At your company . . .
– Who delivers customer service?
– Who is more important – new or existing customers?
– How do employees affect a customer?
– Just what is customer service anyway?
If you asked everyone in your company to explain what impacts customers and their perceptions and attitudes, and what is good customer service, you would likely gather a variety of answers.
Perhaps the following will provide some different insights on customers, customer service and the importance of the relationship between you and your customers.
True or False
1. It’s more important to pay attention to new customers than existing customers.
True False
2. Customers have their own agenda. They’ll never notice if you’re in a bad mood.
True False
3. Those who work behind the scenes or in the field do not have to worry about
customer service.
True False
4. Research demonstrates that between eight and 10 customers who leave do so because they are dissatisfied with the level of service they receive.
True False
5. Customers walk in the door trusting you; reaffirming that confidence before they leave strengthens their relationship with your company.
True False
6. Customers can be difficult and trying at times.
True False
7. Only employees who directly interact with customers are responsible for customer service.
True False
8. The customer is the boss.
True False
9. Dissatisfied customers will tell between 8 and 10 other people about a negative experience with your company.
True False
10. How you perform your job is a form of customer service.
True False
11. You have no influence over whether a customer returns.
True False
12. Customers can hear a smile over the phone.
True False
13. Most customers will tell you if they are unhappy or upset.
True False
14. When a customer has a problem, it’s important that they understand your point of view.
True False
15. It’s easier to attract a new customer than to earn back a dissatisfied customer.
True False
Answers:
1. False
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. True
10. True
11. False
12. True
13. False
14. False
15. False
So how did you do? If you gave this trivia quiz to others, how did they do?
Every person and every position has an impact on your customers whether or not they interact with the customer directly.
The relationship you have with your customer and the manner in which your customer is treated has an immediate financial impact on your bottom-line. Do you know what one of your customers is worth to your company? What does it actually cost to lose a customer? What does it cost to acquire a new customer?
This type of information can play a significant role in understanding the value of a customer, which in turn can have a huge impact on the level of service one chooses to provide.
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David Saxby is president of Measure-X, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based measurement, training and recognition company that specializes in customer service and sales skills training for utilities.