Let Your Client's Know Your Customer Service Expectations

At American Retail Supply, we make mistakes. We spend lots of time and money to make our procedures as efficient and foolproof as possible, but we still make mistakes. So, where do I get off writing these columns that so often highlight the need for Exceptional Customer Service?

While nobody likes to be at the receiving end of a mistake, we all know that people make mistakes. Exceptional Customer Service requires that we learn from these mistakes and take action to reduce or eliminate them, but what really brings customers back is your response when you mess up.

Here are a few points to consider as you examine your customer service. Can your front line people solve the huge majority of your customer’s problems?

You’ve heard it from me before and if you read this column you’ll hear it again. People don’t want hassles and very few are out to take advantage of you. I believe the true test for Exceptional Customer Service is, Can the first person your customer talks to solve the problem?

Do your customers know that Exceptional Customer Service is what they should expect from you?

I get a few phone calls each year from customers who don’t think they are getting Exceptional Customer Service from us. Almost all of these calls start with, “I read in your newsletter that customer service is important to you, I don’t think I’m getting very good service at all...” or “A few months ago when I was on hold I heard that you wanted me to call you if I had a problem that wasn’t being taken care of.” Sure nobody likes getting calls like this but in another way I LOVE GETTING THEM!

What’s the alternative? For most businesses it’s a customer who really doesn’t want the hassle of complaining. The customer who goes to the competition and not only doesn’t recommend you to others, but maybe even bad mouths you. I love customers who give us the opportunity to MAKE THEM HAPPY. Find a way to tell your customers that you want to know if they are not happy.

I stole an idea from Stu Leonard’s Supermarket in Connecticut. He has a big sign with his picture that says, What Do You Like? What Don’t You Like? I’d Like To Know. Every invoice we send out at TMS has a flyer that asks the same questions Stu Leonard asks. While it is redundant to send it out with every invoice, we do. I want to be sure that every customer knows that they should expect Exceptional Customer Service and that I want to know if they don’t get it.

Act

The video, In Search of Excellence, says most suggestion boxes get little to no use. They say the reason is customers know that their suggestions will get no action. Stu Leonard’s box is filled, mostly with good comments, every day. Why do people take the time to write? The video says it’s because they know something will be done. If customers take the time to contact you, take the time to let them know what you are doing.

Every customer who writes to us at TMS, whether its a good comment or a complaint, gets a response.

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