customer relations

Where We Fall Short

Posted on by Laurie Storey-Manseau
As business owners and managers, we want to ensure that our customer service is excellent. We have systems and procedures, computer programs and even talking points to make sure our employees are making our customers happy.

customers need personal service

Rule #1: Don’t frustrate your customers

We have all sorts of access points – face-to-face, email, telephone, social media, online chat – to let our customers get in touch with us. We can pat ourselves on the back because we are providing “excellent” customer service.

Whoa! Slow down a second. Before we get all self-congratulatory, ask yourself one thing. Despite all of the best practices you’ve put in place, did you solve your customers’ problems?

The answer might well be no.

When it is no, your customer walks away frustrated and unhappy. Trust me, they don’t keep that frustration to themselves, either. The words of an existing customer can make or break any business. It is, by far, the most trusted form of promotion a company will have.

So, how do you fix the unsolved problem issue? Ask your customers about their experiences with your company. If they say their issues are unsolved, find a way to fix the issues and don’t put the responsibility for fixing the issue in your customer’s lap.

I recently had an issue with a company that did not fulfill my online order. When I tried to get the pending charge for the item removed from my card, I was told by both the company and the bank that neither one could remove it. I literally felt like a ping-pong ball, bouncing between two customer-service reps. Now, I’m dissatisfied with two companies!

Where we often fall short is in living our customer’s experience and implementing changes that prevent failures in our systems. With today’s technology, either company could have solved my problem with a simple three-way call between both reps and myself.

The best advice any business owner and manager can accept is to walk in your customer’s shoes.

The first step is to realize that you are already customers with other companies, so identify the things that you don’t like and make sure they don’t happen to your customers. Then, go a step further and find ways to see your business through their eyes.

Your customers don’t know the inner workings of your company and they shouldn’t need to, so don’t make excuses or offer apologies for your systems. All they need from you is an experience that fulfills their needs and is pleasant.

A satisfied and appreciated customer equals many new customers!

Simply Words

Posted on by Laurie Storey-Manseau

Thank you. Thanks. Appreciate it…

We say the words so casually these days. It seems like it’s nothing more than the end to a sentence – the period – when actually, it should be the exclamation point.

Thank you is really important, when you think about it. The words are intended to express gratitude, but somehow have become so diluted, so matter-of-fact, that they fall short.

Two simple words, meant to convey so much. But, to really mean some

thing, it’s not the saying of the words, but the action of gratitude that we must express. When was the last time you showed your customers, your staff and colleagues, your friends and your family gratitude? I’m not talking about just saying words. I mean showed your gratitude.

So often, in the busyness of the day/week/month/year, we forget that gratitude is the foundation of our relationships. It’s so easy to take for granted these relationships, only to find that over time they are lost for the lack of showing gratitude.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Words are important, but actions speak more than words ever can. I had an editor years ago who hammered into me a mantra: “Show, don’t tell.” I learned that the words I wrote needed to show my readers how the story unfolds, not just tell them about it.

The same can be said about relationships, particularly those we have with customers and employees. Showing gratitude doesn’t have to happen every day, but it needs to occur often enough that they clearly understand just how much their relationship is valued, how much we rely on them and appreciate them.

It doesn’t need to be a grand gesture. It can be simple, yet meaningful. Reaching out a hand and offering it as a sign of appreciation. A handwritten thank-you note instead of an email or text. Birthday wishes sent on their special day.

Next week, we will sit down over a turkey dinner and celebrate Thanksgiving. In the days leading up to the holiday, it seems like the perfect time to express our thanks beyond the words.

So, in the spirit of gratitude, I am reaching out to you, my readers, with great appreciation for your interest and support. May your Thanksgiving fill you with gratitude and give you the peace of knowing you are greatly appreciated.