Happy repeat customers is the goal of every business owner. But what if something goes wrong in your store or office, either during or after the sale, and your customer is disappointed with their experience? The consequences can be devastating if this situation is left wrong. However, there are preventative and corrective actions you can take that are so effective that they can actually turn a negative experience into a positive testimonial. Not convinced? Keep reading!
The typical customer service experience
“Hey buddy! How’s it going?” This was how I was greeted when I first walked in the door of a local auto parts store. The greeting came from a teenager behind the counter who sported a bulging cheek from chewing tobacco. I have never met this boy, my name is not “bud”, and I am at least 3 decades older than him. What do you think my initial impression was?
I came to an appointment for the first time at a doctor’s office. The receptionist, sensing that this was my first visit, grabbed a clipboard full of forms and a cheap pen, quickly delivered a monotonous, canned speech instructing me to fill out the wad “completely and completely”, and waved me away with a vague wave of her hand. heading for an empty seat in the waiting room without even making eye contact. Each page asked for the same basic information over and over again; name, postal address, date of birth, social security number,… What do you think was my first impression?
I walked up to the counter at an electrical supply store I occasionally do business with looking for a new thermostat for the church’s water fountain. The salesperson on the other end looked at me with a blank expression, waiting for me to start the conversation by greeting him. So, I offered to spend money by putting the thermostat on the counter and saying, “I need one of these.” The salesperson looked at the part without picking it up and said, “We don’t have a source for that,” and he never offered an alternative or suggested another location where my need could be met. I later bought the part from a competitor parts house in the same city that had it in stock. How often do you think I will return to the business I first tried to sponsor?
My daughter and I were having Sunday breakfast at a national chain pancake house. During the meal, the occasional fly would buzz past my plate and I commented that I felt like I was eating at a picnic table. She looked up and with a start said, “Dad, the ceiling is full of flies!” A quick glance confirmed her observation of many dark glasses moving on a white background. I silently flagged down our waitress and asked her to send the manager over to our table. Giving the manager the benefit of the doubt (she may have just come on shift or been gone for a few days), I discreetly told her that the ceiling of her restaurant was full of flies. I expected her to be horrified by the gross violation of sanitary regulations (violations for which the county health inspector would surely have closed the place immediately). Instead she angrily walked away and the equally angry waitress slammed our bill on the table. How often do you think I’ll be back? How many of my friends do you think I’ll tell what happened? What effect will hearing have about my experience at the place where they eat?
A great experience
My daughter and I recently walked into our local Chik-fil-A restaurant. The teenager behind the counter greeted us with, “May I take your order?” I placed our order and he efficiently and pleasantly confirmed it and announced the total price. At that point, I asked if I could (spend more money and) order an additional carrot salad. He replied: “Certainly!” and said, “An additional salad,” and announced the new total. Our entire order appeared within 60 seconds. Later, while we were enjoying our food, another employee offered to refill our drinks at no charge while she cleared nearby tables. I thanked her for her courtesy when she returned with our drinks and she replied, “My pleasure.” How often do you think I’ll be back? How many of my friends do you think I’ll tell what happened? What effect will hearing have about my experience at the place where they eat?
In previous articles, I shared that superior customer service is a huge competitive advantage for your business in this age of mega marts, because cultivating customer loyalty, rather than striving to offer the cheapest price, will result in repeat purchases on your store, even if your prices are higher than mega marts. And when your first impression points, sales people, and ease of business transactions work together, it makes for a great shopping experience that works to build that loyalty.
But what if something goes wrong in your store or office, either during or after the sale, and your customer is disappointed with their experience? The consequences can be devastating if this situation is left wrong.
The landscape is literate with business casualties slowly bleeding to death from lost revenue due to bad word-of-mouth reviews, losing dissatisfied customers faster than they can replace them through expensive and time-consuming recruiting methods.
The best way to avoid this scenario is to ensure that your customers are delighted with their interaction experience at your business, and to regularly monitor what happens to ensure that an overwhelmingly positive experience is consistently delivered.
But what do customers really want to be delighted with? Find out in Part 2 where we’ll examine what’s going on inside the head of the typical shopper and share the shopper’s creed.