| Ever drive a newly purchased car off the lot without
a full gas tank? Of course not! Did you ever buy a bicycle from
a store without air in the tires? Not recently! Ever buy a product
run by batteries without batteries? You bet! It's hard to believe
that products requiring batteries are still sold without the batteries
included. Batteries not
included is like sales without service! A
traditional maxim in business theory is the continuum that we attract, get
and keep customers. In today's marketplace, a competitive
strategy that works toward long-term survival integrates the sales
and customer service processes. Sales is powered up by, service
is charged up by, sales. Sales is service is sales. We can spend
hundreds or thousands on advertising to attract our customers.
We can have a gun-slinger sales team and get customers. And when
we deliver at or better yet beyond expectations - batteries included
and fully charged - then we can keep customers coming back for
more
. |
| So what mistakes as business owners and managers do we want to avoid in the
system of sales service? And what batteries in sales service will give us the
competitive edge today?
First, don't assume that you will hear from those customers who are not satisfied.
Research done in 1986 showed that 96% of unhappy customers never complain -
to you! Oh they tell their story, just not to you! Each unhappy customer tells
his or her story to 9 others. So where's the hope? That one customer who brings
a complaint to your attention is a golden nugget! A real opportunity to know
where your sales service system needs tweaking. Your customers are your best
consultants for identifying system problems. Be active in asking them to give
you a report card through surveys, focus groups and one to one interviews.
Second, it's not over once the problem is solved. It's not even over when
it's over! Implement some of the tools to measure continuous improvement. Consider
tieing sales recognition or compensation to customer retention. Become familiar
with and use some of the quality tools available. Along with measuring sales
or revenue increases, also measure areas like improvement in customer retention,
decrease in customer complaints, increased referrals, prompter satisfaction
to customer complaints. What gets measured gets done! |
Next, staying
stuck in bureaucratic, management styles is a mistake. Today's
management requires leadership
and that means move problem solving to the front lines. Today's
consumers (who by the way, are you and I) don't want to hear, "I'm
sorry, that's not my job. You'll have to talk with Customer Service
or a Supervisor." Quality Leadership raised our awareness to a
practical level that with external and internal customers everybody's
job is customer service!
In addition, lack of congruency between departments kills service.
Teamwork today is essential! When you mobilize cross-functional
work groups to implement customer service improvement, you raise
the bar of opportunity for collaboration and innovation. No one
person, and no one department, can have the best answers to improving
the way a sale is serviced. Improve your meeting effectiveness
through role-playing, brainstorming, guided problem solving and
case studies. Collective brain power can come up with ideas on
almost any issue or problem.
Today, now, immediately, power up your organization's competitive
position by charging your batteries. Identify your system problems,
measure your continuous improvement, balance your managing with
leading and use teamwork. The bottom line is, no batteries, no
customers, no profit! |
