Who decides good customer service?

“Hey Joe, your service sucks. Give this kid a chocolate shake.”

Those are the words I heard as a child on my first trip to an ice cream parlor near where my grandmother lived. Back then, you didn’t need special people or computer programs to determine whether or not a company provided excellent customer service. Customers were ready, willing, and able to tell you when things were not up to your satisfaction.

Today, companies, large and small, use “experts” to tell them if they are doing business as they should.

Sometimes those experts are the accountants who handle the financial records. Accountants can tell a business owner if they are making money, and for some, that is the only requirement to determine if a business is successful.

Sometimes the experts are companies that offer mystery buyers to control the business. Shoppers report cleanliness, employee interaction, ease of being a customer, from the way the store is organized to the amount of time they queue to make a purchase.

Of these two methods of determining whether a business is customer-friendly, the latter is more reliable. Still, some employees can identify a professional “buyer” and will provide better service when they believe they are being watched and rated than they would have otherwise.

The best determination of a company’s true position in the community comes from the people it serves. Why, then, are more companies not asking their customers for feedback? Why are companies not interested in developing programs that attract customers?

Asking customers to complete short surveys makes more sense than hiring a company to provide extensive surveys completed by expert buyers. Customer loyalty programs work. What does a company lose by offering a small percentage discount to a regular customer? It certainly costs less to keep a good customer than it does to advertise a new one.

Offering incentives to customers to introduce their business to their friends could make a difference in sales and profits. Rewarding existing customers with a small token of appreciation for helping to establish a larger customer base also costs less than advertising to drive more traffic.

It is said that a satisfied customer will tell few, if any, people about their shopping adventure. That could certainly change if incentives were provided.

A dissatisfied customer wants to yell at the world when they are disrespected, ignored, or cheated on.

The fact is, the customer is the only real determining factor in measuring the success or failure of any business. Why is it so difficult to learn and understand?

A neighbor who returns time and time again to the same auto repair service is a good indication that excellent and fair service is being provided. Anyone can drive someone to their office or store once. Doing repeat business is what helps a business grow and prosper.

What do you need? Actually providing good customer service is pretty simple.

1) Answer the phone, promptly and courteously.

There is nothing more discouraging to a customer than having a phone ring and ring without being answered, or worse yet, receiving a busy signal. When they answer the phone, you want to hear a pleasant voice on the other end, not someone who sounds like they are interrupting something much more important than your call.

2) Keep promises.

If you can’t keep a promise, it is much better not to keep it. Reliability is the key to keeping a relationship going, be it business or personal.

3) Show respect to customers.

If you ask for feedback, make sure your customers know that you are listening and using their thoughts and opinions. Show interest in what your customers are saying; don’t act like you’re bored with them.

4) Make returning merchandise or filing complaints a painless endeavor.

If you have a no-return policy, please make sure the information is provided when the purchase is made. If you have certain requirements that must be met for a return, please clearly state this to the customer. And if a customer complains, don’t make them feel like they’re wrong or stupid. A good return or claim procedure can keep the customer coming back again and again.

5) Offer suggestions even when you can’t provide the service or merchandise your customer is looking for.

Remember the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”? Sending people to Gimble’s didn’t hurt Macy’s in the least. In fact, it made Macy’s customers so helpful.

6) Show, not just tell.

When a customer is looking for something, it helps to take it into the aisle rather than point it out. Demonstrating differences in products, in the way they work, or in pricing also shows that you value your customer.

7) Give something away.

When completing a transaction with your customer, give them a reason to return, whether it’s a coupon for a future discount or an invitation to return with a friend for an additional gift.

These simple acts will show customers that you are serious about maintaining your business and may attract more customers than advertising, new promotions, or price cuts.

In the old days, the ice cream shop owner probably just asked, “Hey, Bill, how am I doing now?”

And the customer replied, “Better, Joe, much better.”

Perhaps the world is a more complicated place now. But does it really have to be this way? The principles that kept a repeat customer in place haven’t really changed. “The Miracle on 34th Street” was made in 1947. Sixty years later, we would still like a Kris Kringle to send us from Macy’s to Gimble’s if Gimble’s has the best price or product.