Customer focus
Customer focus
My husband and I went to a coffee shop a little while ago and ordered our coffee from the counter. This place I knew had great coffee - but I was not greeted with a smile. They told us to take a seat and they would bring it over to us. Fifteen minutes after this we still had not received the coffee. I went up to the counter to see when it would come as I still had lots more shopping to do and did not want to waste the rest of the afternoon waiting for a coffee. They told me it would come when it was ready. They were teenagers serving and it felt to me that they liked the power of telling the customer to wait and not to cause them any trouble (just sit down and it will come soon). I did sit down again for another 10 minutes and still the coffee did not come. At that point I told them that I wanted my money back and went to another shop to have my coffee - which incidentally served me with a smile and within a couple of minutes.
It is a manager's responsibility to know what good customer service is for their business and then set the standard for the rest of the staff to follow with standards for good customer service. Training needs to be given to staff so that they can focus on the customer and give them great service. You can't expect your staff to know what good customer service is. Staff dealing with the customers should have a good feel for customer's reactions. Customers are very discerning and it is the business that gives exceptional customer service that will prosper in the next decade. Make sure that you look at the different levels of customer service for your business. What is basic, what is expected, what is desired and what is the unanticipated?
What do you feel like when you are not looked after as a customer? Do you go back to that business? Remember that a smile is understood in all languages. Ask yourself: "What are the things in your business that will make a customer feel important?" Make sure that your staff have the confidence to look after the customers well. You as a manager can make sure that this happens with the appropriate training and systems in place. If staff are worried about making a mistake, then they lack the self-esteem and confidence to service the customers well.
To find out more about Moving Forward Business Coach, visit the website at: www.movingforwardcoaching.com.au
© Robyn Pollard 2005
Customer focus - To learn more about this author, visit Robyn Pollard's Website.
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When I mention customer focus - what does this mean to you? How do you think that your business rates in relation to customer focus? It may surprise you when I tell you that customer service can make or break a business. How long could you go without a customer and the business still survive? At the end of the day a business is there for the customers.
My husband and I went to a coffee shop a little while ago and ordered our coffee from the counter. This place I knew had great coffee - but I was not greeted with a smile. They told us to take a seat and they would bring it over to us. Fifteen minutes after this we still had not received the coffee. I went up to the counter to see when it would come as I still had lots more shopping to do and did not want to waste the rest of the afternoon waiting for a coffee. They told me it would come when it was ready. They were teenagers serving and it felt to me that they liked the power of telling the customer to wait and not to cause them any trouble (just sit down and it will come soon). I did sit down again for another 10 minutes and still the coffee did not come. At that point I told them that I wanted my money back and went to another shop to have my coffee - which incidentally served me with a smile and within a couple of minutes.
It is a manager's responsibility to know what good customer service is for their business and then set the standard for the rest of the staff to follow with standards for good customer service. Training needs to be given to staff so that they can focus on the customer and give them great service. You can't expect your staff to know what good customer service is. Staff dealing with the customers should have a good feel for customer's reactions. Customers are very discerning and it is the business that gives exceptional customer service that will prosper in the next decade. Make sure that you look at the different levels of customer service for your business. What is basic, what is expected, what is desired and what is the unanticipated?
What do you feel like when you are not looked after as a customer? Do you go back to that business? Remember that a smile is understood in all languages. Ask yourself: "What are the things in your business that will make a customer feel important?" Make sure that your staff have the confidence to look after the customers well. You as a manager can make sure that this happens with the appropriate training and systems in place. If staff are worried about making a mistake, then they lack the self-esteem and confidence to service the customers well.
To find out more about Moving Forward Business Coach, visit the website at: www.movingforwardcoaching.com.au
© Robyn Pollard 2005
Customer focus - To learn more about this author, visit Robyn Pollard's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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