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Customer Relations
Opportunity can often be found in adversity and the current economic climate presents businesses with an opportunity to build and strengthen customer relations.
Customers will always expect that the basic fundamentals of your product and service, and those of your competitors, are in place - price, delivery and quality. It is essential to get these right, but it is equally important to exceed the customer's expectations and stand out from your competitors. When deciding who to trade with and who is a preferred supplier, customers will also measure the added value that your company brings to the relationship.
Added value takes many forms, and ranges from key issues such as being kept informed at all stages of a transaction and the attitude and responsiveness of your staff (from salesperson to delivery driver), to small things like spelling names correctly on all correspondence.
Part of the Manager's role to make sure that the team, regardless of whether or not members are customer facing, is on top of its game and working together to meet and exceed the customer's expectations.
Remember that customers are both internal and external. In order to stand out in a competitive economic climate, exactly the same principles apply to individuals - you must exceed expectations and reinforce your worth.
T.I.P. (To Improve Performance)
- If you can't get customer relations right internally, you have little chance of getting it right externally.
- Be aware of your competitors but passionate about your customers.
- Your customer, supplier and you are in the same team.
Remember: Customers are the life blood of any business, without them you don't have a business.
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