"If
you're good to your customers, they'll keep coming
back because they like you.
If they like you, they'll spend more money.
If they spend more money, you'll want to treat them
better.
And if you treat them better, they'll keep coming
back and the circle starts again."
- Carl Sewell, CEO Sewell Group of Companies
Recommended book of the week:
Customers for Life
- Carl Sewell & Paul B. Brown
This week's customer service "moment of truth".
No jargon, techno-speak or legalese.
"Which bit didn't you understand?"
"The bit after Good Morning, how may I help you?"
How often has it happened to you? You enter a place of business to enquire about a problem with your car, or to seek information about buying a new computer, or even to ask your doctor about a pain that's causing you concern.
The reply you get is as clear as mud. You are no wiser than when you asked and are probably feeling a little stupid for not understanding a single word that was said.
Stories abound of people buying cars being confronted by enthusiastic salespeople talking about the engines cubic capacity, low profile tyres, double overhead cams, ABS brakes, electronic this and automatic that, when all the customer wanted to know if it was available in red. Or the person who wants some information on a new computer for their home office and is bombarded by bits, bytes, gigs, ram, hard drives, high resolution screens, caches and motherboards, when all they wanted to know was how easy it would be for the whole family to use.
But, how often is the shoe on the other foot?
Each of us is involved in an industry, a profession, a trade or vocation that has its own language. The problem is that because we are so immersed in this language on a daily basis, we forget that our customers generally are not. As such, we need to take special care to communicate with our customers in a language that they understand. A language devoid of jargon, techno-speak and legalese.
A good exercise for you and your team is to spend some time going through your brochures, literature, order forms, signage, websites etc. taking a close look at the words you use and to also take stock of the language you use when talking to your customers. At your next scheduled customer focus group meeting (you do run them regularly, don't you?), get your customers to pass comment on how 'user friendly' your material is.
If your customer doesn't understand you, it's your problem, not the customer's. And remember who the customer is. He or she is the person who pays your wages. They are the sole reason your business exists. So isn't it in your best interest to communicate using their language, not yours.
Until next week, stay true to yourself and to your customers. And remember great customer service relationships happen by design, in the moment, moment by moment.
