• Graham’s new book Seducing the Vigilante Customer – winning strategies to guarantee the return of happy customers and healthy profits is now available online at www.grahamharvey.com.au/Products/index.htm for AUD $24.95, plus p&h. Copies purchased online will be personally signed by the author. Copies of the book are also now available at your favourite bookstore.

• www.nationalspeakers.asn.au Looking for a speaker for your next training session or annual conference? The look no further. This is the site for you.

"Hands up anybody that likes to wait in line?"

"Take a look around the room and count the hands."

As I mentioned in Touchstones # 8, the above question and request are included in all my presentations on customer service.

As you can imagine, the number of hands raised usually amounts to zero. On the odd occasion when someone does raise a hand, their explanation as to why they find waiting enjoyable is that it gives then an opportunity to stop and do nothing in an otherwise busy day, plus they get the chance to do some people watching.

But certainly the overwhelming majority, about 99.99%, make comments as to how much they detest having to wait.

My question and request are followed by

"Well guess what, your customers don’t like waiting either."

When homeowners list their property with a Realtor, they want it sold now.

When diners order a cup of coffee, they want it now, not in fifteen minutes.

When patients make an appointment at the doctors, they expect to be seen on time.

When workers file a tax return, they want their refund cheque the next day.

When commuters order a taxi, they want it there instantly.

When ‘net surfers’ go online, they want to be connected NOW!

Customers may be given various titles, but they are still customers, the bread and butter of your business.

I honestly believe that ‘time’, or speed of delivery, is now the number one component of customer service that customers use to differentiate between one company and another. It is THE ‘moment of truth’ that customers use to judge the quality of your service.

My anecdotal evidence based on personal observation is that when people see three cars waiting in a fast-food drive-through, they keep driving to find the next food outlet. When people see a long line at their bank, many won’t wait and decide to callback later.

Whether we like it or not, we live in a quick fix, instant gratification, give it to me now society. Now I am the first to argue the social benefits of it being otherwise, but for now I resign myself to this reality.

So focus needs to be given in your business, as to how you can develop and implement systems and procedures to get your product or service in the hands of your customers as quickly as possible.

And now for the bad news, no matter what your customer’s expectations are today in terms of delivery speed, their expectations and demands will be higher tomorrow.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey B.Com APS

Graham’s new book, Seducing the Vigilante Customer – winning strategies to guarantee the return of happy customers and healthy profits, is now available at your favourite bookstore.

It is also available online at http://www.grahamharvey.com.au/Products/index.htm

Previous newsletters available at www.grahamharvey.com.au/Articles/

Please feel free to recommend "Touchstones" to your family, friends and business colleagues. Tell them that their free subscription is waiting for them at www.grahamharvey.com.au