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Five principles for getting By Terry Bragg My neighbor ran over my brick mailbox with his motor home. His motor home was barely scratched. My mailbox was a pile of broken brick and rubble. When I arrived home and saw the mess, I was shocked and stunned. This is not a column on "neighbor rage" or conflict resolution. Although I was initially upset about my mailbox, these things happen. Fortunately, my neighbor took responsibility for his mishap. No, this column is not about resolving a dispute with my neighbor. Instead, it’s about customer service. My frustration was not with my neighbor but with the contractors I dealt with to get the mailbox repaired. When I called masons listed in the yellow pages of the telephone book, I often left messages with children, spouses, or answering machines. Usually, I did not receive a return phone call. They missed their opportunity to get my business. One contractor answered his phone and promised to come over that afternoon to give me a bid. Two weeks later, I called again to find out when he was coming over to appraise the damage. Finally, he showed up to look at the mailbox. He promised to fax me a bid by the end of the day, and he warned me that he couldn’t start the job for at least a week. As you probably guessed, I didn’t get his bid by the end of the day. Each time I called him, he had an excuse and another promise. His bid finally arrived after I hired another contractor. Ironically, the delinquent contractor was upset with me for wasting his time. In contrast, the contractor I hired answered his telephone promptly and professionally. He came over within two hours to look at the damage. He gave me a bid on the spot. Although the bid was higher than the bid from the other contractor, it was competitive. He started the job two days after I approved his bid. The lessons are clear for getting and keeping customers: • Answer your telephone promptly and professionally. Remember that you are operating a business. Although it’s easy to get lax with cellular phones and home offices, make sure you have a standard greeting whenever you, your spouse, your kids, or anyone else answers your phone. Greet the caller and identify your business. • Return phone calls. Train people who answer your phone to accurately get the caller’s name, telephone number, the purpose of the call, and the best time to return the call. Make sure they verify the information with the caller to be sure they’ve written it down correctly. Then make sure you return the call. Let’s be clear on this: return the phone call! • Respond quickly. Delays will cost you business. For most people, time is of the essence. If you delay, you lose business. • Do what you say you will do. If you make a commitment, meet that commitment. If something comes up and you can’t meet the commitment, call your prospect or customer and let them know in advance. If you wait until you’ve missed your commitment to let them know, you will have already lost your credibility. Be proactive in letting your customers and prospects know about problems you are having. By forewarning them, you won’t come across as always making excuses afterward. • Make it easy for your customers to do business with you. Eliminate bureaucracy and complicated procedures. Make it easy for prospects and customers to access you and your business. You will drive customers away if they find it difficult to do business with you. Although my mailbox experience involved small business owners, the lessons are even more applicable to larger organization. How often do workers in large organizations alienate their internal and external customers by not answering the telephone, by not returning phone calls, by not doing what they say they will do, or by making it difficult to do business with them? Although these principles might be common sense, they are not common practice. Terry Bragg and Peacemakers Training offers a variety of tools for promoting, maintaining, and recognizing excellence in your workplace. We also offer tools for helping you achieve and maintain personal excellence. To learn more about these tools, click here: Tools for Workplace and Personal Excellence To find out more about Terry's book, 31 Days to High Self-Esteem, click here: 31 Days to High Self-Esteem To learn more about onsite seminars and workshops for improving interpersonal relationships, resolving conflict, and promoting and maintaining excellence in your workplace, click here: Seminars & Workshops ©2002 All rights reserved Terry Bragg•Peacemakers Training Terry Bragg runs a company called Peacemakers Training in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the author of the book 31 Days to High Self-Esteem. He works with organizations to create a workplace where people want to work, and with managers who want their people to work together better. If you want your organization or your people to have more energy, more trust, more respect, and more meaning, please contact him at: Peacemakers Training Subscribe to our Free |
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