13 Foolproof Steps To Delivering Superior Customer Service

by Doug Smith, President, The Woodhaven Group

If a goal of your company is to increase the sales, business cash flow and net worth for shareholders, then superior customer service has to be at the center of everything you do.

Your business can have cutting edge technology at the best price.  The structure and funding of your company can allow you to scale the enterprise quickly.  Your business plan can be the envy of venture capitalists and angel investors.  Your start-up may have been listed last year on the Inc. Magazine’s Top 500 fastest growing companies. 

In spite of that, if your customer service is not the best it can be then nothing else matters.  Your company will lose marketshare.

In speaking with companies of all sizes from many various industry groups, I find most saying that the difference in their own company from the competition is their customer service.  Really?  I find myself wondering if these companies really know what superior customer means.

From the corner office to the front lines it is time for all companies to step back from the day-to-day operations and ask themselves what superior customer service means, what does it look like, and how do they deliver that unique trait to their customers.

Here are 13 foolproof steps to delivering superior customer service.  Ask yourself if your company is doing the following:

1. Listening To Your Customer:  It all begins here.  You may think that you have the world’s best value proposition, product, service,and employees.  But does your customer or prospect agree?  Ongoing feedback on how your company is doing is critical and the only opinion that counts belongs to your customer. Feedback may be from a customer forum on your website, a live person taking calls or some other method .  Review the information discovered at a meeting of top management.  A characteristic I have noticed of successful companies is that the customer is discussed frequently at management meetings.  Unfortunately that does not happen enough in most companies.  The simplest and most effective feedback process I have ever seen belongs to Nordstrom department stores.  They have a half page with horizontal lines.  Across the top it says “I would like to hear from you”.  Thats it.  As a result, Nordstrom gets their customer’s top of mind opinion without being distracted by a series of survey questions.  The comments may be positive or negative but I am sure management reads every one of them.
2. Timeliness Of Replies:  None of us has enough time in our day to get done what needs to get accomplished.  Your customer is the same way.  When they ask a question, request a quote or have a problem you must respond as quickly as possible even if you do not have the answer.  Anything less screams to your customer that they are not a priority to you.  With email and voice mail available, there is no excuse for not getting back as soon as possible.  Have a process in place to measure the timeliness of replies.
3. Maintain A Good Reputation:  Is your business the first one the consumer thinks of when they need a solution to a problem or need a desire fulfilled?  If you are a restaurant, are you the first choice where to dine for the weekend?  Are you the plumber at the top of everyone’s list when a leak occurs?  A good reputation is not just a result of superior customer service.  Your mother was right about reputation.  Make sure you maintain a good reputation whether it is on consumer forums, with the Better Business Bureau, or at the corner coffee shop in the morning.
4. Always Be Professional:  No one has to do business with your company.  Show respect in everything you do.  Make sure all employees act and look like they want to earn your customer’s business.  The business environment is no place  for bad language, off-color jokes or an arrogant attitude.  It is  not a secret that people want to do business with other people they like and respect.  The most expensive advertising campaign can be off set by one  employee needlessly making a prospect feel uncomfortable.
5. Stay  In Touch:  Don’t be like the insurance agent I once had.  The only time I saw him was when it was time for the renewal.  Especially in business to business relationship,  an occasional phone call asking how sales are going is appreciated.  Even better is if you can refer a prospect to your client that might turn into a sale.  Nurture the relationship.  It will pay big dividends.
6. Show You Are A Team:  Have you had an experience with a company where you wondered if one department within  a company even knew that another department existed?  Or, someone could not help because “that is not my job.”  A reflection of a well run company that delivers superior customer is a consistency throughout the organization in meeting the needs and wishes of every customer.  Make sure your line of communication and processes are in place and there is a synergistic approach to serving the customer.
7. Don’t Rationalize:  No one is perfect, especially businesses.  Mistakes happen.  When they do occur, admit it and put in place a solution that will make the customer satisfied.  Most customers are understanding.  They just do not want to battle for a solution when the fault is not theres.
8. Don’t Prejudge:  Every customer, every client, every prospect should be treated as if it’s the only one the company will ever have.  Some of the finest restaurants in America do a great job of making sure each visitor has an unforgettable experience.  That is why some of these establishments have been around for 50 years or more.  Too often, in some businesses, the way a prospect dresses or the size of the company dictates the quality of service given.  Don’t ever let the culture of your company go in this direction.
9. Does The Business Give Back To The Community:  Superior service does not stop at the doorstep of the customer.  Contributing to the improvement in the daily life of a customer and its employees is indirectly an example of superior service.  Donating services or dollars to worthy causes that helps the community will be recognized and appreciated by both customers and prospects alike.  Many a business has lost out on a sale because a prospect remembered that a competitor contributed to a local worthy cause.  Think of this as customer service and not a line item called “donation expense” on a financial statement.
10. Are You There For Your Customer In Tough Times:  As individuals and businesses, we all go through tough periods in our lives.  Only then do we really know who our friends are.  You may have a client who unexpectedly loses their largest customer, has a catastrophic fire or suffers the untimely loss of a key executive.  Helping out may be nothing more than extending payment terms for a period of time to help your customer’s cash flow.  I have even seen a company loan an executive to help the client transition through a loss of management.  Gestures like this are never forgotten.
11. Is Your Product Or Service Easy To Use:  Was the solution to your customer’s problem created by engineers with no thought given to the end-user?  The problem gets solved but a PhD is required to get through the instruction manual.  Superior customer service dictates that usage of the product should be effortless.  I recently reviewed a new CRM system that was promoted as being the latest and best way to manage the interactions with customers and prospects.  It worked.  I could not understand how to use it, so I passed on buying it.  Keep it simple and your customer will be asking how they can buy more of what you are offering.
12. Do Something Unexpected:  Sometimes superior customer service happens when someone goes out of their way to satisfy the customer by doing something totally unexpected.  This one event may solidify the customer relationship for life.  I know.  It happened to me.  I took my Lexus into the dealership for a routine service and told them I needed it back that night since we were driving to visit my son at college 700 miles away.  That evening they apologized and said the car was not ready since a part had to be ordered.  All of their loaner cars were being used.  I expressed my concern that I needed my car since we were going to be gone 5 days.  The service manager said, “No problem,” handed the keys to a new Lexus setting in the showroom and said “See you in a week..”  That was superior customer service and totally unexpected.  I don’t know how many cars I have indirectly sold by repeatedly telling that story.  Does your company have similar experiences?  If not, why not?
13. Take Time To Educate Your Customer:  Your customer is incredibly busy and yet needs to keep up to speed with the changes in their industry.  Your company can perform a valuable service by having an ongoing education program directed to your customer.  It can be in the form of webinars, podcasts or e-newsletters featuring key topics of interest with experts in your specialty.  This is added value to the customer relationship that will be appreciated.       

When your business offers superior customer service you are really telling the customer that you genuinely care about their company and them personally.  It allows your business to better understand your customer and deepen the relationship.  You will find price becomes secondary.  The satisfied customer will become the best marketing tool you have.

Make sure “superior customer service” is more than just words.

Have You Listened to Your Customer Today?

by Doug Smith, President, The Woodhaven Group

We live in a day and age where we can instant message  what just happened in our life, twitter about the last play in a ball game, and let our facebook friends know who our new friends are.

I feel like we are spending a lot of time talking at people and we call it communication.  I call a lot of it noise.

I truly believe social media can be a game changer in the future, but when it comes to business, listening to your customer is critical to making sure your company is delivering the kind  of value you hope your customer wants.  Tracking comments about your company on twitter can be revealing but not always accurate.

As an owner, CEO or senior manager I am going to suggest including something radical into your communication strategy.  Pick up the phone and call random customers 1 or 2 times per week.  Do you want to differentiate?  That will do it.  Have marketing give you a list of customers and call one on the way home.  Make it a random list.  If you call 2 per week that is 100 unfiltered personal conversations you will have in a year.

I guarantee you there will be patterns in the feedback you receive that will surprise you.  Your company may be stronger in some areas than you think, weaker in areas you thought was a core strength.

Listen to what the customer says, how they say it and the inflection in their voice.  Google analytics can’t give this to you.

What are you going to say?  How about this…..

Hi, I’m Bob Jones, CEO of Acme Products and I personally wanted to call to thank you for being a customer of our company.  Do you have a moment I could get some feedback.

Great!  I just want to get a little information to help us improve:

• In your opinion, how are we doing?
• What is the one thing you have liked most about your experience with us?
• What is the one area you feel we could improve upon?
• If we were to add one product or service that would help you, what would that be?
• If the opportunity arose, would you feel comfortable referring us to someone else?
• Have you referred us already?
• Are we easy to communicate with?
• How could we improve in that area?

The key to all these questions is to:

1. Listen to what they are saying
2. Ask relevant follow up questions
3. Don’t make it an interrogation
4. And, you want top of mind answers which will most express their true feelings

At the end, thank them, give them your cell phone number and tell them again on behalf of all the employees how much you appreciate them as a customer.

Talk about something going viral. The word will spread about the CEO who personally calls his customers.

The statisticians will complain that the sample is not large enough to do a linear regression. That’s OK.

You will have just gotten much closer to your customer base and learned what’s working and not working in your company.  I have found customers to be brutally honest.

Listening can be a beautiful thing.  Done effectively,  listening will increase sales and cash flow in your company.

If  I can help in this area feel free to contact me.