Customer Service is SMART Business!
By Wayne Forster
This article was written for the Canadian Professional Sales Association’s Learning Series

My wife Helen is a collector. One of her favorite collections is the Dickens Village Series, a treasury of hand painted porcelain pieces depicting the life and times of English novelist Charles Dickens. When Helen first mentioned she liked the Dickens collection, I took the hint and one day dropped into a small gift shop that carried the pieces. I told the sales clerk I wanted to start a Dickens collection for my wife, but knew virtually nothing about the series. She brought over a catalogue and showed me the various pieces, highlighting those she had in stock. She also told me they could order anything from the catalogue that wasn’t in the shop. Sensing I was overwhelmed by the number of choices, she suggested a particular piece to get me started. I told her that would be fine and she went to get the piece. She took it to the counter, boxed it carefully and wrapped it with a beautiful paper and bow. She then offered to keep a record of each piece I purchased to make my subsequent selections easier and avoid duplications. She could also record my wife’s birthday, our anniversary or any other gift-buying occasion and call me in advance if I wanted to order a particular piece. She could even inform me of new pieces to the series or pieces that were being retired and would no longer be available. I said okay.

That was ten years ago. Every year, without fail, I go back to that shop to buy another Dickens Village piece for Helen. Some years, more than once. They make it so easy for me. They keep track of the pieces I’ve bought, they inform me about new or retired pieces, they remind me of special occasions, and they wrap my purchase. And every time I go in, they treat me like a king. I’ve since spread the word to other members of the family. Over the past few years, my son, my daughter and my mother-in-law have all purchased Dickens pieces for Helen at that shop.

Selling wins the customer’s business. Customer service keeps them coming back. For the customer, making the initial decision where to buy a product can be a difficult and stressful experience. When they need that product again, most customers would just as soon buy it from the same place. If we make their experience as enjoyable, convenient and stress-free as possible, chances are they will.

Why should we be so concerned about repeat business? Because it costs between five and ten times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing customer. To attract new customers, we may have to invest heavily in marketing. Or we may have to discount our prices. Or we may have to spend a considerable amount of time explaining our products. To keep an existing customer, we just have to continue to provide excellent service. Customer service, then, is not just the nice thing to do – it’s the SMART thing to do!

Understanding your customers needs, then meeting those needs, is the key to keeping them coming back. To help you better understand customer needs, I’ve listed below 12 things today’s customers hate and 12 things they love. Keep these things in mind when you’re serving customers and you can’t go wrong!

Customers Hate …
When we ignore them, talk to other employees, or talk on the phone while they are waiting to be served.
When we “air our dirty laundry” by talking about internal conflicts or problems with managers, other staff, or our employer.
When we tell them our personal problems.
When we are uninformed about our own products and services.
When we are slow and take too long to serve them. When we waste their time.
When we are rude or unfriendly towards them.
When we pass the buck, blame others, or don’t take responsibility for a problem.
When we show impatience with them.
When we make promises that we don’t keep.
When we take their business for granted.
When we argue with them.
When we have a negative attitude.

Customers love …
When we go out of our way to help them. When we go the extra mile.
When we are prompt in serving them. When we value their time.
When we admit we don’t know something but promise to find out for them.
When we smile and are friendly with them.
When we have a neat, professional appearance.
When we apologize for delays or mistakes made.
When we try to put ourselves in their shoes when they have a problem. When we empathize.
When we make it easy to do business with them.
When we listen carefully to what they are saying.
When we show we appreciate their business.
When we make them feel special and make their buying experience enjoyable.
When we have a positive attitude.

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