Are You Making It Hard For Customers To Do Business With You?

Article Written By: Simon Ackland | SMI Business Impact

Buying is as much an EXPERIENCE for customers as it is about the shopping (& don't think you are off the hook if you're not in retail, the same applies to any business!)

I called a prospective new client last week who had registered interest via our website. Quite a recognised brand name, so I thought "let's get straight on to them!".

Well, number one, the phone number provided was wrong. But I persisted and tracked down 3 possible branch numbers. The first one said "no, he's not here, call this branch". The next branch fluffed around and said "he might be in but not sure...can you call back tomorrow?"...that's going to win a lot of business! I called again a couple of days later and actually found someone who sounded sensible who said the person I was calling was always hard to get hold of (great story to pass on!), but no hints on how to achieve that outcome.

I left a message, I managed to get an email address...no responses. Why do people make it so hard to do business with them. No one I spoke to bothered to find out if I was potentially important to the business or not.

Let's get back to basics...customers, clients, anyone, is looking for some sort of an experience. If it is bad, they tell many (lucky for them I haven't named names in this email...at the end of the day I'll persist because they clearly need our help!). If it is good, they don't tend to tell as many people, but they do stick around and continue to do business, they are less likely to be poached by competitors and if a friend has a need, they will refer them. Remember, good customer service is a key factor in your marketing strategy.

Experience...what is your business doing?

It doesn't have to be elaborate, but what is it about coming to your business that makes people happy. Happiness is a state of mind that people want more of. If they get it from you, they'll come back. What can you do to give your customers a smile and a positive feeling?

7 real basics to winning and keep customers

1. How easy is it to find your business?
2. Where can they park, how much does it cost, what is the best public transport to get?
3. If you are in retail, how easy is it to find things in your store or on your shelves? Do staff know? Will staff happily and helpfully answer questions or will they sneak around the corner pretending they didn't see or hear the pesty customer?
4. Is the first person who answers the phone smart, friendly and knows just who to put someone through to? Or are they the most junior and untrained person in the office answering calls between SMS's? Think about it!
5. Do you train your staff? Do you have a manual explaining treatment of customers...the "how we do business around here" instruction. Is it implemented and is staff performance measured against it?
6. Do you follow-up quickly on questions and concerns posed by clients?
7. Do you offer easy access via telephone, free-calls, email, Skype, website enquiry forms, SMS, even social media such as Face Book or Twitter? Does someone responsible deal with all of these media quickly and efficiently?

Premises

Does your place of business look approachable? Customers will often look inside first and if it is not up to scatch (messy, dirty, ugly, old and outdated, confusing, doesn't look like it should) they'll turn around and walk right back out. What about the carpark or external presentation? If it is full of rubbish, weeds in gardens, unclean windows etc it sends very powerful negative vibes..."if this is how they present themselves, how will they deliver for me?".

First impressions count

I know it is a cliché but it is true. And it is not just premises. Even if you have a great receptionist, they are only directing traffic. What about the people they direct the calls to, are they providing top notch service? Do customers have to sit waiting? If so what are they listening to and did they expect to wait? Is the person at the other end competent and will they get back to them?

I have a long standing relationship with a big four bank. I have been trying to get something done for 6 months with no success. Phone calls aren't answered and divert through to a different state. Messages are never responded to. It drives me nuts! and...has cost me more money! Does anyone seem to care? No!

It's not rocket science. Making it easy for customers to do business with you is just about doing the basic, simple things, but for some reason it is so easy to forget. The key is to always look at your business through the eyes of a potential customer. Train your employees. Always tell them and yourself:

• It's impossible to provide too much service
• Always be open, informative and approachable
• Be obsessive about following up with customers
• Make the details of buying and ordering super easy
• Buying is as much an EXPERIENCE as it is shopping (and this is not just pointed at retailers!)

Make the experience not only easy and fun, but a pleasure to perform, and you have the key to business success.

To your business success....Simon

Need Professional Help?
Every business has some cash sitting on the table...being over-looked. Our free Business Impact Analysis will find it for you. It might be customer service, it might be something else. There are always hidden assets lurking that should be exploited...to find yours, complete the registration form by clicking on Register Interest Now and we will contact you. You have much to gain and nothing to loose.