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These article originally appeared in The Norwich Bulletin*, Norwich CT
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******* Customer Service 101 Recently, I entered a local printing business with my husband. I had an unusual request and needed to discuss the print job with the person behind the counter. I was the person asking the questions but the man behind the counter addressed all of his answers to my husband. In the grocery store last week, I waited for my purchases to be totaled while the woman behind the register finished discussing her date with the woman at the next register. The woman never said a word to me, rang up my purchases, took my money, and continued her conversation. Last month I called four local lawn service companies. I needed my lawn cut but more importantly, I wanted an estimate on more extensive landscaping. Two out of four companies returned my phone call. Those two companies said they would stop over to look at my lawn. They never showed up. Have you had similar experiences of poor customer service? I bet you have. Is customer service dead? I have heard the excuses. Customer service is poor because the economy is good. "You can't get good help these days." "No one has a good work ethic anymore." "If I correct an employee's performance, they may quit." Enough with the excuses, I want the service I deserve as a customer or I may quit (coming to your business). It's not that difficult. If you own or manage a local small business and you want my business, this is what I expect:
Anyone
who greets your customers can do this with a little training and practice.
This is basic customer service. If you would like a copy of "Learning
and Practicing the 10 Golden Rules of Customer Service," send me an
email (Sandy@SandyEwing.com). I want you to know I also recognize great customer service. My customer service award of the week goes to Savage Supply Company and True Value Hardware of Norwich. They did all of the above and more. I was on a mission to find a piece of ductwork. I started at True Value Hardware. They didn't have the piece, but they called Savage Supply Company, who said they did have it. When I got there, the piece was not exactly right. They referred me to another local business and gave me directions. And yes, I finally found the ductwork. These businesses didn't have to make a phone call. They didn't have to give me a referral. They didn't have to give me directions. But that is what customer service is all about. ********************** Building Loyal Customers It's the national shopping season. Some businesses bring in more business in this quarter than they will in the rest of the year. If this describes your business, this season means your success or failure. What can you do this holiday season to grow your business? Customers, old and new, will walk through your front door (or visit you on the Internet or through your mail) in larger numbers than at any other time. Because it is a frenzied, holiday shopping season you might miss an important opportunity. Use this season as an opportunity to build a relationship with customers, old and new. Old customers like old friends are worth their weight in gold. Continue to give these customers the service and attention that they have come to expect. In fact, it is a great time of year to figure out their value. Do you know the value of one loyal customer to your business? What does a loyal customer spend on an average transaction with your business? How many times does a loyal customer do business with you in an average year? Who are your loyal customers? As a smart businessperson, figure out the annual value of one loyal customer. What can you do to make this a joyful season for your loyal customers? Once you know the value of a loyal customer, it is easy to figure out how many customers you need for a successful business. Don't miss the opportunity to build new loyal customers at this time of year. As you and I hunt frantically for the perfect gift for great aunt Susie or we search for ways to solve a problem, we will visit many businesses for the first time. The experts say that we make a value judgment about a person we meet for the first time within 10 seconds. It may take a little more time to make a value judgment about a business establishment but don't count on it. Do your customers feel welcomed immediately? Do they feel their business is important? Too often the physical environment and the business workings of any establishment are set up for the convenience of the employees. Customers are left in the dark. Imagine yourself as a first-time customer walking through your front door. How long does it take for an employee to greet me? When I ask a question, is the response in "my language?" Do I feel like I am welcomed or a problem. It is your job to do everything you can to make this transaction, comfortable and successful. That doesn't always mean you make the sale today. When you focus on the long-term prospects of a new customer, you realize that today's sale won't build your business. It is tomorrow's sale, and the next day, and the next day… Think of every new customer who walks through your door as a potential loyal customer. You know their value, treat them that way. ********************** The Top Ten Mistakes
Managers Make Managers use to say "jump" and employees said, "How high?" Like everything else, managers need to keep pace with the times. No longer are managers expected to just supervise but they are coach and leader. Some managers have not kept pace with these changing roles. In David Letterman style, here are the top ten mistakes managers make: 10. You have fuzzy goals, or worse, no goals. I once had a supervisor who would say, "This is your goal. It’s really important. Drop everything and get this done." One day later, the goal would change. This happened so often, I never started a new project for 48 hours or longer. 9. You do a task yourself because you can do it faster. Unless you were hired as a warden, don’t forget your most important role is to grow your employees and expand their abilities. You will not be evaluated on how well you do a task. You will be evaluated on how well your team does their job. 8. You tell your employees how to do their tasks. If you have done your job as a leader, delegated tasks, set standards for those tasks, let your employees discover their own wings. Sure they may make mistakes. Everyone does. They may also find new and creative solutions for your organization. 7. You tell your employee it’s their neck on the line but you hold the purse strings. You delegate responsibility for a task but expect them to come to you to authorize expenses or manpower. As your employees grow in their abilities, give them the power they need to do the job right. 6. You bad mouth the company or your boss in front of your employees. If you disagree with a policy or decision, take it to your boss. If you are overruled, take some time to figure out the reasons and advantages in doing it their way. Your loyalty always belongs with your company and your boss. 5. You watch your employees to catch them doing something wrong. Every bit of research says, catch your employees doing something right. They showed up, didn’t they? Start there and praise. Praise often but don’t establish a pattern. Surprise them. 4. You hire new employees based on their skills or experience not attitude. You think you can live with a bad attitude. Then, you are surprised when your customers and employees revolt, jump ship, or plan a mutiny. 3. You don’t have time for training and you don’t think your employees need it either. Today managers and employees need a variety of skills. Training decreases the learning curve for everything from computers to customer service. But if you don’t see the value neither will your employees. 2. You shoot down your employees and their ideas. An employee brings you their idea, and you say, "We tried that before and it didn’t work." You didn’t just shoot down that idea. You shot down that employee. They are not likely to bring you other creative ideas. And the number 1 mistake managers make, you have a "Do as I say not as I do" attitude. "After all, I’m the manager. I can take long lunches, copy personal stuff at work, make lots of personal calls, and forget to say please and thanks because I’m the boss." ************ Treat Them Like Gold You may be searching for ways to get more customers in your door. But I have an even more important strategy for growing your business-when a customer comes through your door TREAT THEM LIKE GOLD. You aren't doing them a favor by taking their money. They are doing you a favor by choosing you over the competition. They always have another choice. This past Columbus Day weekend, my husband and I decided we needed some time away. Saturday morning, we headed north to join the masses of leaf peepers in Vermont. Last minute and without reservations, as we crossed the border we headed for the Vermont Visitor's Center. The Center was simply amazing. There were tables with free coffee and snacks; lovely volunteers forgoing their holiday weekend to dispense maps and advice; and a wonderful gray-haired lady who spent her weekend finding lodging for people like us. I felt as if the Vermont Visitor's Center and Vermont were delighted that I had chosen Vermont. After all, I could have gone to New Hampshire or Maine or Massachusetts. They treated me like gold. It was a spectacular weekend. We discovered two village craft shows and I contributed to improving our national economy and the economy of Vermont and the economy of many small businesses. We rode a gondola to the top of Killington and viewed spectacular color and the first snowflakes of the season. I noticed that people seem kinder and gentler. Maybe it was the slow, friendly holiday pace. Maybe it was that Vermont citizens know that tourism is important to their economy and success. I felt as if all of Vermont valued my business. I felt as if the whole state treated me like gold. Years before on another visit to Vermont, I recalled eating breakfast in an old maple syrup house. It was a 3-story rough-hewed barn with the steam stack running up the middle. I remembered the quaint setting, great maple walnut pancakes, and the town, Mendon. Since we were in the area, we planned breakfast there on Sunday morning. This could be a very long story but I'll give you the Reader's Digest version. A rude waitress was "too busy" to let us switch tables even though we offered to move our coffee cups. Is "rude" my perception? Sure but I'm the customer. Compassionate fellow customers offered to close a window. I asked for water twice as she brought water to another table without them even asking. When I requested a move a second time by asking, "Do you mind . . ." Her response was an abrupt, "Yes, I do mind." By the way, the food was very good. But today, most customers expect good service and a good product. I had remembered this restaurant fondly for over five years. We drove by other restaurants to get to this one. Unfortunately for the restaurant's owner, one employee tarnished the business' reputation. One employee forgot that they are there to serve the customer. One employee lost my business forever. Does your business and do your employees always treat your customers like gold? It only takes one rude remark, one inconsiderate employee, one dissatisfied customer to tarnish a reputation you spent years building. ************ Are You Cranky? Come on, be honest. No? Are the people around you cranky? Chances are on any given day either you are the cranky one or you will run into some very cranky people. Why? As a nation we are becoming more and more cranky. People act “normal” one day and the very next day they are crabby. In business this means one day your boss is reasonable, supportive and the very next day, your boss is unreasonable and demanding. The sales clerk who so patiently assisted you yesterday, today, is rude. We are all familiar with the phenomenon of road rage and air rage, people becoming so angry about travel delays that they verbal or physically abuse other travelers. Now there are document incidents of store rage and desk rage and golf course rage. We could almost laugh except parent fist fights at soccer games and road rage have become deadly. What’s happening? Why are we so cranky? In her book, Why Is Everyone So Cranky?, C. Leslie Charles documents ten trends that are making us angry: 1.
Compressed Time--We
are constantly in a hurry, trying to compress more things into the same 24
hours people have always had. While we are multi-tasking we forget to enjoy
the moment. 2.
Communication Overload--There
is so much information available today- 500 TV stations, newspapers at your
doorstep and online, the Library of Congress available at the click of a
mouse. 3.
dis-Connectedness--Because of this busy harried lifestyle we are living, we
have little time left for the relationships that make life worth living. 4.
Cost--Years
of media marketing and keeping up with the Jones, means Americans are more in
debt than ever. Computers, microwave ovens, and smart phones are no longer
considered luxury items. 5.
Competition--We
drive a particular car not for transportation but to keep up an image. We
work more hours and spend more money to maintain a lifestyle without stopping
to ask, “What’s important to me?” 6.
Customer contact--We
are all customers at some time and in our jobs we are all customer service
workers. Bad customer service is rampant but how do you respond to bad
service? Do you get cranky? 7.
Computers--Isn’t
technology wonderful? Well, it is when it works and when we understand it. 8.
Change--Yes,
change is occurring faster than ever. Nothing stays the same. The skills you
learn today will be outdated in two years. Why bother? 9.
Coming of Age--Young
is good. Old is bad. Movies, music, clothing, magazines--all designed for the
young. What happens if you are growing older? 10.
Complexity--If
you don’t know what a DVR is much less know how to program it, you understand
this trend. After
reviewing Charles’ ten trends, I want to share with you my Three Rules
For Life:
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