|
If you have been a regular reader of this column, you
know that I spend a lot of time in airports. As we all
know, air travel has become a series of delays,
cancellations and general frustrations. Many times, I
wish I could call Scotty to beam me up and send me to
my destination. But, as the transporter is still in
the realm of science fiction, I am stuck like the rest
of you, a helpless victim of the current air
transportation system. What really bothers me though,
is the fact that most airlines seem to take it for
granted that this is the way things are, and do little
to improve their customer service. I don't even want
to tally up the hours I have lost sitting in airports,
waiting for my flight to be called, with little to no
information about when the flight will take off or the
reason for the delay or cancellation. I can't help
thinking that if other companies ran their businesses
like most airlines, without any apparent regard to the
wants and needs of their customers, they would be out
of business faster than ice cream melts on a summer
day in Death Valley.
I know the airlines are an easy target and many of
their problems can be traced to the inadequacies of
the air transportation infrastructure, but they
provide an apt metaphor for poor customer service. I
have seen the impact of such poor service at other
enterprises, where customers bail out for the
competition without a second thought (a practice which
has been enhanced by the ease of finding the
competition with a bit of Web surfing). I have seen
survey after survey stating that the number one reason
people show long-term loyalty to a company is the
quality of its service.
I can hear you now, saying, "But Rich, in this
slowing economy, with budgets being slashed right and
left, I can't afford to improve my customer service."
The truth is, you can't afford not to, or your
customers will be bailing out on you. To help you
avoid parachuting customers, I have compiled the
following common sense tips that should help you keep
them coming back for more.
Have a realistic business plan. I
know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I have seen
many companies that seem to be going in too many
different directions at once (mainly backwards) for
lack of a business plan with realistic goals, phased
implementation steps or the means to execute it, or,
having a business plan with unrealistic goals, no
implementation schedule and insufficient/no resources
or infrastructure to support a realistic plan. Keep
your business plan flexible, because change is the
only constant in life. Failure to recognize the
dynamics of your market will be your undoing.
Don't micromanage. While your
business may have started small, continued growth and
expansion will lead to new problems. Keep in mind that
as your business grows, you will have to delegate,
because micromanagement will only lead to the slowing
down and eventual stoppage of all work processes.
Refine internal processes. In slow
times, many companies find they have employees whose
duties have lightened. If possible, earmark some of
these employees to find ways to do things in a better
and more streamlined manner. Have you always wanted to
overhaul your accounting procedures? Now is the time.
Have you wished, in the past, you had time to train
your entire marketing department on PowerPoint to save
fees on outsourcing? Do it now.
Personnel. Provide your employees
with proper training, performance review and
incentives, as this will pay off in the long run. Don't
hire people with limited skill-sets and who cannot
grow with the demands and opportunities of your
business. Always treat those you do hire with respect
and let them know you appreciate their contributions.
Encourage innovative thinking within the organization --
you never know who may come up with the next great
idea.
Nightmare on Wall Street. Don't pay
too much attention to stock prices. It will just drive
a reasonable person to drink. Now is the time to focus
on your own back yard, not the entire planet.
Don't invest in technology for technology's
sake. Just because a new technology comes
along and promises great productivity gains and quick
ROI, don't fall for it hook, line and sinker. Examine
it closely as to whether or not it is truly applicable
to your business. Don't get caught in techno-jealousy
in a spiraling, keeping-up-with-the-Joneses,
our-competition-has-it-so-we-must-need-it mentality.
Strike a balance between spending loads of money on
possibly unnecessary or ineffective new technologies,
and not laying out any capital for new technologies at
all. Many companies feel that the more money they
throw at technology, the more profitability they will
enjoy. This attitude is particularly prevalent in
times of economic boom. Economic slowdowns are times
to carefully evaluate which technologies to buy, which
systems best fit your company's needs and which
vendors will give you exactly what you need and want.
Take the time to read and learn before you buy. On the
other hand, many companies put a stop to any and all
technology purchases during slowdowns. This is a risky
move, as not keeping up with competitors who have made
judicious technology investments means that when the
economy does turn around, catching up will be
difficult, if not impossible.
Explore technology options. If you
think that many technologies are just beyond your
means, look into the options of service providers.
There are many reliable technology partners now who
will provide equipment, network services, data
services, telephony services, e-mail management, live
chat, CRM, teleservices, campaign management and
contact center management and personnel. This model
allows you to adapt and expand or contract as customer
demand waxes or wanes.
Live help. Don't pull the ability for
customers dealing with your contact center to contact
live help. An IVR or FAQ list is not a human, and
never will be. Look at it this way: if a potential
customer is browsing your site or calling your order
line, there is a good chance that he or she will
become an existing, and possibly repeat, customer. Don't
scare the customers away by not providing them with
the information they need when they need it.
Shipping options. Don't try and save
money by downgrading your shipping methods. You may
not know what happens to your products when you send
them out the door with a delivery company, but your
customers surely do. If existing customers perceive a
weakening in your shipping policies, they may cease to
be customers. If new customers aren't pleased with the
manner and time frame in which their orders were
shipped, they may shop around for a better deal.
Consider adding a cheaper shipping option to the
choices a customer has so he or she can SELECT that
money-saving mode, but be open and up-front about it.
Returns. Maintain a good returns
policy, regardless of how tempted you are to tighten
your restrictions on returns. Try not to look at
returns as lost sales, but as a gesture of good will
that will encourage future sales.
Web-based training. Consider using
Web-based training for contact center agents. Many
computer-based training programs today can be done in
fits and spurts during an agent's downtime, and you
need not pull agents off the contact center floor for
a full day or half day for classroom training, helping
you keep the contact center staffed and ready.
Additionally, agents who have used Web-based training
report that they actually prefer its interactive
nature to long, static lectures in a conference room.
Resist Web-site dabbling. Have you
gotten your company's Web site the way you want it and
is it serving your customers' needs? Then leave it
alone...don't feel you have to overhaul your Web site
four times a year in the same manner Martha Stewart
changes her bathroom's color scheme. If it works,
leave it alone. Your customers only get annoyed when
they have to re-learn your site all over again every
few months.
Provide integrated channels of
communications. Depending on the urgency of
the problem, their habits and where they might be at
the time, your customers will contact you through
various channels. Make sure that if they call, e-mail,
fax or log onto your Web site to buy or pose a
question, all their previous contacts are available
for easy reference by whomever is helping that
customer. Making customers repeat basic information or
transferring them from person to person (or IVR menu
to IVR menu) without resolving their problems are sure
ways to send them heading for the exits.
Personalize the relationship. No one
likes to be just another name on another list or just
another call in queue. Give your customers the tools
to let you know when and how they want to be
contacted, what they are interested in and the option
to be notified about things that are relevant to them.
Your customer contact systems provide a wealth of
information about your customers. Learn to use their
reporting and analytics tools to the fullest, not just
for marketing, but also as aids to providing better
service. Develop the acumen to deliver the right
message at the right time with a personal touch.
And last, but of paramount importance:
Always listen to your customers.
Remember they have common sense, too, and they will
let you know what your problems are faster than any
chart, spreadsheet or consultant. Not building a
responsive customer service and sales support
organization is the first step on the road to going
out of business. By listening to what your customers
are asking, and responding promptly and properly to
their concerns, you begin the long road of building a
trusting and lasting relationship.
Sincerely,
Rich Tehrani
Group Publisher
Group Editor-In-Chief
[ Return
To The July 2001 Table Of Contents ]
|
SUBSCRIPTIONS
TMCnet LOGIN
WEBINARS
