INTRODUCTION TO EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

INTRODUCTION TO EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Transcripts from Radio Business School-6^th  August 2012

                                   

Good morning Dear listeners, you are welcome to yet another exciting edition of RADIO BUSINESS SCHOOL, a business coaching and enterprise development session that is designed to enable you start and manage your business  successfully. My name is BASOLA VICTOR your regular host .

Today I will be starting a New series titled “EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE”. This is a very important topic and I want you to pay very special attention because lack of an excellent customer service approach is the major reason most young Entrepreneurs struggle and fold up.

A typical business hears from only 4% of its dissatisfaction customers. The other 98% just quietly go away and 91% will never come back. That represents a serious financial loss for companies who don’t know how to treat customers. A typical dissatisfied customer will tell 8 to 10 people about his problem and you know that in Nigeria when news is related, people tend to add their own ingredients to make it worse.

CUSTOMER SERVICE IS EVERYONE’S JOB- everyone in an organization serves the customer. He is the reason we come to work daily. Even those employers who do not deal directly with customers serve the customer. Every member of your organization must have a sense for serving the customer. Customer service is not a department, it is every body’s responsibility from the security man to the waiter, supervisor and even the Janitor. Excellent customer service results from an understanding that it is every one’s job and you must train them, all of them on how you want your customers to be treated. Every one of your staff must be trained to become a customer professional (CSP).

GIVE YOUR CUSTOMER FULL ATTENTION: A customer is not an interruption. He is the sole reason for a firm’s existence. A customer can go down the street and around the corner to your competitor, so he has a choice. When dealing with a customer your undivided attention, show the customer that he is your number one priority at that moment and give your customer full attention. Take time to identify his needs by asking him questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of making assumptions thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants. Effective listening and undivided attention are important I creating an Excellent customer service experience.

EXCEED YOUR CUSTOMER’S EXPECTATION: Give more than expected, promise less, deliver more. Customers keep coming back to firms that provide them with benefits greater than they expected. A business owner can never go wrong by giving customer’s more than their expectation assures repeat business. You have to give more than expected.

Consider the following:

What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere?

What can you do to follow up and thank people even when they do not buy?

What can you give customers that is totally unexpected?

BE TRUTHFUL TO YOUR CUSTOMER: Honesty is still the best policy in today’s world. Do not lie to your customers, do not exaggerate the benefits of your products and services. Do not engage in hyperbolic communication. Dishonesty drives customers away and keeps them from returning. “the temporary benefit of a lie is not comparable to the embarrassment and shame that comes when the truth is discovered. If you say the truth always, you do not have to remember the last thing you said. This is very common amongst property agents, when you tell them the kind of property they will always tell you that they have it and after collecting your money they would then start acting strangely and show you properties different from what you seek for.

Do not ever compromise on service, do not cut corners, only partially fulfill or even forget commitments? Excellent customer service means keeping every commitment you make to customers, period. Even if something is wrong, be truthful about it and apologize.

GIVE YOUR CUSTOMER WHAT HE WANTS, WHEN HE WANTS IT AND HOW HE WANTS IT.

This is a simple gesture that makes the difference. Every product or service must satisfy a customer need. Every product or service must provide consistent value to the customer service begins with creating products and services that customers want and they are willing to pay for. All organizations are in the business of satisfying customer needs.

Products and services that satisfy customer needs sell themselves. Be sure you know customer needs. Do not assume, you cannot be the judge of what your customer wants. To be certain that you provide what the customer needs, go ask the customer and then give your customer what he wants, it (speed) and how he wants it(specifies)

RESPECT YOUR CUSTOMER AT ALL TIMES: A customer is not an account number, a sales statistics or a specified amount of money in your pocket. A customer is a living breathing human being who deserves respect at all times. Be courteous to your customer. Treat your customer the way your customers want to be treated. Value your customer’s individuality and differences. It is never a mistake to assume the customer is right.

Someone once said, YOU CAN NEVER WIN A FIGHT WITH YOUR CUSTOMER. Demonstrate to your customer you want to do business with them by respecting your customers at all times. Someone once said  “Marketing creates transactions and services (respectful) service creates customers. And according to Arthur Fredrick Sheldon “He profits most who serves best. The Holy Scriptures sums it all”; he who wants to be the greatest must be the chief servant. Customers have the GOLD and they determine the rules.

APPRECIATE YOUR CUSTOMER: Thank your customer after each successful patronage and mean it. Customers are the only reasons for a firm’s existence; say thanks to them as often as possible. Always be sincere in giving thanks.  Demonstrate to your customer how much you appreciate doing business with them. Service is not about building relationship with customers. Learn their name and use it.

Find sincere and inexpensive ways to say thank you, customers need to know you care. Send them Birthday cards and text messages on important dates, give them gifts, souvenirs and promotional items and the secret is “THIS ACT CREATES A LASTING IMPRESSION IN THE MINDS OF YOUR CUSTOMERS”. You can also pick a specific date of the year and call it “Customer appreciation Day”(CAP) where you gather your customers together in a special mood, Entertain them and say a BIG thank you. Let me tell you; if you can do this, you will keep them GLUED to you FOR LIFE. Every customer wants to feel important, appreciated and valued.

GET REGULAR FEEDBACK FROM THEM; Offer your customers a way to give you feedback. Offer them a means for them to provide you with suggestions, criticism, comments, etc. the customer is absolutely in the best position to tell you how best he wants to be served. To find out what your customers think about  your service, ask them. You cannot be objectively assess the level or quality of your service, only the customers can do that for you.

Solicit their feedback and be open and responsive to the answers you receive, you could pass them a little questionnaire or even a TOLL FREE Customer service line. Their feedback will help you improve your service and serve them better

TREAT YOUR WORKERS WELL; Herb Kelleher, CEO of southwest Airlines, said “if you do not treat your own people well, they will not treat other people well. Most times a dissatisfied customer is a sign of an unhappy staff. The way you treat your employees is exactly how they treat your customers. And how they will treat your customers determine if they will come back. Your employees are your best service guarantee. Hire and train good people and also PAY THEM WELL. If pay peanuts, you will have monkeys. Appreciate your employees, make sure they are aware of how valuable they are to the company and thank them for their efforts. The more respectfully you treat them the more likely employees are to pass the respect to your customers.

FOLLOW UP YOUR CUSTOMER: The customer encounter does not end with the sale, follow up is necessary to determine the degree of customer satisfaction with the product or service and the experience of doing business with your firm. Follow up indicates continued interest and concern for the customer. Show care; remember vital dates in their lives. Sometimes even a little happy new month text could do.

In conclusion according to Tom Peters an American management guru, He said “it is not enough to be close to your customer you have got to be glued to your customer. Without these commandments, your business would soon go extinct, apply them and customers will continually bring their gold to you.

I believe today’s broadcast has been a blessing to you, tune in same time next week Monday at exactly 10;15am for another impactful edition of RADIO BUSINESS SCHOOL. Till we meet again, I wish you a fruitful and productive week ahead.

Basola Victor is the Principal Consultant/CEO of Business Skills Africa Limited, an Enterprise consulting firm based in Benin, Nigeria. He is the Author of “The Keys to Starting a Successful Business” and The HOST of RADIO BUSINESS SCHOOL on Radio Nigeria Bronze 101.5FM.