Everyone knows that customer service has always been important, but in these tough economic times, we believe it’s more important than ever. Many companies that once competed on price alone are seeing that their competitive edge is being eroded.
We are seeing pricing become more aggressive, as well as added value to the products and service being offered, all in the name of increasing customer base. If you are lucky enough to have a decent amount of clientele, you’ve just become a target for your competition.
What to do? Offer outstanding customer service and you will develop lifelong customers, impervious to attack from your competitors.
You may be saying “My business already has awesome customer service, we don’t need to worry about it”. You’re wrong. Your competition is trying to stay in business the same way you are, they are refining their methods, re-structuring their pricing and increasing their level of customer service. What ever you have been doing isn’t enough anymore.
In this economy, you can’t afford to lose a customer to your competitor, so you must take steps to prevent customer loss before they ever walk in your door.
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Step 1- Survey all your current clients and ask what they LOVE about you.
Find out what why you are their number 1 choice for X product or service. Take notes, then flaunt those attributes like never before. These are your new weapons against your competition, use them to full affect.
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Step 2- Ask your most loyal customers what they DON’T love about your services.
Don’t take ‘nothing’ for an answer. Every business has room for improvement, and an honest critique of your operation is extremely valuable. Notice I didn’t suggest that you ask all your clients about what they dislike? Asking clients what they don’t like about your business is a little tricky…you don’t really what them to think about it too hard, they might realize that they could be better off somewhere else! Make sure you are asking the tough questions to long-time clients that won’t desert you after they realize they know all your flaws. Being a loyal client, they will appreciate that you are making an effort to improve your services.
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Step 3 – FIX YOUR FLAWS!
Your loyal clients just gave you some very important information, pay attention to it and do what it tales to make it right. Do your best to resolve as many of the complaints as possible, and do it immediately. Even if you can’t fix them all, make your best effort to implement a few new strategies as soon as you have completed the surveys. If you survey your clients and they don’t see any change, you may have made them even more disappointed. When people respond to surveys, they are usually thinking that after the survey, their complaints will be resolved from then on. Fail to show any improvement and they may feel neglected.
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Step 4- Steal your competition’s customers!
Chances are that you and your competition are more similar than you know. Whatever likes or dislikes your customers have with you, they probably have with your competition. For example, maybe in your industry your service is known to have a slow response time. If you can adjust you model to offer a faster response time, you stand to gain a good chunk of your competition’s base, even at a similar or slightly higher price point. The surveys have given you information not only about your business, but your competition’s too.
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Step 5 – Do it all again!
You should be forever tweaking and refining your customer service to match client demands. The most successful companies adapt to their customers and never become complacent. In this recession, customers may be willing to give up some things in order to get a lower price. Or they might require extra incentives just to get them in the door. In a booming economy, price may not be as important as it once was and you’ll have to offer something else to make them happy. The point is, customer service needs are constantly changing and it’s up to you to stay on top of the trends.
If you’re interested in hearing about ways to implement a customer survey strategy, use the form below to give us a shout. Or, you can visit our main site at www.belosic.com
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