Whether you were selling the first wheel in the Stone Age, or selling seats on the first commercial flight to the moon in the not-too-distant future … customer service is, and always will be, the name of the business game.
Getting and keeping customers are the most important components in any company’s success. Without customers, nothing else matters. Without customers, there’s no need for executives, accounting, marketing, maintenance or any other aspect of your company.
So how can you get customers to choose to do business with you? Is there a magic formula that will guarantee customer loyalty?
People choose to become your customer for many different reasons – sometimes because of new product ideas, your marketing campaigns or your company’s reputation. However, in most instances, the real “magic” can be found in customer service. People decide to do business with a particular company based on how well they are treated.
Yes, the customer service relationship is even more important – in many instances – than the performance of the product. Loyal customers are created, primarily, because of outstanding customer service relationships.
Even if you’re selling the finest product of its kind, good clients will eventually disappear if a positive customer service relationship is missing. In fact, dollars lost because of poor sales relationships and customer service problems are seldom tallied or reported. However, estimates place these lost dollars in the millions every year.
Talking about focusing on customer service is not new. Customer service slogans blanket the halls of almost every company. These may sound familiar: “Customers Are First! We Exist to Serve the Customer! Think Customer! Customer Champions! 100% Customer-Focused! The Customer is King! We Are Customer-Driven!” And on and on. Though the slogans are nice and make great banners, many customers will tell you – if you ask them – the words “customer” and “service” are a dichotomy in the way many companies treat them today.
The good news? It does not have to be that way! In fact, improving customer service really comes down to doing a few things extremely well. Ask your customer what those few things are and deliver to their needs.
Customer loyalty is not something you can manufacture, buy or invent. Delivering service excellence over and above customers’ expectations – and doing it often – is the way you earn customer loyalty.
If you take care of your customers, they will take care of your business.
It is as simple as that!