Lesson #3: Customer Satisfaction Means Your Satisfaction
Lesson #3: Customer Satisfaction Means Your Satisfaction
“Service has always been the hallmark of our company, and looking at the years ahead, I think that the margin between our success and failure will be measured more and more in terms of the service we provide,” said Watson Jr. “I am speaking not only of the service we agree to provide by contract but also of that quality of urgency expressed by people who desire to do a little more than is expected. To respond cheerfully and willingly to the needs of customers, fellow employees and everyone we meet in our business contacts.”
“Nothing can bring disaster more rapidly to a business and to its people than a breakdown in communications and in understanding,” he said. To this end, Watson Jr. made sure that all his employees understood that customers were the company’s number one priority – and everyone was to be treated as a potential customer.
Despite having sole responsibility for the success of a multinational corporation lying heavy on his shoulders, Watson Jr. boiled down his operations to a simple formula: make your customers happy and you’ll be around to work another day. To this end, Watson Jr. knew it wouldn’t take much to create the loyal customer based he wanted; all he had to do was ensure that IBM demonstrated a sincere desire to meet their wants and help them with anything they needed. Machines were bound to fail, Watson Jr. knew that all too well. But, he also knew that customers were willing to tolerate mechanical problems so long as they had someone – a real person – to care when something went wrong. It was here where IBM was able to excel.
From his customer service plan to the very way he interacted with customers, Watson Jr. liked to keep things simple. “One of the ironies of our business is that we can transmit the most complex information in a fraction of a second with the computer – but when we use the written or spoken word to communicate with one another in everyday situations, we often fall back on jargon which obscures our meaning,” said Watson Jr. “We put together long words where short ones will serve, fancy phrases where plain talk is needed. My father used to urge people to "talk net" and he had the right idea.”
“I think my most important job in IBM is working with anybody who has a problem,” said Watson Jr. Whether it was his employees or his customers, Watson Jr. understood the importance of pleasing the people upon whom his very business was based.
Lesson 3 Customer Satisfaction Means Your Satisfaction
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Aside from IBM employees, no one was more important to Watson Jr. than the company’s customers, and nothing was more important than pleasing them – whatever it took. He understood that customer satisfaction lied at the centre of his business success. In the budding new computer industry, marketing would make the difference in attracting new customers, but it was only the satisfied customer who would return to the company time after time.
“Service has always been the hallmark of our company, and looking at the years ahead, I think that the margin between our success and failure will be measured more and more in terms of the service we provide,” said Watson Jr. “I am speaking not only of the service we agree to provide by contract but also of that quality of urgency expressed by people who desire to do a little more than is expected. To respond cheerfully and willingly to the needs of customers, fellow employees and everyone we meet in our business contacts.”
“Nothing can bring disaster more rapidly to a business and to its people than a breakdown in communications and in understanding,” he said. To this end, Watson Jr. made sure that all his employees understood that customers were the company’s number one priority – and everyone was to be treated as a potential customer.
Despite having sole responsibility for the success of a multinational corporation lying heavy on his shoulders, Watson Jr. boiled down his operations to a simple formula: make your customers happy and you’ll be around to work another day. To this end, Watson Jr. knew it wouldn’t take much to create the loyal customer based he wanted; all he had to do was ensure that IBM demonstrated a sincere desire to meet their wants and help them with anything they needed. Machines were bound to fail, Watson Jr. knew that all too well. But, he also knew that customers were willing to tolerate mechanical problems so long as they had someone – a real person – to care when something went wrong. It was here where IBM was able to excel.
From his customer service plan to the very way he interacted with customers, Watson Jr. liked to keep things simple. “One of the ironies of our business is that we can transmit the most complex information in a fraction of a second with the computer – but when we use the written or spoken word to communicate with one another in everyday situations, we often fall back on jargon which obscures our meaning,” said Watson Jr. “We put together long words where short ones will serve, fancy phrases where plain talk is needed. My father used to urge people to "talk net" and he had the right idea.”
“I think my most important job in IBM is working with anybody who has a problem,” said Watson Jr. Whether it was his employees or his customers, Watson Jr. understood the importance of pleasing the people upon whom his very business was based.
Lesson 3 Customer Satisfaction Means Your Satisfaction
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
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 |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 | ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 New Year Revolutions Instant Press Release Workplace Violence The Money Game Women Entrepreneurs |
|
 | ||
 |
The Top 10 GTD Times Posts
Best Posts for Productivity | |
 |
Top 50 Business Plans
Top Business Plan Blogs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
