Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: Existing Customers- The Forgotten Bunch

It happened again the other day and it drives me crazy! I bet it drives you crazy too. I saw an ad on TV for a company I do business with. I was thrilled to see them advertising but I was annoyed to see that they were offering new customers a special deal for signing up with them. What they were offering was a wonderful package aimed at showing the new customer how grateful they were for the business.

What?

Hey, what about me -the customer that’s been with you through thick and thin all these years? Is there no reward for my dedication and loyalty to your firm?

Why is it that companies reward new customers but forget about the customer they already have? A firm’s greatest profitability lies in repeat business, so why wouldn’t a company reward me for my loyalty? I am baffled by this phenomenon and I know a lot of other customers are too.

Here are some things to consider when it comes to your existing customers:

1. Treat them like gold. It costs less to keep this group engaged with your product or services than it does to find brand new customers. They already know and trust you and probably want to buy from you again. You just have to give them a  reason.

2. Find ways to reward existing customers. Quarterly coupons, discounts, free services, and recognition are ways to say thank you to that group of dedicated loyal followers.

3. Mystery shop on a regular basis to ensure that existing as well as new customers are being treated fairly and consistently.

4. Survey your existing customers to give them a chance to give you feedback on your performance as a corporation. Even if you don’t get a high response rate, giving people the forum to contribute their opinions counts.

5. Take a day each week and set aside an hour to make client appreciation calls. Each manager should be responsible for making a certain number of calls each month. You’ll be amazed what you learn from your customers.

What do you do to show your clients/customers/guests/patients/members that you care? Please send us your ideas and comments!

In the meantime, remember to thank your existing customers. They’ll love you for it!

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Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: Heart to Heart

Can we take this opportunity to have a frank discussion about “the customer“? The truth is, not all customers are lovable. Some customers aren’t even likable. So how do we take a group of people that we don’t like very much and turn them into our most loyal followers? It’s not easy but it is possible and if you’re successful, this challenging group of customers could be your biggest advocates.

Market Viewpoint surveyed some of our clients to see how they manage to turn challenging customer relationships into long-lasting loyalty. Here’s what some of our clients had to say:

• Kill ‘em with kindness – always greet them with a smile and a great big “hello!” All customers appreciate compassion and understanding,
• Give difficult customers a little something extra – difficult personalities can be taken off balance when they get something they weren’t expecting especially if they were anticipating and argument from you,
• Truly listen to difficult customers. They can be a source of ideas and catalysts for change in your organization,
• Communicate with difficult customers often and early. Keep them in the problem solving loop, and keep them appraised of the solutions you intend to implement,
• Have difficult customers test your new products and services. They’ll feel honored that you value their opinion. Think of them as a mini focus group!

Difficult customers don’t have to ruin your day and avoiding them is not the answer. Difficult customers can offer insights, assurances, and guarantees that your organization is moving in the right direction. Encourage their feedback and engage them in providing solutions to the things they see as trouble spots in your operations.

So the next time you see Belligerent Bill, Complaining Carol, Wacky Walter, or Angry Andy approaching, take a deep breath and know that the next great idea for your business might be a customer conversation away!

How do you manage challenging customers in your business? Tell us your secrets!

Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: Do You Want to be Right or Do You Want to Keep the Customer?

Millions of viewers tune in each weekday to watch the Dr. Phil show. This psychologist and author appeared on nationally syndicated television with his own TV program in 2002, and he continues to bring his own brand of pop psychology into homes across the country each weekday. Known for his witty comments, and amusing ways of expressing his thoughts, Dr. Phil often asks a conversation stopping question of the couples who appear on his show who are experiencing marital discord. I love the question because it literally stops the squabbling couples right in their tracks. He asks, “Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?”

As business professionals, we often deal with customers who can be demanding, difficult, and sometimes downright angry. Think about how you can apply the wisdom of Dr. Phil as you train your employees on the finer skills of dealing with difficult customers.

When an angry customer is in your midst consider taking the following action:

1. Stop what you are doing and focus all your attention on the situation at hand. Like a bomb, it has the potential to explode so focus and be careful.

2. Take a deep breath. This has a calming and centering effect on the employee who is being attacked.

3. Tell the employee to remind themselves that altercations present opportunities to discover not who is right and who is wrong in each situation but for finding solutions to problems that can lead to the creation of positive experiences for customers. Borrowing from Dr. Phil, the employee should ask themselves, “Do I want to be right, or do I want to keep this customer?”

4. Instruct the employee to ask what the customer sees as a reasonable solution to the problem. All too often, we are ready to give away the store when sometimes, all an angry customer is looking for is an apology.

5. Finally, let the employee know that they should always apologize for inconveniencing the customer. This is not an admission of guilt or blame in the problem, but an acknowledgment that, for whatever reason, the customer experienced some level of inconvenience. Saying, “I am so sorry you were inconvenienced by this,” in a very sincere manner can go a long way to calming down that irate customer and getting everyone in a space where problem solving can occur – and isn’t that where you really want to be?

So don’t shy away from those difficult customers. Use conflict situations to create positive customer experiences for your clients.

Do you have a favorite way of handling difficult customers? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment!

And in keeping with the spirit of Dr. Phil…..”Let me know how that’s workin’ for ya.”

Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience: Why Aren’t You Asking for the Sale?

What is it that stops sales representatives in their tracks when it comes to asking the prospect if they are ready to buy? Here at Market Viewpoint, we see it all the time in the mystery shopping reports we compile for our clients – professional sales agents letting perfectly qualified prospects “escape”.  Now we all know why this happens. It’s the fear of rejection that holds sales consultants back from closing the sale but can we just stop for a moment and take a look at this from the customer’s perspective? It’s important to understand how this failure to ask for the sale impacts the customer experience.

Consider this example. A prospective renter  calls to make an appointment with a leasing agent at a popular apartment community. The prospect and leasing agent spend roughly an hour together touring model apartments and common areas of the community. They spend time talking about the prospect’s life style, the application process and fees, and the financial qualifications for living in this community. During the process, the prospect is giving strong buying signals. They are nodding their head in agreement, smiling, asking pertinent questions, and developing a relationship with the leasing agent. Then something weird happens. The leasing agent ends the transaction with a handshake and a, “thank you for stopping in today”- as if the prospect was making a social call! It’s almost as if the leasing agent is saying, “We don’t really want your business here”, when they don’t invite the prospect to complete the sales transaction. Psychologically, this has the potential to take the prospect back to the days on the school yard when they weren’t picked to be on the baseball team.

In today’s marketplace, many prospects are left to wonder why they are not being asked to buy, purchase, rent, participate, join, or belong. This is especially true if the prospect sought out your product or service. Keep in mind that during the sales transaction it’s all about the prospect, or at least it should be! If this is the case, it’s no wonder that many prospects are left to guess if it’s something they said or did to not be asked to buy. Disappointment and frustration are terms I’ve heard used by potential customers who walked away empty-handed from a sales encounter. It doesn’t surprise me when these potential customers described it as “poor” when ask to evaluate their experience.

If more sales agents saw things from the customer’s perspective, maybe they wouldn’t be so shy about asking for the sale. What’s holding back your sales team from improving that closing ratio? Consider introducing the customer experience component into your sales training to see if it makes a difference and don’t forget to mystery shop your sales team to make sure they are the best in your industry!

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• Market Viewpoint …helping you see your business through your customers’ eyes.
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Mystery Shopping: What Do Mystery Shopping and Dancing with the Stars Have in Common?

When the results come in from your latest round of mystery shops, some of your employees are going to feel like the latest contestants who won Dancing with the Stars. Others…not so much. Ok, I am officially busted. You now know that I am a huge Dancing with the Stars fan. I am a devotee of the beautiful costumes, fabulous music, and very talented professionals who coach the celebrity contestants to become the best dancers they can possibly be. But the thing I am impressed with the most are the professional judges who rate each routine.  They love lavishing praise, (and as managers and supervisors, don’t we all?). But when it comes to rating those dancers who are clearly not going to seeing the mirror ball trophy anytime soon, you can actually see how difficult it is for them. I think it’s the same for us as managers when it comes to meeting with our staff and sharing the results of the latest round of mystery shops. It’s easy to share the news when it’s good and much more difficult when improvement is necessary.

Here are some things to think about as you approach these employee meetings.

• Think of the data contained in the mystery shopping reports as the starting point of a conversation. The data allows you to approach staff performance problems from a third party perspective.
• Lavish praise where employees have done well just like the judges. Be specific with the things you know the staff is doing well and spend time coaching your staff on how to improve. The mystery shopping reports will give you specific examples to cite.
• Give you staff specific things to work on until the next round of shops. This is what the judges do on Dancing with the Stars. They tell the competing couples what they want to see the following week in the way of improvement. It helps to know what your coach or the judge expects.

Are there any tips you care to share when it comes to having those tough discussions with an employee?

As you’re enjoying the next season of Dancing with the Stars, take a tip from their panel of judges and add some new techniques as you coach your staff on their way to delivering the ultimate customer experience.

• Like what you read? Digg, Stumble or Tweet this post!
• Market Viewpoint …helping you see your business through your customers’ eyes.
• Follow Angela Megasko, president of Market Viewpoint on Twitter today! www.twitter.com/AngelaMegasko