Business Owners kill themselves trying to get new clients. In the process of getting new clients they forget how to treat their current ones. The best and cheapest way to market your business effectively is to treat your current clients great, not OK, great.
People complain about bad customer service all the time. Walmart is a company that I commonly hear complaints about but people still shop there even though the best way to protest poor customer service is to stop shopping at the place that sucks at service. I actually think that sometimes the person at Walmart who is “helping” me actually hates me but Walmart can get away with this because of their size and market share. You, my small business friend, can’t afford to give your clients the “Walmart” service.
One particular experience I had with great customer service took me by surprise because it was in the fast food industry. I used to commute from Denver to Colorado Springs and would take the E470 toll road to and from my house in Thornton. I would stop by a Chick-Fil-A right off of Parker road in Denver to get my breakfast chicken sandwich fix at 6:00am. The first time I stopped there the kid that was helping me was so friendly that I thought he was mocking me. I considered getting out of the car and asking him what his problem was.
How sad is that the fast food industry has come to that? After stopping at the Chick-Fil-A a few more times, I realized that that was how they rolled. They gave fast, friendly service every day and I was impressed.
That’s what your business needs. Fast, effective service every day. For the businesses just starting out here’s a great guide to customer service. #1 on the list of rules for great customer service is answering your phone. #2 is also a big one, don’t make promises unless you plan on keeping them. If you could just be great at these two points your business would be way ahead of others in the customer service game.
Treating your customers great is a big source for generating more customers for your business. It allows you to get testimonials for your marketing as well as referrals. Any client who has a great experience can’t wait to share that with someone else, it’s up to you to give them the opportunity to share their great experience about your business. It’s important to tap into this and provide the structure for how your business can make your client experience great.
How have you been able to give yoru clients great service? What other tips would you give?
So the Toyota Dealership in Salt Lake City is a great example of customer service. They’ve always been good, but here’s how they became GREAT….with a strange turn of events. One of their mechanics made a HUGE mistake by not putting the plug in which in turn caused thousand and thousands of dollars of damage.
I was SOOO mad! I paid them money to ruin my car! But of course they fixed it and apologized profusely, gave me a loaner and were 100% accountable.
But the mechanic who “blew it” came to my house to not only apologize, but to fix a problem I was having. Wow…he fixed it in my driveway.
So I learned something from this. Everyone can make mistakes, but if they own it and continue to provide good service, I’m still a FAN! I appreciated them bending over backwards to please me and see that they were still good at what they do.
And thanks for reminding me that I need to apply that same customer care in my own business. It gave me a few ideas!
Ann,
That is a great story and goes to show that it’s Ok sometimes to make mistakes and that the measure of a great company is how they deal with the mistake after it has happened. We all need a little reminder in this area for sure.