Top three ways you are putting your customers off!
Posted: 5 May 2015 at 11:24 am | Author: Laura Morris
When your customer has a positive customer journey, it is probable they will share this with a couple of other people. However, in the (of course unlikely) event that they have a negative experience, you customer will be likely to tell more than five time this amount of people about their woes.
The impact of this negative publicity can be immense. According to New Voice Media, Jan 2014, once a customer has had a poor experience 58% will never use the company again. 43% will tell friends not to use the business and 34% will take revenge by post a review online or share their experience on social media. The result of this is you are losing customers before you start, potentially making your marketing activities redundant!
So how are you potentially putting your customers off?
Response Time
It is inevitable that complaints will occur occasionally. What matters is that the issue is dealt with swiftly. In the current world of email and social media we are accustomed to getting a response straight away. After all, as I’m sure you will all agree, if there is a concern you want a solution immediately.
The most important thing is do set realistic expectations. If someone makes a complaint, or even has a general query clearly explain the procedure that will follow. For example is the query being sent to another department or is an investigation being undertaken? Give your customer a clear indication of the amount of time they will have to wait until a resolution will be made. Consider using an automated email response to acknowledge the correspondence and set realistic expectations. Ensure that within this a contact number is given, as there is nothing worse than being unable to get in touch directly if required!
Rigid Polices
Each customer needs to be treated as an individual. One of the worse things that you can hear from a company representative is a phrase along the line of “that’s not our company policy” or I’m afraid the company won’t allow me to do that”. If you are unable to do something, give a valid reason (not excuse), explain why and offer an alternative solution.
Company policy can be seen as just an excuse, or a way out of the company taking ownership and dealing with their customer effectively. Do not let this get in the way of building an excellent rapport with the customer where each one is listened to on a case by case basis and made to feel valued.
Knowledge
Make sure everyone in your company is trained in your products or services to the highest level. Sure, there will always be unusual questions that get asked and need to be referred but these should be very few and far between.
A customer shouldn’t have to wait or be passed from department to department (frequently re-explaining the reason for their call each time) in order to find an employee knowledgeable enough to help. This will only result in your customer getting irate. If the customer is looking for an answer before purchasing they are likely to give up and find what they need from one of your competitors instead.
It is essential that your service to all customers – past, present and future is impeccable. Ultimately, a company with an excellent reputation in valuing all their customers will be far more likely to grow and succeed by getting repeat business.
Want to make sure your staff are fully trained? Take a look at our work-based Customer Service Qualification or call CAW Business School on 01480 422060 for more information.