I hurriedly arrived around 1:40 p.m., I go to a window and see the receptionist on the other side. With a jovial smile I let him know that I am looking for Mr. Diego Rueda (fictitious).
She looks up contemptuously as if she were interrupting her afternoon rest and without saying a word she signals to me with her free hand that I should speak on the intercom.
Notice then that she was finishing lunch and that I was a nuisance to her “tranquility”. Since I didn’t have that much time to stop and reflect, I proceeded to speak into the set thinking that she would give me some reason.
My surprise was that a third person answered me, whom I asked about Mr. Rueda. He told me that in a moment they would notify him of my presence.
Wait maybe 8 minutes, standing at the door, watching the receptionist have lunch with the face of a poorly paid employee who hates her job and … they finally opened the door for me.
Come in and garnish the lousy splurge customer service, the receptionist did not even bother to say good afternoon, she did not apologize or at least try to explain that she was having lunch and that for that reason she could not serve me in a better way. I was expecting at least something like that but no, it didn’t happen.
I finally managed to speak to my client and treated him like a king is served. Just how you should serve a client who is investing in your business.
Then I thought: if I had been a client of that company (although for a moment I was) surely I would have turned around and instantly retired. I would have looked for an option with better attention, where I felt that my money was worth it and so was I.
For some reason that I still cannot understand, in the XXI century there are still (or subsisting) companies that devalue the importance of serving their customers with excellence.
I think that it is too great a luxury to fail to serve well customers who in the digital age demand speed, warmth and innovative solutions. [twitéalo]
Turn your business into a customer magnet
The first thing we must be very clear about is that customers are our reason for being. I know this seems like a cliché but the reality, even if we don’t want to accept it, is that it is our clients who pay the bills. They pay for our wages, our furniture, and even our cars.
Without costumers, there is not business!. That simple
So if you really want boost your business to economic dimensions that you always dreamed of, you must start by giving the customer the place they deserve.
- Take care of personal image. Take extreme care of personal presentation and the quality of attention from the first person that your clients will see. The first contact is important. If the first contact is unpleasant, indifferent or rude, surely all the following (if any) will be very fragile. Make sure your client is greeted promptly, with a smile and a true expression of pleasure in serving them. For a reason it is the great secret of the most successful fast food restaurants.
- Train them in Customer Service. Teach your collaborators to properly serve customers. Train them to provide the best service and take care of the details. They must learn to answer the phone and be courteous at all times. Develop a mentality of “What else can I do“and soon you will see results.
- Provide prompt solutions. You must have a strategy for solving problems and complaints. Complaint handling is almost a science and requires special care. A well-served customer can represent more business in a claim. Whereas an angry and hurt customer will only make you have fewer leads for sales. Imagine the impact that bad attention can have today with social networks. You can be disastrous for your company.
- Think like a customer. One of the secrets of care is putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. Imagining their experience and empathizing with what they demand will make you successful in this regard. Teach your collaborators to develop this skill. Value your client’s time, which is so important and even more so than yours.
- No to bureaucracy. If something kills the good relationship with customers, it is bureaucracy. Excessive paperwork or long-term, cumbersome solutions kill business. To solve this you need to do an analysis and reengineering of processes. Make sure to tear down any hint of bureaucracy in your organization. In the age of information and social media, bureaucratic companies have only one destiny: disappear.
- Advisors and not just sellers. Transform your collaborators into true advisors. Each one must be prepared to guide and guide the client towards the solution they need. The short, blunt answers or a “I could not tell“They only denote a lack of quality in service. A happy customer is one who finds solutions to their needs and problems. Rest assured that if you become a problem solver, then the money will come without measure.
Finally remember, the best publicity that can exist or that someone can give about your product or service is in the mouth of your last client.
If the customer leaves satisfied, he will surely return and bring another customer.
“I am not so afraid of competition, as of my own incompetence” [twitéalo]
