JAN CLARKE: MARKETING SIMPLIFIED IS THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS RIGHT? Leave a comment
This week I received a phone call from a company I had bought an online course from. You know the type, free for a week or two, you can try it out but need to cancel the subscription if it’s not up your street.
The phone call was obviously from a busy call centre, there was lots of background noise, the caller was pleasant enough, “I am your assigned tutor”etc etc, We discussed the course and then he went in for the kill, I knew to expect it but I am always intrigued as to how long it takes sales people. The offer was 65% off the cost of the total course if I committed today.
Personally this tactic is enough to not only switch me off but also to never buy from that company again. Is this short sighted of me or do you feel the same?
Most people do not like feeling as though they have been “sold” to. Consumers are bright and can notice the tricks.
This started me to think about customer service and what it means to me, in particular, when I had last received fantastic service that I told all my friends and colleagues about it. Unfortunately, despite marketing becoming more and more sophisticated, I think customer service is declining rapidly.
“They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Carl W. Buehner
WHAT IS GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE?
This can be different to everyone but everyone will have an experience of how they would like a great experience to be and I’m quite certain everyone will have experienced poor service. With that in mind perhaps a good place to start is to get all your team together and chat about what this means. As you discuss and share experiences there will be a natural flow to finding out what you all agree to be good or great customer service in your own business. Every single member of your team can, and should, be responsible for helping great customer service happen. If there is one weak link in the chain then the whole experience will be poor. It’s important that everyone in your team understands this and that everyone is valued. Too often new “trainees” may feel they can’t contribute so they don’t, this customer service exercise definitely helps shine light on the importance of teamwork for all.
IMPLEMENTING IDEAS
Some of your ideas may not be practical, but that is fine, discuss which ones you could implement and which ones may need to be aspired to. What is right for one team may not work for another so don’t be afraid to follow your own path. The importance is understanding your offering and how this experience for your customer can be the best it can possibly be within your current constraints.
Once you have chosen ideas do set yourself some time to reassess their worth and perhaps revisit in three month’s time. You all need to be accountable and by having regular team meetings you can easily revisit these ideas having appointed one of your team to report about customer service in your meeting.
PRICE CUTS
I’m not sure price cuts ever bring in loyal, regular customers but I do know it is a certain way to upset your regular loyal customers if you have large introductory offers. In my example, a 65% discount will only serve to tell me that the original price is much overinflated. My advice would be to set your fees and stick with them, perhaps discounts for multiple units on a regular basis each month?
It is worthwhile revisiting, at this point, your value proposition, your purpose, your “why?”, your ethos, and remember to stay true to this. I know how difficult this can be when you are competing for business but cutting prices is just a race to the bottom. It’s much better to be certain of your offering and then work with your team to make that offering and experience as good as it can be and to stand out from the rest. Share your success stories with the world on your social channels and shine the spotlight on your excellent customer service.
As ever I am here to help with any of these issues so do email or connect online with me, I look forward to meeting some of you in cyberspace!
