Developing a Customer Service Directive
Customer Service Directive: To utilize customer service as a competitive advantage and to gain clients for life. This should be everyone’s objective with customer service. If is not, you should re-think your business.
Setting Customer Service GOALS
To set and measure expectations of customer service.
Help employees understand the importance of customer service as it relates to the company and their role.
To model our actions after the premise “from the customer’s perception”.
To develop employees into customer service “leaders”.
To help continually shift company procedures towards “customer-focus”.
To increase our level of client retention.
To increase employee accountability.
To help “create a memorable experience” for customers.
Having a VISION for Customer Service
To operate with a culture of customer service that distinctively sets a company apart from their competitors.
To set a level of customer service that is so superior there will be a noticeable difference when in comparison to competitors.
Customer service will be so engrained that it will be impossible to operate without thinking about impact on the customer.
Your VISION will dictate which customer service path is taken. Take the path less traveled to provide excellent, memorable service.
Building LOYALTY Through Customer Service
The Importance of Customer Service
Builds company reputation
Customer satisfaction (the minimum baseline)
Builds client loyalty (the goal)
Is a difference maker between companies offering same services
Customer Service Facts & Figures
It can cost 5X more to gain new clients than to retain existing ones.
90% of unhappy clients never complain.
Each complaint = 26 other similar situations where the same thing happened.
You are more likely to retain clients that complain versus clients that don’t.
A client with an unresolved issue will tell at least 10 other people. A client that has an issue handled will only tell 5 other people.
70% of clients stopped doing business because of poor customer service alone.
Satisfaction vs. Loyalty
Satisfaction is a measure of expectations being met.
Satisfied clients stay until there is a better option or opportunity.
Satisfaction does not equate to loyalty.
Satisfaction is a baseline requirement for business.
Satisfaction relates to the results of a process.
Loyalty relates to a relationship.
Loyalty is essential for long term profit & growth.
Loyalty involves emotionally involving your client to the company.
The Customer is Always right……
Our attitude is what is important, not who was right or wrong.
Factor client perception vs. reality vs. expectations. Your view may be different from the clients.
Do you truly see what the client sees, or do you see it upside down like in the reflection of this lake?
Losing a major client isn’t always an issue.
A few times over The BIG Oak’s career, stepping away from a major client (with consistent issues) turned out to be a great move. The decrease in stress and pressure created other opportunities that paid bigger dividends.
Establish the problem and decide if it is a consistent or isolated issue.
Cost of fixing problem is often less than finding new clients.
Be gracious whether you think you can win them back or not.
Fix the reason they left before other clients leave.
