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Article:
Customer satisfaction is name of the game
By David C. Cavileer
Long
lines formed at the few open registers inside a large Delta
retail store, lines like you might expect before a hurricane
or snowstorm, or during the race for last minute gifts on
Christmas Eve.
Weary customers noticed as employees ignored their growing
dissatisfaction and made no effort to fulfill the promises
of the advertising campaigns that brought them there.
At a time when Tourism and the Retail, Services and Health
Care sectors are seeing growth in some Delta counties, far
more businesses and organizations should move quickly to
implement aggressive internal training and coaching programs
along side advertising campaigns.
Advertising tells your customers what your business does
and how and when they may get in touch with you, while internal
coaching and sales training help your front-line employees
understand your customers and how to meet their expectations.
Businesses that advertise but do not continue to train their
employees are forced to find new customers each month to
replace unhappy customers who leave. Businesses that coach
employees in addition to advertising retain far more of
their customers and build their businesses faster while
they increase the return on advertising investments.
It is challenging for businesses to add internal training
and coaching programs along side advertising campaigns.
Some managers resist and tend to blame inferior service
on scarce labor or high employee turnover, even though most
workers strive to meet high standards when those standards
are clearly defined and employees are given regular corrective
feedback.
Some businesses don’t recognize that workers come
with different skill sets, temperaments and aspirations
and assign workers who are more suited to working with “things”
to customer service jobs. 80% of workers say they leave
their company because of their immediate supervisor, indicating
many of today’s supervisors might actually better
serve their companies by working with “things”
instead of “people”.
Some managers just believe customer expectations are too
high. But customers have earned the right to receive superior
service, to be served fast and have their problems solved
quickly. Customers trade portions of their lives, day-after-day,
week-after-week earning the dollars they spend in our businesses.
They deserve exceptional service along with gratitude, and
apologies and restitution when promises are broken.
After four years in the Delta, I continue to fall short
in my attempts to return to the Delta all that it has given
me. There are many things I hope will never change in the
Delta, like Doe’s, The Crystal Grill and The Crown
Restaurant. Like the lakes and incredible parks hidden among
forests and cotton patches, and the talented local musicians,
potters, writers and artists.
But some things must change. Customer satisfaction is the
backbone of business retention and business expansion and
more Delta-area businesses must join those who have already
mastered that fine art.
At a time when no one needs to leave the Delta for good
food, recreation, excellent healthcare or to purchase the
finest luxury items, we must make sure no one has to leave
to find exceptional customer service. DBJ
(David
C. Cavileer, is Vice President, General Manager of WXVT
TV, Greenville, Mississippi)
