Customers Are Like Goldust Wib Oct 09

www.skillworks.ie

Treating Customers Like Gold Dust

Laura Fitzsimons2009

www.skillworks.ie

Agenda

• Evaluate your Current Customer Service

• Understand what Keeps your Customer Happy

• Incorporate your Customers’ Suggestions

• Easy ‘Win’, ‘Low’ Budget Initiatives

• Help Customers’ to Sell your Business

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Evaluate your Current Customer Service

• Ongoing – ask your customers• What do we do well?• What don’t we do well?• What could we do better?

• Capture and Measure Feedback• Plan & make changes

• Evaluate effectiveness

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Evaluate your Current Customer Service

• Broadcast/Market your Improvements• E-zines, blogs, newsletters …

• Benchmark others’ Customer Service• Not just competitors – learn new methods

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Evaluate your Current Customer Service

• Set your Standards• Cheapest, best quality, quickest …• Manage that standard

• Make your Customers Matter • Adjust your attitude• Adjust your employees’ attitude – include

customer service in their performance appraisal

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Understand what Keeps your Customer Happy

• Promise only what you can Deliver• Don’t over commit yourself

• Price, quality, time ..• O.K. to come back later with price, time etc

• Be Reliable & Consistently Good• Stick to timeframes, agreements• Give them back control if you can’t meet

timeframes• Implement quality checks

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Understand what Keeps your Customer Happy

• Don’t Give Customers’ the Run-Around• Return their calls• Respond to their queries• Give them an answer & check that’s it o.k.• Apologise if you messed up

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Understand what Keeps your Customer Happy

• Make Communication Easy• E-mail, phone number • Website easy to find• Contact details at end of e-mail, signage,

flyers• Check the above regularly

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Understand what Keeps your Customer Happy

• Create a Customer Service Charter• Answer calls after 3 rings• Respond to e-mails within 24 hrs• Customers are always treated with

courtesy and respect …. • Publish it!

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Understand what Keeps your Customer Happy

• Reasons Customers Complain • Expectations set – not met• No follow up• Limited choices• Delays• Unprofessional behaviour• Difficulty in contacting

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Incorporate your Customers’ Suggestions

• Improvements to• Service – order processing, turnaround

time, response …• Products – extra benefits & features, more

choice ..

• Implement their Suggestions• Booklets versus handout pages

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Incorporate your Customers’ Suggestions

Exercise: • What has your customer suggested to

you recently?

• How will you use this information?

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Easy ‘Win’, ‘Low’ Budget Initiatives

• Offer Discounts for Bulk Purchases

• Offer 3 for the Price of 2• Think - Boots, Extravision

• Provide them with a Loyalty Card

• Personal Touch• Birthday Cars, Thank you Cards

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Easy ‘Win’, ‘Low’ Budget Initiatives

Exercise:• What ‘easy win, ‘low’ budget initiatives

can you offer?

• How will you implement them?

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Help Customers’ Sell your Business

• Recommendations• Ask them to recommend you to other

businesses• They make contact or pass on your details

• Give them an incentive if they make a sale• Reduction in next invoice, 2 for the price of 1 …

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Help Customers’ Sell your Business

• Referrals• Ask them to refer you to other businesses

• You make contact

• Testimonials• Ask for testimonials

• Market these – website, signage, blogs …

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Conclusion

• Evaluate your Service Constantly

• Keep your Customer Happy

• Incorporate your Customers’ Suggestions

• Implement Easy ‘Win’, ‘Low’ Budget Initiatives

• Let your Customers’ Sell your Business

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Conclusion

“If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will”.

Unknown.

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PowerPoint Slides

Copy of presentation is availabe on:

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