Today’s post is prompted by my ever increasing frustration with organisations who make it almost impossible for customers to complain. How do they improve their service, products or solutions, when they appear so disinterested in what we have to say? As I always do, I will vote with my feet.

Here is the reality:

Customers may well want to tell you they’re unhappy about something but they either:
•  Feel uncomfortable about doing so
•  Don’t know how to
•  Don’t have time; it’s easier to let it go

So, give them a choice of mechanisms. For example:
•  Simple questionnaires with pre-paid postage
•  Telephone help line
•  Customer service points
•  Exit surveys – face to face questions
•  Comment cards

Let them know it’s not a waste of time!

What are you going to do with the information? File it away? Shred it for next year’s Christmas decorations?

One company I know maintains a whiteboard in the reception listing the key comments/complaints made by customers, with a note of the action taken, or to be taken and by whom.

Customers really feel they are part of the product and service improvement team.

Customers need to know what’s in it for them if they do complain.

Respond quickly to complaints. If you give a number to ring, make sure someone is always there to answer the phone. Reply within two days if that’s what you promised to do.

Have an “escalation procedure” which allows for the more serious complaints to be dealt with by a senior member of staff.

Directors need to be accessible, hiding away simply creates suspicion.

Summary:
Unfortunately, when compared over time, the customers’ interest levels increase, whilst the vendors’ interest levels tend to decrease. This creates a “relationship gap” and is due entirely to complacency.

Fact:
It now costs fifteen times as much to locate and sell to a new customer as it does to an existing one.

That reason alone, should act as sufficient incentive for us to attempt to build brick walls around the relationship in order to deter predatory competitors – and there are plenty of them out there.

We must continually strive to earn the right to receive our customer’s business and one significant stride in that direction, is to implement an effective customer care programme.

Today’s News: You know that I always work with the formula: Attitude + Skills + Process + Knowledge = Success, so it was pleasing to discover a relatively new site that focuses on the “P”.

It’s called Smart Selling Tools and you can check them out here

I have mentioned Invesp Consulting before – they rank the Top 50 Sales Blogs and I think they are by far the most accurate, although I have asked them to amend my Technorati rating and also think about including Google links rather than Yahoo – so much more valuable. Do have a look here

If you are in the United States, you will no doubt be preparing for your 4th of July celebrations – you must be so pleased that you won! Have a great time.

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