Why shouldn’t you be satisfied with a satisfied customer? Let me get right to the point and share some facts with you. According to a study conducted by two professors, (Zahorak and Rust), from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee up to 40% of satisfied customers do not go back to the places of business where they have been satisfied with the service. Let that sink in for a moment… Nearly half of all satisfied customers don’t go back to the business that satisfied them. So what makes customers return?
I recently relocated my family and we hired a company to move our belongings. If you’ve moved recently, you know it is one of the most stressful things we do as human beings. Not only did the movers load the furniture and move it from point “A” to point “B” without breaking anything, but they did some little things like, assemble the dining room table and put a screw in just the right place to hold the vanity mirror securely. They lowered our stress levels by sharing their well-thought plan for our move and kept us informed along the way. They provided personal cell phone numbers for use during the trek, in case we got separated on the way, which we did. This kind of emergency plan is often overlooked because everyone assumes things will go right. These movers went beyond their roles of furniture movers and made an impression as caring service providers.
Of all the places to spend your money, you will most likely stay with the service providers who deliver what they promise with a little extra like, great service that exceeds your expectations. The most important factor in providing great service is the person providing the service. You know, “service with a smile.” If you are in a competitive business, you need to understand that having satisfied customers creates vulnerability, because they may just try another company and be impressed by their representatives. You have to exceed a customer’s expectations and constantly be improving on what already may be great.
If what you sell is awesome, but your service is so-so, then the best you can expect is mediocrity and eventually failure as your competition comes along and takes care of the customers by giving better service. I say be like the guys who moved my family and go beyond typical levels of customer service and impress your customers. The owner of that moving company was very smart to hire those guys. They are the reason I will go back and the reason I will refer others to that moving company.
Don’t be satisfied with satisfied customers. Whether you’re the company owner, the President, the Sales Manager, an Account Manager or billing personnel, set your bar higher and demand demanding customers - ones that need and appreciate you. Be honest and build relationships. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to say, “Goodbye” to a friend, especially a really good one? Impress your customers and you will not only keep more of them, they will help you attract the kind of customers you’ll want to keep forever.
Resources:
Hyken, Shep. “ Building Customer Loyalty,” [www.hyken.com], no date
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