The first 30 seconds
The first 30 seconds of any business interaction are best considered an interview. A customer forms a lot of opinions in this initial window of opportunity for you. Generally most impressions are done subconsciously with a simple end result being a message from the brain of the customer saying, ‘I will come back here again’ or, ‘I will not come back here again’. Sure this process may take longer in some businesses, but you get the point. I do a lot of mystery shopper evaluations for various companies. Read more
Do you over promise and under deliver? (II)
It is better to set a realistic timeframe, one you can achieve, than one you can’t possibly achieve, which is guaranteed to end in tears for all the parties concerned. There are of course many other forms of over promising and under delivering. One of the most obvious is food. Read more
Do you over promise and under deliver? (I)
In businesses that are overly busy this point poses a challenge. In businesses not so busy, it is unforgivable. Over promising and under delivering is the best way to lose customers as it breaks every customer service rule. Firstly you are building up the customer’s expectations, probably higher than they were initially, then you not only fail to meet their expectations, you fail miserably. Read more
Never lose touch with your customers
I recently attended a presentation by Tom Potter, one of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs and the founder of Eagle Boys Pizza, a business with 150 franchises across Australia. It was interesting to note that Mr Potter still takes the time to physically work behind the counter in many of the Eagle Boys Pizza franchises he visits. Read more
It’s all about respect—if you don’t respect your customers don’t expect them to come back
It is hard to build a winning business if you don’t respect your customers (mind you, plenty of businesses seem to have a good go at it). Respect is a very powerful word when it comes to customers and there are a lot of ways to show respect for your customers. Often though, it is easier to come up with examples of how customers are treated with little or no respect. Read more