NEWS

Customers - Chairman Emeritus’ Corner  4/1/2010

By Gordon Carton, Chairman Emeritus

Customers

Service companies spend so much money and time getting and keeping customers, but some may ‎be at risk of losing them by making one or more of the following mistakes:‎

‎1.   Giving priority to a new customer;‎
‎2.   Not going all the way and cementing relationships;‎
‎3.   Having someone in the organization "ticking" them off;‎
‎4.   Not filling their needs;‎
‎5.   Not showing appreciation in small ways;‎
‎6.   Not being readily available at all times;‎
‎7.   Not owning them;‎
‎8.   Not training staff properly - letting them know that the customers "write" the payroll ‎cheques;‎
‎9.   Not constantly seeking out their needs; and‎
‎10. Not listening; you hear, but are you listening?‎

Price may get customers but service keeps them! More often than not customer decisions are ‎based on perception. Service companies often judge a customer when in reality the customer is ‎there to judge them. Service is not just a department, it should be thought of as a way of life. ‎Everybody in your business needs to be a service expert! ‎