Guest post by Marcel Oudejans.
Ring ring … hello?
How often have you phoned a supplier & been promised a return call … only to have to make that call yourself a few days later to find out what’s going on? Does the thought of having to call a supplier again, to follow up on a commitment, make you want to tear out your hair?
Even with so many new tools available to businesses today, why is it that so many still forget that the fundamental reason for using these tools is to open up dialogue & listen to our customers?
Remember: your customers will leave you if they feel you are not listening to them.
How many complaints on getclosure! could have been prevented if the suppliers had effectively communicated with their customers the first time?
Ultimately, there are only 2 reasons why you lose customers: apathy & neglect. If you fail to understand or ignore your customers’ needs, it’s just a matter of time before you lose those customers.
When talking to you customers today, consider this:
- Have I listened carefully to the conversation & agreed to take action based on my customer’s needs?
- Have I promised to return a telephone call & has that call been made yet?
- Does the caller know, before I finish this call, what the next action is & have I accepted responsibility for this action?
In order to prevent complaints, it is important that you listen to your customer & deliver on your promises, regardless of the technology you use.
Marcel Oudejans is a Corporate Infotainer who is passionate about inspiring his audiences to deliver more “magic moments” to their customers in their customer service, sales & marketing. Marcel is the author of “The Serious Business Owner’s Guide To Creating Customers For Life” (free trial edition here) & provides more tricks, techniques & strategies on his blog, http://www.performmarketing.co.za .
