As published in “Southwest Florida Business Today,” April 2021
One of the most important things you can do in your business is communicate with your customers effectively. While that sounds like a “no brainer” (sorry, I hate that expression, too), I have found that, like common sense, it isn’t.
Today, many customers will come to your business accustomed to “instant gratification.” The internet has given us immediate answers, customized entertainment on demand, and instantaneous communication through email, text, and numerous other apps, so customers are expecting instant service from your business, too.
I am amazed at how many businesses are careless with simple customer communications. Here are some examples:
Answering machines and voice mail –don’t use an office answering machine. If you’re not at the office, have calls forwarded to your cell phone and answer them! About the only time you should let a call go to voicemail is if you’re with another customer. But call back as soon as you can and apologize for not being available (don’t offer an excuse or any elaboration – sorry, but the customer doesn’t really care). Recall the many times have you made a list of potential sources and starting calling down the list. If you got voice mail, you may or may not have left a message, but you moved on to the next source. Often, the first one who answered and provided a reasonable response got the job. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve responded to call backs with “Thanks for returning the call, but I’ve already found a source.”
Putting customers on hold – while it isn’t always possible to avoid this, hearing “please be patient, we’re serving other customers right now” always infuriates me. It translates to “someone else is more important than you” If you must put a customer on hold, make it brief and offer to call right back. And do it!
Automated phone response systems – no one, anywhere, likes these. At all. I will never understand why businesses use them. I’m sure there is a financial spreadsheet somewhere that makes these systems look like a winner, but did those calculations include the customer frustration and the lost sales they cause? It seems like they have been designed to make it as difficult as possible for a customer to reach a company representative. Why would you use a system that actively discourages you from connecting with your customers? Don’t do it. There are alternatives – hire and properly train someone to answer your phones, and take messages. Return those calls quickly! As another alternative, some companies use interactive websites that offer to call you back directly, and they tell you when they will call. This is an improvement, but still not the most effective way to communicate with customers.
Returning calls and emails – establish the rule that ALL customer calls and correspondence receive a response the day they are received, without exception. It still surprises me how many times I have called a business, left a message inquiring about doing business with them, and the call is not returned for days. My immediate thought is, “Is this how they will treat me as a customer?”
Many businesses use a website contact page for customer correspondence. For “internet agers” this may be a preferable approach, as many in this group prefer this to direct contact with a representative. It’s not a bad idea to use these systems as a supplement, but make sure the inbox is checked frequently and appropriate responses are sent out quickly. You may want to try a rule I established in my businesses – the sun will never set on a customer call back request! Any correspondence from a customer is answered that day. Period.
Quotes and proposals – this is another area where communication often fails. This is a critical function and a prime source of new and ongoing sales, so it should be a priority, not a secondary activity. Don’t do it in your spare time. Allocate time to do professional, accurate, and comprehensive quotes and proposals and then follow up! Learn why you won or lost so you can apply these “lessons learned” the next time.
These are just some examples of customer communication issues. Take some time to think about when you don’t do it well and how you can improve. It will pay you back handsomely. Customers are the lifeblood of your business, so communication with them should be the highest priority. You should try to interact with your customer as much as possible, not avoid it. After all, without customers, there are no orders, with no orders there are no sales, and without sales…….well, you know the rest.
Copyright 2021 Seabreeze Associates, LLC
Mind Your Own Business. No One Else Will. 