Customer Service Revisited

Every business owner wants to sustain and grow their business and every business sustains and grows by keeping and acquiring more customers - that’s the bottom line.  The way that every business goes about 

trying to achieve this may differ.  However, there is nothing more important for any business than stellar customer service.  Simply put, without customer service there will be no customers.  So, if every business knows the importance of customer service, then why do some businesses have less than stellar customer satisfaction feedback?  The key is to latch onto your customers.  Don't just meet their needs, anticipate them.  Don't wait for them to tell you there's a problem, go out and ask them if there are any problems.  They are your most important and accessible resource.  Every word of personal feedback they give you is worth a million faceless questionnaires.

In this digital age, people are connected more than ever and information could spread around the world in a matter of minutes.  Customer reviews, good or bad, could greatly affect a business in one way or another.  The statistic remains that 90 percent of people dissatisfied with the service never return to the business.  Only 4 percent of customers will make a complaint and how these customers are treated when they made the complaint affects whether they will return.  Customers will talk to their friends and families about their experience, whether positive or otherwise.  Also, we know that people are more likely to emphasize negative experiences and remember bad experiences longer.

The fact is most customers who complain don't really want their money back, they want products or services that work the way they're supposed to.  Customers want someone who will listen to them and fix problems that arise.  Rather than looking at complaining customers as a pain in the neck, reset your mindset and see a golden opportunity: the chance to improve your service, product and image.  Those customers who take the time to tell you when something is wrong are blessings in disguise and you have one opportunity correct this with the customer.  Listen carefully to their concerns and go the extra mile to satisfy them.  It isn't enough that you think you've done all you can, the situation is only corrected when the customer thinks that you have done all you can.  The businesses that are successful know that it’s not what you can do, it’s what you are willing to do, that separates them from their competitors.