To Succeed, Offer More Than Customer Satisfaction
Recently, I had a computer problem that took an entire day to resolve.
 I called the computer company and got an animated voice that prompted me to enter menu after menu of information. Once I finally spoke to a real human being. I had to repeat the information that I had entered in the company's menu. The technician could not answer my question, so she transferred me to another department. I then had to repeat all of the same information that I entered via phone key pad and verbally to the previous technician. Once again this technician could not help, so I repeated the process. Finally, I spoke to someone who could help me with my problem, but, alas, because they had a heavy foreign accent, I could not understand them. The technician became frustrated and impatient with my inability to understand him and gave up helping me. My customer service experience with the particular company was less than desirable, to say the least.
Companies that hire me for customer service training want me to train their people on how to handle customer complaints. Specifically, they want me to train their people oh how to deal with difficult and irate customers. These companies are looking at customer service in the wrong way.
I insist on working with the owners and officers of the business before I work with the customer service department personnel because all customer service problems start with management. The problem is not how their people handle complaints in the first place. Company systems are the problem, not people. Many company executives are paying lip service to customer service while making customer service remains a low priority.
If you want to retain customers, you must invest more money in customer service than you do sales. You should invest more in customer service because it takes 10 times the effort to replace a customer with a new customer. If you want an idea of the value of your current customer, multiply their annual revenue by seven years and then add the cost of sales it will take to find a new customer. Believe me, you want to hang on to the customers you currently have. Replacing customers is like deficit spending; it someday will catch up with you and bite you in the tail.
So now that you are convinced that your need more loyal customers, here are a few quick tips:
1. Invest more money in customer service programs than you do sales programs.
2. Invest in people to answer your phones and answer questions. Don't have an animated voice walking customers through a long menu of options.
3. Invest in America. Don't outsource your customer service department overseas.
4. Don't train your people how to handle complaints and irate customers but how to handle questions, concerns, and happy customers. If you take the high ground and converse with your clients, ensuring them that their challenge or situation will be resolved quickly, your people will begin to view and talk with your clients in a different manner. They will view and speak to your customers as if the challenge has already been resolved. They will treat them not as difficult and irate customers, but as reasonable and friendly people who make their pay days possible. Change the perception of your people, and you will change the perception of your customers.
5. Keep most of your priority on keeping current customers more than satisfied; keep them ecstatic. Surprise your customers with an offer for a free upgrade or free service. Give your customers more than they expect. If they purchase your basic package, upgrade them free to your superior package.
6. And most importantly, give your customers your attention and time. Many executives will spend a great deal of effort on the sale but disappear during the customer relations stage. Not only make yourself available for their calls, but initiate a call to them and ask them how your product or service is performing. Have your sales people follow up months or years after the sale to make sure that your product or service exceeds their expectations.
Keep a customer more than satisfied, and you will have a loyal customer who never will be sold by your competition.
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