E-Archive

From Editor's Desk

in Vol. 12 - September Issue - Year 2011
How to treat a customer?
Andrzej Wojtas

Andrzej Wojtas

Regardless of what type of industry one is working for, the way you deal with your customers is key. Once you lose a customer, he is usually gone for good. And very often, decisions not to buy from a particular company have very little to do with the quality of the product.

Beyond your marketing strategy, the way you treat your customers will define your company. The best marketing in the world can’t compensate for a lack in customer service. The word-of-mouth that is generated about your company travels much more swiftly than a great advertising campaign. The best way you can avoid negativity is to treat your customers with respect.

Make it easy for customers. It seems these days that a customer never knows who to speak with regardless of the nature of their inquiry. It’s imperative that you make it simple for the customer to speak with the proper party depending on their concern. Often it seems that the customer has to speak with different departments in a company to find the answer they want. Eliminate the need for the client to travel through the cross-section of your company to receive proper attention.
Limit who attends to a given customer. It’s unprofessional to pass a customer off to another representative if you’ve already been dealing with them. This makes a person feel unwanted or that they’re not dealing with the best company. Whoever starts the process with a customer should be the one who finishes it.
Chop down the phone tree. Try to avoid a long list of phone numbers on your company’s website. Invariably the one the customer chooses isn’t going to bring them to the proper department. It can be difficult to figure out how you can narrow down all the different numbers your company may have, but it’s necessary that you make it easier for the customer to contact the right person.
Own up to your mistakes. There is nothing more frustrating for a customer than when you’re just looking for someone to admit they were wrong. If you make a mistake, then it’s crucial that you correct the error and admit that you were wrong. This will leave the client with a good feeling about his or her experience and won’t turn them away from doing business with you in the future.

Well, these are just a few thoughts on that issue. However, they can be applied to almost any business and may potentially help your company. So it is certainly worth thinking about...

Best Regards
Andrzej Wojtas (Ph.D.), Chief Editor of MFN, E-mail: andrzej@mfn.li

Author: Andrzej Wojtas