| It
has been mentioned several times by various business
owners that "quality drives the customer
to you". Business is very much similar to
life, a well-natured person always attracts the
most attention. However, in order to keep the
attraction alive, quality should be maintained
and improved to suit the needs of people for the
good.
A question arises
here: How do I improve? Everyone believes that
their company is the best, has the highest quality
products and services and the best customer services
model. The need for improvement may be evident
when customers prefer going elsewhere. Here are
few steps to ensure that you have the upper hand
in quality and service.
Take care of your
employees, they will take care of your customers.
This is the most overlooked element in maintaining
a healthy customer relationship. Relations with
employees within the company are reflected with
improved behaviour and attitude toward the customer.
The reverse can be expected if they do feel mistreated.
Performance should
be rewarded. A friendly gesture or a thank you
every now and then makes the employee feel at
home and makes him/her feel better. Make them
feel important, an element without which the business
wouldn't be where it is.
Listen carefully
to what your customer requires. The staff dealing
with customers should have a thorough training
in listening and understanding. A layman would
obviously not comprehend the technicalities of
certain products or services, instead would prefer
to keep it short and simple and would like to
be attended by someone who understands his/her
needs.
Customer is the
king. Know and understand that the customer is
solely the boss, who can fire every single individual
in the company right up to the director. If you
want to retain your business, it is imperative
that you attend to satisfying your customers at
every possible level.
Train your people
to handle all kinds of customers. Empower them
with all the knowledge and details of all products,
human interaction skills and rush control techniques.
They should be capable and confident enough to
deal with customers personally, and avoiding any
misrepresentation at the same time.
Identify your
service strategy. All employees should be briefed
on how to deal with customers, the type of service
that is being expected. Give them clear guidelines
on how they will be expected to perform, and how
they will be evaluated.
Remove all non-friendly
policies. All rules and regulations should be
framed keeping in mind customer satisfaction.
Do not isolate or confuse your customer by using
difficult language or harsh attitude or any other
kind of barrier. This will never do, and will
play a positive role in driving them away. Remove
all the hurdles between you and your customers;
identify where a compromise can be achieved and
where it cannot.
The primary aim
of the company must be "customer satisfaction".
The whole company's resources should be focused
and dedicated to provide the best possible service
at the least possible price, a price which the
customer would be happy to pay against value for
money product and customer services.
Make excuses for
being dissatisfied. Until you feel dissatisfied
with the service provided you cannot expect yourself
to get better at it. You should periodically observe
the company's performance with scrutiny, and develop
any weakness found. Take suggestions from employees
and get them to feel the responsibility that only
they can help solve the problem.
Improving relations
internally leads to external customer satisfaction.
Each department within an organisation is a customer
to the other, as long as they serve each other
at any level. Encourage improved performance and
relations within the company, and inter-departmental
harmony should be highlighted to give each employee
a sense of being a team member and give way to
good governance. |
