Business Opportunities Weblog

October 11, 2006 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

Fast Company Weblog:

10 Ways To Love And Respect Your Customers

1.Eliminate the customer obstacle course.
Customers would say that the obstacle course for figuring out who to talk to and how and when to get service is over-complicated, conflicting and just plain out of whack.

2.Stop customer hot potato.
He who speaks to the customer first should “own� the customer.

3.Give customers a choice.
Do not bind your customer into the fake choice of letting them “opt out� of something.

4.De-silo your website.
Websites are often the cobbled together parts created separately by each company division.

5.Consolidate phone numbers.
Even in this advanced age of telephony companies still have a labyrinth of numbers customers need to navigate to talk to someone.

6.FIX (really) the top ten issues bugging customers.
It’s likely you’ve been surveying your customers for years and know what’s broken.

7.Help the front line to LISTEN.
Let your front line be human, give them the skills for listening and understanding and help the frontline deliver to the customer based on their needs.

8.Deliver what you promise.
There is a growing case of corporate memory loss that annoys and aggravates customers every day.

9.When you make a mistake – right the wrong.
If you’ve got egg on your face, for whatever the reason, admit it.

10.Work to believe.
As tempting as it is to debate customers to uphold a policy to the letter of the law, suspend the cynicism and work to believe your customers.

Photo by rougerouge.

In Customer Service, Strategy, Tools | 1 Comment