I was reading this article earlier this week on Huffington Post titled, “The Trick To Never Getting Screwed By Terrible Customer Service.” The piece talks about the trend of recording an awful customer service experience and posting it online and it got me thinking about my role as a Digital Strategist, and the steps we take to help ensure a smooth customer experience.
A recent survey conducted by Thomson Reuters revealed that “consumers place a strong emphasis on customer service with over 60% of respondents indicating that a company’s customer service reputation is ‘very important’ in influencing their decision to do business with an organization.” With this much at stake, why does good customer service continue to elude so many providers?
Webster’s Dictionary defines customer service as, “The process of ensuring customer satisfaction with a product or service.” In other words, you put the customer’s needs or desires first before yours. This is something we do every day in the following ways:
1.) Actively listening. People want to be “heard” and not “sold to.” We can’t deliver a solid strategy without properly assessing and identifying what challenge we’re trying to address for the companies we service.
2.) Setting realistic expectations. Communicating the expectations of any deliverable up front is imperative. All too often, “sales people” deliver false hope to customers for a variety of reasons: they tell the customer what they want to hear to close a deal; to avoid confrontation; or, it’s just an honest misunderstanding. Regardless, when the expectation isn’t met, the customer’s view of the organization or individual recedes to a lower level and jeopardizes the business relationship.
3.) Ongoing communication. The relationship with a client doesn’t end with the signature on the dotted line – that’s merely the beginning. Typically, most business is lost within the first 2 years of the initial sale. Proactively communicating around results and requesting feedback helps us sustain a long-term relationship and build mutual respect.
True competitive differentiation comes from helping your prospect/customer make a good decision. So how do you think your prospect/customer will respond? You can differentiate yourself by focusing on “helping – not selling”. Or simply stated, by being human. Whether you currently work with us, or are interested in learning more, call us at 866-268-6206 or visit My.jobs/Employers anytime to discuss how we can help you with your talent acquisition needs.
