Poor customer service makes biz owners poor (II)
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- Category: SME toolkit
- Written by with Bridget Olotu
- Hits: 823
I have discovered that very many companies and businesses are suffering and recording low sales today because of the ill-mannered sales personnel they have. And these people will claim their problems are spiritual and are from the devil.
The greatest business asset you have is not your well-trained workforce, your beautiful work environment, your multi-million/billion naira office complex or your business connections. Your greatest business asset, and you had better believe it, is that man, woman, boy or girl or institutional clients that walk into your office, shop or business centre every time to do business with you. No wonder, a wise saying portrays the customer as the king. If the lion is the king of the jungle, the customer is the king in the marketplace. Since they pay your bills, you have to swallow your pride, develop a respectful and friendly attitude, wear a smile as face powder and be ready to go the extra mile to help the customer feel happy, honoured, respected and excited to come back again. No business has a future where the customer is tolerated and not celebrated except government parastatals.
How do you treat your customers? Do you treat them like kings? Do you look for ways to impact your customers’ lives? Do you give them value? Do you see them as doing you a favour, putting food on your table and money in your pocket or do you treat them as though you are doing them a favour and you do not need them? The customer is the reason you are in business. The way you treat him/her is a picture of where you are going, downhill or uphill. In other words, if you want your business to have a place in the future you must cultivate the friendship, trust and respect of your customers. But if you want to crash your business easily, you can treat them like trash. Your business only becomes a star or trash depending on how you treat your customers.
Any employee who despises customers/clients is not worth being on the payroll. The customer is always right and the customer is your greatest business asset. Treat him well and you’re well on your way to building for yourself a business empire.
I will like to throw a spotlight on some facts that make up a good customer service culture in any workplace. If these facts agree with you, and you imbibe and convey them to those working with you, and they become part of your corporate culture, it will not be difficult for you to build a successful business, other things being equal.
1. Your customer puts money in your pocket and food on your table. If you doubt it, lock up your shop/office and shut down your business for one month and tell me whether your wallet and body will remain the same. OK, if they remain the same, shut your business for a year and let’s see if you can survive. So, if your customer actually brings you the money you use to meet your needs, don’t you think he/she deserves your appreciation?
2. You may think your customer needs your product or service, but you also need him/her the more. In fact, if you got external funding to run your present business, your investors or financiers would never agree to give you any money until they are sure there is a market (customers) for the business and they are certain you have a strategy to reach them.
3. Without your customer, your business will die. How do you handle the utilities? How do you pay yourself? How do you run the business?
4. The way you treat your customers is the way they’d treat you. Treat them like kings and they will come looking for you wherever you are; treat them like tramps and they’ll show your business the way to the trash bin.
5. Never put/make your worst, temperamental, and ill-mannered workers your sales force. Identify those that have the longer resistance to getting angry, not those with the short fuse, to handle your marketing, sales and customer relationship management roles.
6. Even if you’re richer than your customers, never let it enter your head. If they decide to keep back their business from you, your net worth will feel it.
7. Give something to your customers every day. It could be a smile, a handshake, a nice word, a patient answer, a kind look, a gift, an incentive or a reassurance that you are there for them.
8. When you find/run into the worst set of customers, those irregular people who are difficult to satisfy, be patient, or allow them talk to someone who could be more patient with them than you are. If you are alone in your business for now, avoid arguments, controversies, disagreements with such people. Service businesses encounter more of such problems with such people. So always ask them how they want you to serve them and try to let them in when you need to introduce some creative touches to what you do.
9. Never let the customer feel he/she is having a bad deal. Never! It can ruin your business. whatever you can do, within your power, always let the customer feel he/she is having a good bargain, even when your product/service is more expensive than that of the competition.
10. Except for the case of theft of your goods by a “purported” customer or other misdemeanour you cannot overlook, whenever your customer and staff are in an argument over price, quality of service, manner of service delivery, etc, decide beforehand to let the customer walk away with his ego well protected and secured. Your business will be better for it.
Poor customer service can ruin your business if you continue in it. Take some time off, and look at your business from the eye of a customer/observer. What have you been doing wrongly to your customers? Is it the way you talk to them, address them, treat them, handle their complaints, consider their views and observations with regard to your business and manner of service delivery? Never forget this: poor customer service makes business owners poor. This is because those who are supposed to buy from you now go elsewhere with your “money.” It’s high time business owners in this part of the world realised that investment in the knowledge of customer relationship management is key to profitability, longevity, productivity and functionality.
Articles
Poor customer service makes biz owners poor (II)
Category: SME toolkit Written by with Bridget Olotu Hits: 823
I have discovered that very many companies and businesses are suffering and recording low sales today because of the ill-mannered sales personnel they have. And these people will claim their problems are spiritual and are from the devil.
The greatest business asset you have is not your well-trained workforce, your beautiful work environment, your multi-million/billion naira office complex or your business connections. Your greatest business asset, and you had better believe it, is that man, woman, boy or girl or institutional clients that walk into your office, shop or business centre every time to do business with you. No wonder, a wise saying portrays the customer as the king. If the lion is the king of the jungle, the customer is the king in the marketplace. Since they pay your bills, you have to swallow your pride, develop a respectful and friendly attitude, wear a smile as face powder and be ready to go the extra mile to help the customer feel happy, honoured, respected and excited to come back again. No business has a future where the customer is tolerated and not celebrated except government parastatals.
How do you treat your customers? Do you treat them like kings? Do you look for ways to impact your customers’ lives? Do you give them value? Do you see them as doing you a favour, putting food on your table and money in your pocket or do you treat them as though you are doing them a favour and you do not need them? The customer is the reason you are in business. The way you treat him/her is a picture of where you are going, downhill or uphill. In other words, if you want your business to have a place in the future you must cultivate the friendship, trust and respect of your customers. But if you want to crash your business easily, you can treat them like trash. Your business only becomes a star or trash depending on how you treat your customers.
Any employee who despises customers/clients is not worth being on the payroll. The customer is always right and the customer is your greatest business asset. Treat him well and you’re well on your way to building for yourself a business empire.
I will like to throw a spotlight on some facts that make up a good customer service culture in any workplace. If these facts agree with you, and you imbibe and convey them to those working with you, and they become part of your corporate culture, it will not be difficult for you to build a successful business, other things being equal.
1. Your customer puts money in your pocket and food on your table. If you doubt it, lock up your shop/office and shut down your business for one month and tell me whether your wallet and body will remain the same. OK, if they remain the same, shut your business for a year and let’s see if you can survive. So, if your customer actually brings you the money you use to meet your needs, don’t you think he/she deserves your appreciation?
2. You may think your customer needs your product or service, but you also need him/her the more. In fact, if you got external funding to run your present business, your investors or financiers would never agree to give you any money until they are sure there is a market (customers) for the business and they are certain you have a strategy to reach them.
3. Without your customer, your business will die. How do you handle the utilities? How do you pay yourself? How do you run the business?
4. The way you treat your customers is the way they’d treat you. Treat them like kings and they will come looking for you wherever you are; treat them like tramps and they’ll show your business the way to the trash bin.
5. Never put/make your worst, temperamental, and ill-mannered workers your sales force. Identify those that have the longer resistance to getting angry, not those with the short fuse, to handle your marketing, sales and customer relationship management roles.
6. Even if you’re richer than your customers, never let it enter your head. If they decide to keep back their business from you, your net worth will feel it.
7. Give something to your customers every day. It could be a smile, a handshake, a nice word, a patient answer, a kind look, a gift, an incentive or a reassurance that you are there for them.
8. When you find/run into the worst set of customers, those irregular people who are difficult to satisfy, be patient, or allow them talk to someone who could be more patient with them than you are. If you are alone in your business for now, avoid arguments, controversies, disagreements with such people. Service businesses encounter more of such problems with such people. So always ask them how they want you to serve them and try to let them in when you need to introduce some creative touches to what you do.
9. Never let the customer feel he/she is having a bad deal. Never! It can ruin your business. whatever you can do, within your power, always let the customer feel he/she is having a good bargain, even when your product/service is more expensive than that of the competition.
10. Except for the case of theft of your goods by a “purported” customer or other misdemeanour you cannot overlook, whenever your customer and staff are in an argument over price, quality of service, manner of service delivery, etc, decide beforehand to let the customer walk away with his ego well protected and secured. Your business will be better for it.
Poor customer service can ruin your business if you continue in it. Take some time off, and look at your business from the eye of a customer/observer. What have you been doing wrongly to your customers? Is it the way you talk to them, address them, treat them, handle their complaints, consider their views and observations with regard to your business and manner of service delivery? Never forget this: poor customer service makes business owners poor. This is because those who are supposed to buy from you now go elsewhere with your “money.” It’s high time business owners in this part of the world realised that investment in the knowledge of customer relationship management is key to profitability, longevity, productivity and functionality.