When A Customer Contacts You, RESPOND YOU IDIOT! - 8 Things You Should Do.

I am a big outdoor person, and in particular a water guy (water skier) so I have a boat.  My boat is about 13 years old, so it is starting to get a few problems.  I bought the boat when I co-owned a boat dealership at the local lake.  The company we were selling for was a great reliable company that had awesome customer service.  As a lifelong small business owner, this was the only company I found to offer such high concern for the customer.

Fast forward 13 years.  I have a digital display in my boat which is going bad.  We have no dealer in the area, so I contacted a dealer about 100+ miles away.  He responded several weeks later that he checked and the part was basically not available. End of story.

I decided there must be an alternative repair solution (something the first dealer should have offered), so I decided to write the company headquarters.  I thought about calling, but needed to show photos of my display.  I thought about emailing, but didn't want to get lost in an email black hole.

In the end I wrote a nice letter detailing the problems including photos and questions as to how I might solve the problem.  Certainly they could think of something!? To be sure it was noticed, I sent it overnight mail (in the big envelope, with Attention Customer Service written on it), and got a delivery confirmation.

Certainly the customer service department will contact me immediately to let me know they received my package and will be working on it.  I waited, one week, two weeks, three weeks and now more than a month has gone by without the slightest hint of contact, or concern for my problem.

As a small business owner, what should you do if a customer has a problem or question and contacts you?

1. Have systems in place so when a letter, email or phone call comes in, everyone in your organization knows who and how to handle the contact.
2. Have a system in place to log in the contact so there is an automatic internal follow up system so the customer is not forgotten.  Assign a specific person to follow through.
3. CONTACT THE CUSTOMER IMMEDIATELY - and I mean immediately, by phone, email or both.  You have to let the customer know you care and you are working on the problem.
4. Do everything you can to find a solution or answer to the customer's problem.
5. Keep in contact with the customer to be sure they know you are working on their problem.
6. When you determine a solution (or not) let the customer know options, solutions, etc.
7. Follow up with customer a few days later to see if there is anything else they need.
8. Follow up with customer a few weeks later to see if there is anything else they need.

What not to do:  What my boat company did, ignore me.  Result for them, I most likely will not buy a boat from them (even though I use to sell their boats) or recommend them to others.

It is so easy to win over a customer and make them a customer for life by following these 8 steps.  However, it is also just as easy to lose a customer for life.  

Your pick.

Make Your Store Visually Unique and FUN FUN FUN!

Several months ago I was in Las Vegas and with the wife went shopping at the Forum Shops at Caesar's.  Anyone knows me, I am far from being a shopper, especially at malls.  However, I am always intrigued by the way stores market their products, and Las Vegas is known for going over the top as to marketing.

One store really caught my eye, as it is so cool I am not sure how anyone could walk by the store and not stop in.  I know my wife was more than happy to let me look around and take some pictures while she found something to buy.

The store is H&M, which to me meant nothing as I have never heard of this store, but found out later they are all over the country.

The store had very unique and interesting displays.  There was a large screen video playing along with music that fit the mood.  It was just a cool and fun place to shop; something I thought I would never say about a mall store, heck I even bought a shirt.  A lot of thought, and money went into the design of this store, and I am sure the sales are strong because of it.  If you go to Google Images and type in H&M Las Vegas you can see a bunch more photos.

As a small business, being able to afford the type of design and displays as this store is going to be way out of the budget.  But as a small business owner and entrepreneur, what can you do to make your business fun to shop at, and visually exciting?  

Can you add interesting displays, TVs, music, photos, games, interactive products, fish tanks, etc. to make the visit to your store memorable.  Maybe it is just offering a play area for children while mom shops.  How about offering free beverages (Grand Piano and their free Cokes), or even popcorn for the kids, dog biscuits for the pets, a social gathering for a club, the list is endless............

Ever small business can do something to improve the look and feel of their business appearance, both inside and outside, and thus make it more enjoyable to shop, meaning customers look forward to stopping at your store.

I can think of many stores I shop where the store looks the same as it did 20 years ago, most likely they hadn't even painted in 20 years.  Heck, if you can't think of anything else to do, just paint your place a different color and move some stuff around.

When I had retail stores we would move inventory around when it wasn't selling.  When the inventory was moved, it was noticed as something new and a frame that hadn't sold in months would sell in days because it got noticed.

Step back from your store and look at it as if a new customer to your business (or asks your customers what would be cool).  What is the look and feel of your store?  Is it a welcoming, fun, cool place to shop?  If not, how can I make it so?  To get truly devoted customers you need to have exceptional customers service, but you also have to make your place a unique, and exciting place to shop.

If you would like assistance with improving your coolness, give the Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center a call.  We are a non-profit business counseling service that offers no-cost consulting services to small business and entrepreneurs.  Find out more at www.RoanokeSmallBusiness.org 

McDonald's 60 Second Guarantee???

Recently I popped into McDonald's for a quick lunch. When I pulled up to the drive-up window to pay, the clerk handed me a 60 second sand timer.  She told me they offered a 60 second guarantee that from the time you pay to the time you pick up your food would be less than 60 seconds, or your meal is free.

I though, wow, that is a neat twist on customer service where you get actively involved in the process, plus showing you how efficient they are at moving traffic.  After I paid I sat there watching the sand slowly go through the glass.  Part of me hoping the sand would run out so I would get a free meal, while a part of me rooting for them to beat the clock.

As I sat there watching the sand slowly seep through the tiny hole in the two sides of the glass I noticed the person in front of me appearing to be doing the same.  McDonald's had gotten everyone's interest in this simple little tool that involved the customer, just like social media.

Time continued to move forward and I noticed cars were only slowly moving forward.  There appeared to be no hope they would meet the 60 second deadline.  There was still one car in front of me when suddenly the sand ran out.  Their 60 seconds was up.  I felt bad for the team as they worked so hard to make the time, but maybe it was just an unreasonable time to meet.  Maybe they really never had a chance to meet it, especially at 12:00.  Should they have used a 90 second, or even 2 minute timer.   I would still be happy to have my food in 90 seconds and be excited they actually beat the time, for real.

At last, I pulled up to the window to have the lady hand me my food.  I know they tried hard to meet this deadline, but just could not.  Should I ask for my free meal since they did not deliver?  How many other people asked for their free meal.

As I handed my timer to the lady, I quickly turned it over so it showed there was still plenty of time left, and said with a smile, you beat the clock, good job and drove off with my happy meal.

Don't forget, the Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center (Roanoke SBDC) is here to help with our free no-cost business counseling services for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  For more info on what we can provide, go to www.RoanokeSmallBusiness.org

Fine is a 4-Letter Word

How many times has a waiter asked you how your meal was and you just said "Fine," even though it really wasn't what you were hoping for? Have you ever had the waiter question you about your answer???  I know I haven't.

In my last post I talked about getting "Devoted Customers".  Part of getting devoted customers is making sure every experience the customer has with your business is memorable, exciting and personal.

We have all heard the statistics that only 4% of customers actually complain when they have a problem, which means 96% of your customers who have a complaint just leave.  These surveys also state that these unsatisfied customers tell on average 14 other people.

I find it hard to believe customers that have a true complaint tell just 14 people.  Most probably they tell 14 people before they leave the store. These customers are texting, posting on Facebook, Tweeting, and then when they get home they are posting a negative review on Google, YP, Yelp, Yahoo and anywhere else they can.  In today's technological times, upset customers aren't telling 14 people, they are telling 14,000 people!

So what can your small business do to keep this from happening, and really getting those great devoted customers you really want?

1) Setup systems whereby customers can easily comment, both positively and negatively, about their experience.  From simple solutions, such as comment cards given to each customer, to pre-paid postage cards, to even cards (or tent cards for retail and restaurants) that have a QR code that take them to an online survey.  Best would be to use all of these.

2) Send out surveys to customers from time to time just to find out how about their experience with your business.

3) Know how to recognize dissatisfied customers.  Just like the customer at the restaurant whose meal was "Fine", recognize speech, body language, etc. and if you see something that just does not seem right, ask probing questions to find out the customers real feelings.

4) Really get to know your customers so they understand that you really really want to know when they are not happy, or even whey they would like to see something different, new, etc.  Make customers understand the importance you place on customer feedback.

As a small business, or entrepreneur, don't stick your head in the sand! You want to know what your customers are thinking. You want to know their comments, complaints and suggestions.  Develop systems and train employees so you can develop those true Devoted Customers!

Are You Ignoring Bad Online Reviews?

The other day I was doing my normal reading of blogs, etc. and notice a statistic that I found quite interesting, but a little disturbing.

72% of Bad Reviews Online Are Left Unanswered.

I don't know whether this number is correct or not, but the point is that many negative reviews are left unanswered. I know this first hand because I have left some that have become ignored.

So, should you ever ignore a bad online review?  I am sure some people will say yes, but I am not one of them.  These are my tips for online reviews:

1) Find Customer: First, find out who the customer is that posted the review.  Reach out to them offline and attempt to solve the issue.  If it is resolved, ask them to remove or modify the review.  Even if it is not completely resolved, just the act of reaching out may cause the person to modify their review to be a little more positive.

2) Fake Review: If the review is flat out wrong, or obviously posted by a competitor, etc. make a simple statement that you would like to understand the problem this customer has. If you have no idea who the customer is and cannot determine when the problem occurred, add that you would be willing to discuss this if they would come forward. This puts the reviewer on the hook to further clarify the problem, or look as if it was fake.  Most people reading the review will figure it out that this is a fake or untrue review.

3) Post Response: If there are circumstances surrounding the incident, or issues, then let others know.  Maybe it was right after a fire and you were out of chicken, or if you had half of your staff out because of a funeral. Maybe the customer was drunk and you had to call the police? Just make sure you provide only facts, not your subjective comments.

4) Be Positive:  No matter what, try to stay as positive as possible and keep from the urge of telling the person off.  The last thing you want to do is start fighting with a reviewer online, as this will be a back and forth brawl and you will certainly come out the loser.  Thank the customer for their comments and apologize that they were not satisfied with whatever it was.

5) Answer Positive Reviews:  I don't understand why more businesses don't post comments to positive reviews. If a customer posts a good review about your company why not post a response such as "Thanks for your nice comments, really glad you stopped by and we appreciate your business, please stop by again"

6) Solicit Reviews: Of course the best thing you can do to offset a bad review is to have many many good reviews.  Do you have systems setup in your business whereby customers know how to leave a review on Google, Yelp, YP, etc?  Why not make up a little card that explains how and ask customers if they like what you did if they would leave a review?

Small Businesses have a unique and really inexpensive marketing tool.  Using Reviews to your advantage by not only answering negative ones, but commenting on positive ones and also asking for reviews.  Take the time to follow these rules and you will see results.  Remember, people like to hear what other people have to say about your business much more than they want to hear what you have to say.

Is Customer Satisfaction Enough for Your Small Business???

I was recently working on a presentation about customer service and while doing my normal research  I found some very interesting information. Probably the most profound statistic I found was about customer satisfaction:

"86% of customers who go with a competitor express total satisfaction with the previous company"

This got me thinking. If great customer service is what we are always talking about in small business,  yet 86% of our customers are willing to try someone else, is customer satisfaction what we are really looking for?

Lets take a look at really good companies such as Southwest Airlines, Amazon.com, Nordstrom, Zappos and even Starbucks. Do they have satisfied customers?  Yes, but their customers are not only satisfied, they are "Devoted Customers".  The customers only shop at their stores unless they really can not get what they want, another business is always a second choice.  They are also the "Brand Advocates", who talk up your brand to other people.  These are the customers you want.

In my research I also discovered 44% of customers state their buying experience as Bland, Boring and Impersonal.  And we wonder why 86% will try someone else.

These are 8 steps you need to take to get these "Devoted Customers"!!

1) Create Excitement! Not only about your products but your brand, your people, etc.

2) Listen to your customers! Really be sure you are giving your customers exactly what they want and asking them for their input. Make them feel part of the "Team"

3) WOW them! You have to WOW people so when a customer shops at your business, they go "WOW, that was an awesome experience!"  How many times have you been WOW'd by a business??  I know it is rare for me to be WOW'd by a business, but when I am, I am committed to them.

4) Go Beyond Expectations! Many businesses talk about their great customers service, but the ones that really stand out are the ones that deliver to their customers much more than they ever expected.  Give the customers something they did not expect.

5) Build Relationships! Customers really like doing business with friends, or people they like.  You and your employees need to get to know your customers.  Know your customers by name, know where they work, their families, and make note of when something exciting happens. This isn't just about sending a birthday card, it is about telling customers you heard their child just made the honor roll, or just came in first place, or they just got a promotion, etc.

6) Make sure every experience a customer has is positive! Don't every let  a customer have a negative experience about your company.  This applies not only when they are buying, but also your accounting department, your website, your marketing and even your delivery person.  Make sure every touch point is a positive one.

7) Reward Your Best Customers! Don't you just hate it when you see a great special being offered to new customers for the company you have been loyal to for years.  Nothing wrong with giving enticements to new customers for signing up, but don't forget about the loyal customers who help you get where you are at. Award them from time to time something special and unexpected, these gifts will pay you back in more loyal customers.

8) Hire, Train and Keep Motivated Employees! A book I read many years ago was 'The Customer Comes Second."  This is a great book about in order to treat customers right, you have to have a good motivated staff who wants to provide and knows the importance of providing great service.  To accomplish this you should setup systems that allow customers to easily comment about employees, and then have reward systems in place for great service.

As a small business owner, or new entrepreneur, you have a big advantage over larger competitors.  You can really get to know your customers, you are a member of the community, you can really listen to your customers and thus respond quicker to what they want.  Be sure you use this to your advantage as a small business owner.

In the next post I will discuss the importance of really understanding your customers.  Stay tuned!