract and service a new customer than it is to service an existing customer. That is 10 times more expensive. Thus, if you have already spent the time, energy and money gaining the trust and attention of a buyer of your goods and services – why then would you allow your poor customer service to drive them away? Further, repeat business is one of the greatest tools a small business has in growing its operations. Further, happy customers are also more option to new marketing messages creating new and more prosperous cross-selling opportunities.
I have heard this said many times and can verify it through my own experiences: Most people who receive good customer service may (I repeat ‘may’) tell one person about the great service and will usually continue buying from that business. On the other hand, most people that receive bad customer service will tell, at the least, ten people about the deplorable service. Word of mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools a business has in attracting new customers. But, word of mouth can work both ways. We all want great buzz about our business. And, one way to get that is by treating customers better than we ourselves would like to be treated. Just be aware that if you do the opposite and treat customers badly – they are more inclined to tell everyone they know. Further, in bad economic times, people are a bit more pessimistic and bitter and thus are more inclined to spread bad news then they are the good.
Bottom line – in today’s economy, small businesses are struggling and need all the help they can get in promoting their products and services. There is no better way to attract new customers than from referrals from happy, satisfied customers. Additionally, with many of your competitors going out of business, there are so many more potential customers in your market who are more disposed to seek out recommendations and referrals from current customers so as not to face having to seeking a new provider in the near future – they want to make sure that your business can meet their needs and will not fail or shutter when they need you the most. But, if your poor customer service is driving consumers away – you just might as well shut your doors now.
When it comes to customer service the old adage holds true: under promise and over deliver. This will set you business apart from all the rest.
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