IN THE DARK
I was
talking to one of my supplier’s front-line staff the other day, and I
enquired about what progress they were making on a major project that,
when completed, would affect all customers.
“I don’t know how it’s going,” she said apologetically. “They keep
us in the dark.”
They, of course, turned out to be management.
I know this company prides itself on looking after its customers. Unfortunately,
the company’s management does not understand that if you keep your staff
in the dark then not only could you have moral problems with staff, but
you also keep your customers in the dark, a place most customers do not
like to be.
It seems to me that it’s pretty straightforward. If you want to look
after your customers, you need to give your staff the information they
need to answer customers’ questions. Put another way, lack of knowledge
leads to an inability to perform in the eyes of your customers which,
in turn, leads to customer dissatisfaction. Or have I missed something?
What information does your staff need to keep your customers happy?
One way to find out is to ask staff to record the questions that customers
ask. You could prepare a central logbook or, if that’s inconvenient, provide
each staff member with a template, either on a sheet of paper or on a
computer. Ask your people to write down the questions they are asked and
by using matchstick marks, indicate how many times it was asked. Your
job is to collect these records weekly, aggregate the information and
then review the results every month.
This will help you in two ways. First, of course, it will tell you
what information your staff needs to keep your customers happy. If you
ask your staff whether they were able to answer the frequently asked questions,
you will soon see what additional information you need to provide them
with. You will also find out what training you need to give your front-line
staff about your products, services, and systems. This is important because
nothing will destroy your credibility faster than customers encountering
staff who do not know much about either what you are selling or how your
business operates. Unfortunately, this is a common experience.
Secondly, since a question indicates an unmet need, looking at the
questions asked might reveal things that you could do to do a better job
of meeting your customers’ needs and thus avoid the requirement for customers
to ask. For example, if a lot of people were asking about the location
of the toilets, then probably your signage is inadequate. It may not be
large enough, clear, or positioned in the right place. Fix this problem
and your customers will be happier and your staff will have one less thing
to do.
If you are going to take the trouble to develop such a system, why
limit it to questions? Design a customer feedback system that allows staff
to record compliments, complaints, questions and even suggestions that
customers make. Compliments are great morale boosters, complaints show
you what needs to be fixed, and suggestions are free ideas about how your
business can be improved.
The great irony is that if you do not implement some sort of customer
feedback system, then it is you who will be in the dark. You won’t know
what your customers want to know, what they like or what they are unhappy
about. Without that knowledge, it is very hard to make the right decisions.
Over the years I’ve learned that your customers will tell you everything
you need to know to be successful. All you have to do is listen to what
they have to say.
And then take some action, of course.
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