Whatever Happened to Customer Service?

How many times have you visited a business and waited for assistance?

Better yet, were there several employees standing around and no one approached you?

In my opinion, and as a fellow business owner and consumer, the one thing guaranteed to tarnish the reputation of a company is its failure to properly service their customers.

Let me share a story with you.

I was personally involved in working with a client several years ago.  This customer contracted with another vendor for alternative services; the vendor informed me that customer service wasn’t important to him. Furthermore, his product was the key to his clients’ loyalties.

Wrong! In this particular situation, I assisted the company by setting up their merchant services accounts for payments processing.  The vendor designed a proprietary software system that would have it all: inventory, tracking, accounting, a payment module, etc.  You get the picture …

Anyway, when I inquired about the timetable for completion, the vendor (who owned the business) told me in haste that my priority of servicing this customer was not his concern.  He went on to say that he was in demand because of his superior system.

To make a long story short, we ended up installing stand-alone terminals for this customer free of charge, while the vendor with the proprietary system continued working independently, communicating very little with the customer.

I am sure you know what came next.  During the 2 months that followed, the customer’s busy season arrived.  Because of our efforts he was at least operational.  Furthermore, our business was benefiting tremendously by the peak sales of the season.  The vendor however neither completed nor installed his system.  His own business missed out on the entire 3 months of optimum activity.  The amount of money the customer spent on the system was wasted also.

Six months later, my partner and I paid our customer a personal visit. The off-season ensued.  The customer praised our efforts and rewarded us with referrals for our excellent customer service.  Out of curiosity we decided to go to the vendor’s office and see how he was doing. Guess what?  His office was available for lease; he had no forwarding address.  He was nowhere to be found.

The moral of the story is this...NEVER underestimate the POWER of good service and the importance of personal relationships.  If you are consistent and sincere in your approach to consumer satisfaction, your business will perform beyond your expectations.

You never know who will become your greatest ally.  The customer service you provide after the sale determines whether the customer will remain loyal.  Remember the phrase “bad news travels fast”?  It’s true.  An unhappy customer is a vocal grenade thrown over your bough.  Too many of them and your ship will surely sink!

Of course, the product or service you offer is important.  It will entice the buyer; however, your service is what will make them continue choosing you, and NOT your (sometimes cheaper) competitors!