Keeping your customers happy
- Category: Opinion
- Created on 2010-10-21
- Written by Daniel Dainty
Not long ago I had an interesting chat regarding service provider treatment, compared the supposed benefits and checks in place, against actual service delivery during an agreed contract period and supplier costs i.e. did the customer get what they paid for?
Invoices may have flowed, but the customer wasn't happy as they didn’t feel they had got what they paid and so started looking elsewhere. This led me to think: how do we keep our customers happy?
As a service customer myself, with subscriptions covering phone, internet, and TV, I sometimes feel like I have subscriptions covering subscriptions. When I have a dispute with a supplier, and I'm paying good money for their service, why is it that I end up doing the chasing when there is a problem?
Successful businesses communicate with their customers, often. Through calls, brief chats, newsletters or direct emails, whatever the method it’s the contact that’s important that keeps the relationship going! If you’re not communicating how will you know if there is a problem with the service your company is providing?
Dealing with customers on a personal level allows you to ‘know’ your customer and ‘know’ if they’re happy or not. Taking ownership of a problem and working with the customer until it's resolved will ensure you keep their business today and in the long term, when others are vying for their business!
It's not difficult to call the customer and say "hi - regarding our most recent service call, how did we do?"
Simple, but effective. I've done this many times and you can tell a lot by how they answer. It's the easiest thing in the world to ask someone how they feel about doing business with you. If you’re genuinely interested they will know, and more importantly they’ll know you’re committed to solving their problem.
Our helpdesk routine includes customer feedback surveys, with a "Questions" tab on every page of our website to allow questions or comments. I am passionate about existing customers, as they help my business win new business through personal recommendation; it’s essential they can let me know how I’m doing.
It will always be disappointing to hear about poor customer service, and it's more upsetting to actually experience it, and as for my interesting chat ... did they renew their contract? Well no, but if their existing provider had entered into dialogue and simply ‘asked’ their opinion, then they probably would have renewed.
A lesson for all of us don’t you think?
