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Do you have the right tools to make sure that the customer is satisfied? If you don’t, we know that the customer is “put off.”
By tools, we mean things like, can you handle a customer inquiry quickly? Can you go to a computer and bring up the customer’s information and what they purchased so that you know what the customer is talking about?
It has been my experience that sometimes what the customer thinks they bought and what they actually bought are two different things, and if you know the real story you can solve problems more readily.
Do you have return policies in place so that you can make a quick decision? This is important, since nothing is worse than someone who cannot answer the question.
Which begs the question, is your training adequate so that the people know how to take care of the customer? Do you have policies and procedures in place that make it easy for the customer to do business with you?
Have you called and played the part of a customer to see how your customers are treated? This will tell you the level of training and what you need to do next.
If you have clear policies and procedures, what are the limits outside of that so that people can make decisions to satisfy the customer.
I don’t know all of the tools necessary in your business, but you do. Even if you don’t, ask the rank and file, they will tell you.
The most important thing you can do is sit down with all of the stakeholders and ask them what is needed to handle the customer in the best way possible.
Talk to your people: They will know the kind of complaints they receive and the actions most people will be satisfied with. Then give them the power to make customer satisfaction happen, since there is nothing worse than getting bounced around, never getting an answer, and having to call back and find out what is going on. Plus, expenses in man-hours that are being used. Think about this: It is cheaper to supply the customer with something that isn’t included, than all of the man-hours it might take if they get bounced around.
Plus, we must ask how much a customer is worth, and what is the amount of money you will earn from solving the customer’s situation right away. I will share with you that the answer is “a lot”.
And it doesn’t always, or even very often, cost money. It’s just a matter of someone taking down something as small as a change of address or some other request and following up with someone else in the organization to make it happen.
Once someone gets the “monkey on their back,” help them take care of whatever needs to be done without going through a lot of extra steps.
Plan a “monkey on the back” round table with your people and see how creative they can be at solving customers’ situations, and move the needle up in satisfaction. Get the right tools and the people who are working with the customer will know. Remember that the tools need change, so ask people often how their tools are working and what is needed to keep the tools sharp.
See Previous Customer Satisfaction Articles:
- The customer is Not always right
- You have to have happy employees
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