Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on August 10, 2010 under Customer Moments, Employee Moments, First Impressions | 
Customer Relationships are just like good friends
They sound similar but do they mean the same thing? I asked the question of the Build Customer Relationships group on LinkedIn this week and overwhelmingly the answer was NO. Everyone agrees that customer service is the foundation – what gets customers in the door the first time and turns them from prospects to customers but it is only when we work to build customer relationships that we enjoy a long term – REPEAT – business with our customers.
Susan Garvey had this to say:
Actually knowing and ensuring each customer receives the type of service they want, not what we THINK they want. This can take any number of forms beyond the obvious such as prompt, informed attention by capable associates, the right products available when needed, etc. The best overall customer service usually comes down to some very basic requirements that most customers want ~ genuine, not scripted or “forced / manufactured” service, help available when it’s desired and not being offered or having products pushed that are of no real need to the customer. Making sure the customer feels and IS valued and always treated as such.
If you were to create a Customer Relationship Experience rather than a Customer Service Experience – how would they look different? Or would they? Do your employees understand the concept of building relationships with each person that comes in the door or calls on the phone? Share your tips for success here.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on July 19, 2010 under Expectations, First Impressions, Perceptions, making a difference |
I decided that I needed to hire a virtual assistant. I am at a point where there are some things I just can’t do anymore and a friend of mine once told me “delegate everything but your genius.” So – I was off to find a virtual assistant.
The first project – transcribe a one hour speech from an audio file. I’m familiar with Elance but a colleague who had a similar project told me that she’d had great success with oDesk - so that’s where I started.
It was simple to set up the account and post the job and before long I had 40 people apply for the job. Each had a resume, test scores of the tests they’d volunteered to take to show their abilities and each provided a cover letter and their hourly rate.
Hourly rates ranged from $2 and change to over $46. Candidates were from around the world. So throwing out the high and the low, I started to look for people to interview. Here’s what I discovered:
- Some had experience and testimonials – that was a bonus. However, I kept thinking, how can they get experience if someone doesn’t hire them so I didn’t eliminate all without experience on oDesk….at first.
- I thought I would prefer someone from the United States and Canada but I soon learned that they were the highest cost and not all had experience.
- The cover letters were of varying degrees – some addressed me as Sir/Madam or To Whom It May Concern while some called me by name.
- Most cover letters stated that English was their first language or that they had experience with transcribing English
- Some listed their experience in audio transcription
I narrowed it down to a few – prices ranging from just under $4/hour to $16/hour. I started to look at their test scores.
- Some took more tests than others
- Some did better on the tests than others
I now had it narrowed down to a gentleman from India and a woman from Bolivia. I sent emailed interview questions. Shriram responded within minutes. His record had the most experience and the highest number of testimonials and the highest test scores for English grammar and vocabulary (higher than the United States candidates).
His responses anticipated my questions – he offered a website, an easy way to upload my audio file and a clear cut amount of time I could expect the job would take.
He has a Mac and I have a PC – he sent me a Word document as a test so I could be assured that I’d be able to open his files.
Shriram joined my team.
Within an hour of his receiving the audio file – he sent me an email with the first four minutes transcribed and saved in FOUR DIFFERENT FORMATS. He gave me options.
At the end of the day he sent me an updated email – he kept me in the loop.
The following day – I discovered that he’d subscribed to my blog and commented here on my award receipt. Within 48 hours 1/2 of the project was complete.
He has kept me informed, showed that he wants to know more about my business and be actively involved, the quality of his work is impeccable and as a customer, I feel valued and supported.
Wow!
Needless to say he will be receiving more work from me going forward.
I set out with an expectation that I only wanted to hire someone from a country I was familiar with and yet it was someone from a different country that has more closely met my needs and treated me like a valued customer – even before he secured the job.
How do you set yourself apart from the competition? If your services were stacked up against the competition, like the candidates at oDesk, how would you compare? Have you taken the extra step of additional testing or certifications or memberships? Do you have testimonials? Do you take the time to address the prospect by name rather than a generic form letter? Do you anticipate their needs and offer them options?
And oDesk has been a great resource. They provide reports that show hours worked and random screen shots of Shriram’s computer so that I can see he’s working on my project during the hours he says he is. Cool beans.
So how do you set yourself apart?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on June 30, 2010 under Boss Moments, Connecting Moments, Customer Moments, Employee Moments, First Impressions |
All this week the preacher at the Chautauqua Institute is the Very Rev. Alan Jones, dean emeritus, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.
In his sermon this morning he had a quote that made the congregation chuckle but perhaps the laughter was a little uncomfortable because of the truth of his statement:
“I know that I’m nothing but I’m all that I can think about.”
Just think about that for a moment.
I have a house full of 13 year old giggly, girls today (remnants from the Twilight trilogy all nighter) and I shared the quote with them. Their response? “That’s SO TRUE.” OMG
It really doesn’t matter who we are or how old we are – bottom line – we think about ourselves an awful lot. That’s where the “what’s in it for me” and “what have you done for me lately” phrases come from.
So what does that mean for our customers? Or for our employees? Or our boss?
When I was a teen and obsessed over a new pimple, my Mom would say “No one will notice because they are all worried about their own pimples.”
That is still true as adults. Our customers, our employees, our vendors, our competition, our boss – they are thinking about themselves. So if we keep that in mind – it should help us in a variety of ways:
- Putting ourselves in our customer’s shoes all of a sudden has new value
- If the competition is thinking about themselves and their success and you think about the customer – how will that change the experience from the customer’s point of view?
- If you remember your employees are thinking about themselves - might that change how you manage and respond to their opportunities for improvement?
If we put the customer first – understanding that they are really just thinking about themselves, their own needs, their own budget, their own problem that needs a solution – if we think like they do and recognize and respond to them – won’t we stand out in their minds as being sympathetic, empathetic, understanding and the only business they want to do business with?
I think so.
Think about this. Have you had a conversation that just dominates your time together? You barely have a chance to get a word in edgewise except for “oh my” or “tell me more” or “how did that make you feel?” We share nothing of ourselves. We say almost nothing. Yet what is their memory of your time together?
“That Debbie is the best conversationalist. I just love talking with her!”
I know I’m nothing but I’m all I can think about.
How can you use that truth to stand out from the competition today?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on June 9, 2010 under Customer Moments, First Impressions, Honest Moments, Loyalty |
I just bought a new chair. It was time. The last time I bought a chair I was pregnant with my first born. That’s him sitting in the new chair. He’s 19.
I went to Levin because they had a 50% off sale and if you purchased on the weekend, it was free delivery. I’ve bought furniture there before – a dining room set, some end tables, and I’ve been happy with the purchase.
So I’m returning because I:
- Liked my past experiences
- Felt good about the value
- Liked the quality of the product
Did you hear me mention price? Me neither. I will say that the current offer was what brought me to the store but other furniture places have offers every week.
Chuck helped me. I told him what I wanted and he showed me some choices. I was on my way to dinner so I left but went back on the weekend to take advantage of the free shipping. I asked for Chuck and he remembered me. I had made up my mind before entering the store so we quickly went to the purchase portion of our relationship.
He and I hadn’t talked price. No reason to – the price was on the chair. The full price and the sale price. I was pleased with the price. So much so that I also planned to buy the ottoman.
He enters the information in the computer and informs me that he’s further reduced the price of the chair by $35 and the ottoman by $30. $65! That I didn’t ask for.
He also reduced the price of the scotch protection plan by more than 25%.
Why?
Don’t get me wrong – I’m thrilled with the unexpected cash that remains in my checking account but why reduce the price if price was never an issue?
Chuck didn’t know me from Adam. I was a pretty easy going customer. I did say that I wanted to remain within a budget but there were lots of chairs to choose from in that price point. I have to believe he cut his commission or else the margins are unbelievable.
His generous price discounting has served to bring questions to my mind rather than create loyalty.
- Just what are the margins?
- Is the quality poor – have I bought something inferior?
- Did he lose personal income on my transaction?
- Was the chair last year’s model and he’s happy to get rid of it?
Why do we believe we have to be the cheapest to win friends and influence people? I don’t have any answers here – I’m looking for a discussion from you. Has this happened that you go to make a purchase – fully aware of the price – and all of a sudden find out that the price is even less? How did it make you feel?
Lucky. Happy. Sure, me too. But didn’t it also make you feel a little curious? Did it build loyalty?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on June 1, 2010 under Attitude, Customer Moments, Employee Moments, First Impressions |
I used to have a little cartoon from the paper that said “Shrug off Apathy.” How ironic, I’d chuckled, as I snipped it from the paper, and yet so many of today’s workers in the retail and food service environments have an attitude that is just this side of apathetic. Some would call it “indifference.” My dad would have quipped, “You seem to have mistaken me for someone who cares.”
In reading a recent post by Steve Curtin, I am reminded of the impression an indifferent or apathetic employee leaves with customers. Steve tells the tale of taking his young family to Dairy Queen for a much anticipated special treat. The employee’s face, in constrast to that of his young children, is serious to the point of sour.
After we placed our order, my son Cole (age 9) and I waited off to the side for our order while the rest of the family found a place for us to sit on the patio.
I asked Cole, “On a zero to ten scale with zero being rude and ten being very friendly, how would you rate the girl who took our order?”
He said, “Six.”
I asked him why he rated her a six and he said, “Because she didn’t smile.”
I then asked him, “Was there anything else?”
And he said, “Yes, but I can’t put my finger on it.”
What Cole couldn’t put his finger on (because he’s only in third grade) is the leading cause of customer dissatisfaction: indifference.
People buy from those they like and trust – not those who sneer or seem to reject them with their lack of interest. How can we ever hope to build relationships with our customers if our front-line employees shower them with a full dose of indifference?
Steve goes on to say:
In one survey, 68 percent of customers said they quit doing business with a company because of perceived indifference towards them as customers.
And here’s what is really scary: Most customer service providers are blissfully unaware of their own indifference. From their perspectives, they are efficiently executing customer transactions.
So what’s a business to do? Three things immediately come to mind:
Listen. Listen. Listen.
Listen to your customers. Listen to your employees. Listen to your gut instinct. Conduct random customer calls to see how they’d rate the service. Really listen to what they have to say. When a customer complains – don’t assume they were in the wrong – really listen to what they have to say. Like Steve’s son Cole, they might not be able to articulate the problem but they just know that your company won’t be able to meet their needs based on the fact that they didn’t feel cared for or valued or even visible!
Do your employees have an attitude of indifference?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on May 3, 2010 under First Impressions |
This weekend I attended the first ever Podcamp Cleveland. It was an incredible day – more about what I learned in future posts – and several sponsors provided beverages and food to make the day completely FREE to those in attendance. Amazing. The committee that planned this event did a terrific job.
One of the sponsors was one I’d not heard of Avitae. It is bottled CAFFIENATED water. Not fizzy water. Water with caffiene. Interesting. The packaging is unique. The name is unpronouceable without instructions. A friend of mine and I checked it out – taking a sip while reading the bottle information.
In the first paragraph it asks the question “What does it taste like?”
The response on the bottle? LIKE NOTHING.
Jenni and I looked at each other and thought – okay here is a product with no comparison so you are breaking ground. It has a name that can’t be pronouced correctly without assistance. And it tastes like nothing?
If you wanted to leave a first impression with your customer about a new product would you say it’s like NOTHING?
It tastes like water. It tastes wet. Like a life force coursing through your veins. Like nothing you’ve ever tasted before – refreshing and energizing at the same time. But like NOTHING?
I don’t have anything else to say. I just found it interesting that a brand new product would advertise itself as “nothing.”
How would you describe the taste of water? Any kind of water. Have you tried Avitae? Did it taste like nothing or would you use a different word? By the way – I liked it. The bottle is cool.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on April 23, 2010 under Communication, First Impressions, Websites, making a difference |
I had the opportunity to spend the evening with three other women for the purpose of selecting a winner of a $1,000 college scholarship. Jo-Ann McFearin, a highly celebrated and successful Howard Hanna real estate genius, is a customer of mine. When she called asking me to be part of the selection committee, I jumped at the chance to work with her even though this was a task for which I had no experience.
Thirty-five high school seniors had applied by answering a series of questions and completing an essay. The forms included teacher recommendations, grade point average and their class standing.
Jo-Ann developed this scholarship as a tribute to her children, now grown and in college, and as a way to give back to the school system that had served her family so successfully. The chosen candidate wouldn’t necessarily be someone in need or with the highest grade point average.
“I want this award to go to someone with a passion for their chosen career path,” said McFearin. “Someone who shows leadership qualities but most important is that focus and drive for making something of themselves.”
A quick glance through the applications let us know the process would be difficult as all of the students had a strong background. We began weeding the candidates out and quickly determined some key elements that led to the final six.
The process was similar to how our potential customers weed us out as they search the Internet for a company to potentially do business with:
- Neat, easy to read and understand
Is our content easy to follow, are the navigational links in working order, does the layout make sense?
- Did more than the mininum – the essay required a minimum of 100 words. Some applicants clearly counted and wrote just the bare minimum.
This holds true with our marketing materials and our in person connections: do we just show up – or do we take it to the next step? Is our website just a splash page so that we can say we have one, or is it a resource that provides value to the reader? When prospects enter our location – do we smile and then get back to our busy-work or are we attentive and engaging?
- Answered the questions – some wrote a lot but totally missed the question
Does our website content sound like a commerical – all glitz and no substance? Do we address the questions and issues that drove the reader to search the Internet and find us to begin with?
- Well rounded - spending time in after school activities, charitable volunteer hours, community activities, holding roles of responsibility
Are we a company that appears to be just in it for the money? Consumers like to do business with those they share common philosophies. Do we show that we are making an effort to go GREEN or to give back to the community or to mentor young men and women on their path to a career?
- Showed a passion for their future – the final six applications all had one thing in common – through their words and also their actions (the list of their activities) there was a direct correlation that spoke volumes. These are students who not only have a dream but they aren’t waiting for college or adulthood to start making things happen. One had started a foundation, one has begun a business, one is already providing counseling to the patients she someday hopes to help as a doctor.
Does our passion come across in our words and actions? We may offer great products and services but are we PASSIONATE about how we help our customers? Is that communicated effectively in our marketing material, website content and our in person attitude?
It was a wonderful opportunity participating in the selection process and the one student who was finally selected as the winner is truly deserving on every level. It was humbling to see how dedicated the final candidates are to others, their family, and their own future. All of that came across loud and clear on paper.
Do we make the most of our Make or Break Moments on paper (or with our Internet presence)?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on March 31, 2010 under First Impressions |
Many years ago while attending a manager training for Pearle Vision our teacher, Dorthea, told a story that has stuck vividly with me ever since.
A store manager told of the day when no one would come into her store. Her Pearle Vision location was a free standing store and the employees parked their car in the back and entered and exited through the rear door. On this particular day they arrived shortly before opening time so they could turn on the machines, check the phone messages, vacuum the store front and get ready for the customers. At the appointed hour they unlocked the front door and waited for their first customers of the day. They could see through a window that a car approached and a customer got out of the car and walked toward the front door. However, rather than come in, they returned to their car and drove off.
Strange, thought the manager, but she was busy with other tasks and didn’t think about it. However, a second and third potential customer did the same thing. Curious and curiouser. She couldn’t imagine what the problem was. Thankfully the fourth person approaching the store solved the mystery.
“You might want to go out front and check out your walkway. There is a dead cat in front of your door. It is really pretty gross.”
Dorthea stressed the importance of the viewing our business through the eyes of the customer. And that means the outside of the business as well. “Customers begin making judgements about your ability to satisfy their needs from the minute they pull into the parking lot. You can have the cleanest store, the best inventory and the most trained staff but if the outside of the building has trash or heaven forbid, a dead cat, customers aren’t going to believe you can provide them with a great experience.”
From that moment on, I made sure I took a walk around my store on the outside as well as the inside and truly looked to see what the customer sees. No dead cats here!
Whether we have a store front, a home based business or an online business – we need to take the time to view the entire experience through the eyes of the customer. If you looked at your business through customer eyes – would you find a “dead cat” keeping you from making a great first impression?
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on February 23, 2010 under First Impressions, Perceptions, making a difference |
I was visiting Custom Auto Body in North Canton last week for a meeting with Lance Runion, VP and General Manager. We are working on a project together and it was the first time I’d visited his shop. Expecting a typical auto repair store with worn carpet, car and truck magazines and ugly metal chairs I was pleased to walk into an inviting waiting area; warm, clean, comfortable.
Even better – the magazines were more to my liking with a recent copy of People Magazine. But before I could pick it up and delve into the latest Tiger Woods, Bragelina, Brittany scandal, my eyes fell upon a scrapbook/photo album.
I opened it to find page after page of before and after pictures of the cars they had repaired. Accompanying each picture was a handwritten thank you note from the customer.
If I was there for an estimate or to have my car repaired – what a wonderful validation that I had selected the right place to have my car fixed. The before and after pictures were a powerful marketing message that clearly showed their ability. The testimonials added to their credibility.
Sometimes we just need a little validation that the vendor we’ve selected is the right one. What simple visual tool can you put together to help your customers know the value you provide?
Do you ask for testimonials? Think about your best customers – would they be willing to say something positive about your business? Follow these simple steps:
- Give them a call and ask if they’ll provide a quote.
- Offer to write it for them. (have them approve before you publish)
- Think of one specific thing you’d like the quote to be about and write the sentence with that focus (responsive, quality, knowledgeable, great listener, experienced)
- Amass a library of quotes; each one focused on a different aspect of your abilities
- Use the quotes in your email signature (rotate a different one each week/month)
- Put quotes on each of your website pages
- Include a quote in your e-newsletter
Make it easy for your prospects to decide to be your customer by giving them visual proof that others have been pleased. Do you have a creative way you use customer testimonials? Share it with us here!
For more ways to use your testimonials – read this article from Copyblogger offering ten ways to use your testimonials.
Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on December 14, 2009 under Customer Moments, First Impressions, Perceptions |
In the recent edition of Cosmo there is an article that talks about the Six Things Guys Notice in the First Six Seconds. There are a few obvious answers: smile, hair and cleavage but also a couple surprises: makeup, skin and your purse.
The article reports that guys make certain assumptions about you by what they notice in the first six seconds. For example:
Are all women who haul around big purses—in other words, cavernous rucksacks stuffed full of old receipts, emergency sweaters, and half-used bottles of hand sanitizer—high maintenance? Maybe not. But guys will go ahead and assume they are anyway.
I heard about this article on the radio this morning and a caller said – I have a large bag but it was a gift. Another caller said their purse was big because it contained items they might need in an emergency – they wanted to be prepared. The third caller said she had items in her purse so that she could look good for her man.
The DJ said “it doesn’t matter – it is the PERCEPTION the guy has about you.”
Ahhhh reality isn’t really a factor.
So let’s bring this around to our customer. What assumptions do our customers make about us and the products/services we provide and our ability to solve their problem? Are their perceptions based in reality? Would we be surprised?
Customers make assumptions from the moment they pull into our parking lot or click on our Home Page. They look around, and may not even be aware, but begin to make judgements about our ability to suit their needs from the first greeting.
Kevin Stirtz offers some suggestions for making a great first impression.
Daryl Logullo has written an article talking about how the difference between perception and reality can negatively impact your word of mouth reputation.
Bottom line – you have to keep an on-going, open line of communication with your customers to ensure their perception of you as a person, your company and your products and services are the same as what you believe them to be.
How do you measure your customer’s first impressions of you and your business?
