A recent study on what customers really want, discovered some interesting findings. The results of that research have been used as a guidepost for the customer service industry. So what do people really want when it comes to service? Here are two of the key points gleaned from that study. I will cover the other two in another article.
#1 People want prompt, friendly service.
What this means is they want a live, friendly person to give them attention, immediately. Whether it is on the phone or in person, they want to be served as soon as possible, if not sooner. If you or your employees do any of the following, you are violating this principle.
*Put your customers on hold (when they call in on the telephone) for more than 60 seconds.
*Ignore your customer who is personally waiting in line for service by answering the telephone and providing service to the phone caller while ignoring the customer in your presence.
*Tell the customer they will just have to wait for the product or the service your company provides because you are too busy or unable (for whatever reason) to give the customer what they want now.
Just recently I went to a nationally known paint store to buy a special paint mix. The salesperson (obviously not the owner), in an aloof manner, told me that since it was Saturday, the store was closing at 12 noon that day, and because of the vast amount of paperwork he had to do before they closed, would not have the time to computer match the paint that I needed. He coldly said "if you want the paint, you'll have to come back next Monday." Right! Fat chance that I was going to rearrange my weekend painting schedule because of his inability to manage his administrative duties.
This was a good example of an employee who had not been instructed on the value of giving people what they want: "prompt friendly service."
#2 They want you to fix their problem.
What this means is they want a live, friendly person to give them attention, immediately. Whether it is on the phone or in person, they want to be served as soon as possible, if not sooner. If you or your employees do any of the following, you are violating this principle.
*Put your customers on hold (when they call in on the telephone) for more than 60 seconds.
*Ignore your customer who is personally waiting in line for service by answering the telephone and providing service to the phone caller while ignoring the customer in your presence.
*Tell the customer they will just have to wait for the product or the service your company provides because you are too busy or unable (for whatever reason) to give the customer what they want now.
Just recently I went to a nationally known paint store to buy a special paint mix. The salesperson (obviously not the owner), in an aloof manner, told me that since it was Saturday, the store was closing at 12 noon that day, and because of the vast amount of paperwork he had to do before they closed, would not have the time to computer match the paint that I needed. He coldly said "if you want the paint, you'll have to come back next Monday." Right! Fat chance that I was going to rearrange my weekend painting schedule because of his inability to manage his administrative duties.
This was a good example of an employee who had not been instructed on the value of giving people what they want: "prompt friendly service."
#2 They want you to fix their problem.
Your customers and clients want help. They want you to solve or fix their problem. Whether it is having the right item in stock or getting their cable service repaired or any other of the millions of problems businesses are capable of handling, they want you to quickly and simply fix their problem.
Therefore, if you can do these two things, your customers will gladly pay you to do it and pay you well.
By Tom Borg
Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, trainer, coach and author. He works with small and mid-size businesses and organizations and helps them develop their most valuable asset – their people!
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