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Category: Customer service
A good reputation pays
Think of the most important thing you have in your business or organization: If you thought “reputation”, you are correct. We build a great reputation by what we say, what we do, how we look, and how we treat people. If you and your company have a fine reputation and have kept it for a long time, you almost certainly give outstanding customer service. You also care for your employees and value them. (It would be pretty hard to give great customer service if you didn’t!)
Even though we can build a sterling reputation, it is surprising to me just how quickly we can lose it. Everything counts. Here are a couple of examples:
For years I have been going to battery store every time I had a battery need. Last month, my wife and I went to this store to have a couple batteries replaced in our watches. When they replaced my watch battery, the watch started working again. With my wife’s, no such luck. It still didn’t work. He said it must be something other than the battery. When we got home, I set my watch down on the counter and the back fell off. That got us to thinking, and we went to a Jewelry store for a second opinion. They replaced the battery, and the watch was fine. What wasn’t fine was my perception of the battery store. We lost trust in their expertise. Next time we will go to the jeweler.
In another situation, this week we went to the deli counter of a grocery store we often shop at. We wanted a special type of lunch meat. They were out, but assured us they would have some in the next day. We went the next day, and they didn’t. They did not do what they said they would do, and they compromised their reputation.
Here is the message: Don’t just meet the expectations of your customer, “wow” them! If we don’t, our competition will.
A must for on-time delivery
If we want our product or service to be competitive and profitable, we need to deliver on time, within budget, and meet quality requirements. To consistently achieve these objectives, there is one area I am finding increasing frustration: Management of vendors and subs. Since these folks are not on the payroll, we do not have the line authority and control that we do over our own employees.
In my 40 years of coaching and training, there is one business owner that stands out as the best vendor/sub manager I have ever known. His name was John, and he was a contractor. He built homes in the $1 million-plus range and was famous for always finishing the home on time and within budget. He also had customers who were “wowed” and eager to refer him to their friends. John’s recipe was simple: He knew the four steps of project management:
1. Begin with the end picture in mind.
2. List every single task and activity that needs to be done. Prioritize the items and put them in sequence.
3. Plan each task. Negotiate and set deadlines with your subcontractors.
4. Hold your team accountable
As simple as it sounds, it is not easy. John’s strength was in step #4: Holding people accountable. If a sub committed to a time and date, John expected the sub to be there. He was not a harsh man. He simply went by the “Four F’s”: Firm, Friendly, Frank and Fair. I role-played with him in class to challenge him. I played a sub that was trying to re-schedule a date I had committed to. John said to me, “Steve, that isn’t going to work. Here is why: We are a team with a reputation of doing things right and on time. If you don’t do your work here on Tuesday, that will set our job behind. It would compromise our reputation. You don’t want that. Neither do I. I want you to go back to your schedule and work it out, Steve. I am counting on you to be there on Tuesday as we have agreed.”
That’s leadership!
What strong brands are built on
Six months ago one of my coaching clients found himself in a predicament: Ty received a phone call from his biggest customer and it wasn’t a happy one. His customer had not received their delivery and it was past due. As a result, this missed delivery date caused the company to be late with a shipment to one of their customers.
Ty checked into it right away, and found out the error was due to some communication error between two departments. They made a big mistake. Ty could have called the company and made up some excuse. Instead, he said, “We made a mistake. We are sorry. We are now making arrangements for you to receive it by air freight, and we will absorb the additional shipping charges”.
Fast forward to today. Not only is this still their biggest customer, they have purchased far more than anticipated since the error. I am quite certain this would not have happened if Ty and his company hadn’t owned up to their mistake and made it right quickly. Ty knew that the most important asset his company has is their sterling reputation, and he fought to preserve it.
What Ty did seems like common sense. It is common sense. Yet how many times have you seen a situation where there was a mix-up in a process, and a shipment has to be sent out late? Have you ever heard someone ask the question, “What should we tell them?” How about the truth? It worked for Ty
Our reputation is our brand, and it is a strong determining factor when a purchasing decision is made. Think of it like that commercial for a Nationwide Freight Carrier: “We are in the business of keeping promises”.
Be successful, stay successful, know your customer
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence”
– Vince Lombardi
Last week my wife and I celebrated Valentine’s Day by having dinner at one of the most famous restaurants in Chicago. We each ordered a steak. My steak cost $70, and my wife ordered a $50 filet. Our expectations were high!
When the steaks were served, we began enjoying each bite. It was delicious and I made sure I cut the meat in extra small chunks so that I could maximize the experience. Along the way I ran into some fat and gristle, and I carefully separated it from the lean meat. When I was finished, the only thing left on the plate was the fat and gristle.