Friday Poll: How Do You Provide Outstanding Customer Service?

    • 1373 posts
    March 23, 2017 9:31 PM PDT

    Happy Friday, everyone!

    This week's poll question was inspired by a piece by copywriter John Forde:

    A TALE OF TWO UBERS

    I use Uber. A lot. Especially when I travel. 

    I use it for convenience, of course, but it's also educational, especially for anybody interested in running a business. After all, rarely do you get the chance to see how so many different folks approach running a business.

    For instance, I think I've said this before, but in Paris there's pretty much a universal Uber standard. 

    Every car is either black or gray. Every driver shows up wearing a sport coat, and hops out to open your door. Never will he play music, unless he asks what you want to hear. And nearly always, he's got mints and mineral water waiting, in case a passenger should want either. 

    It's a pretty lux experience, compared to most taxis. And anybody who doesn't hit that bar probably doesn't last too long. 

    Stateside, I've had a more mixed time with Uber. Some drivers can barely be bothered to put on more than t-shirts and sweat pants. You might find food wrappers on the floor and ripped seats.

    We've had radios blaring everything from sports scores to schmaltzy R&B, drivers who can barely be bothered to pop the trunk for luggage....

    On the flip side, I've had better rides too. Just a handful, but they stood out by comparison. 

    One, I might have already mentioned here recently. But let me mention another. This one was only about a five-minute ride from midtown Baltimore to the train station.

    The instant I hit order on the car, I got a text message reply that said, "Hi, I aim to give you a great experience -- can you confirm whether I've got your correct address?"

    Already, a nice touch. And it didn't cost him a dime. He pulled up less than a minute later, hopped out and opened the door. He also took my bag and put in the trunk. 

    Inside, he offered water, the mints, a charging cable. Seconds after I got out, he sent another quick text: "Thanks for riding with me today -- I love to read your comments and suggestions! Please let me know how you enjoyed the ride, using the app... and here's a number in case you want to book with me again."

    Again, it's more than just an Uber ride, it's a lesson. Here's a guy, in a sea of schmoes offering exactly the same service and with access to exactly the same equipment (a car and a smartphone), who's figured out ways to stand out, that -- to him -- are either free or very cheap. 

    Smooth, right?

    You can bet I went and left five stars and a comment, which -- of course -- translates into future business. Some of which might come from me because, yes, I've kept his number. A little goes a long way. 

    Point being, think about that... what are the little tweaks and extras you could add to what you do... or what your client does... that might not cost you much in time or money, but would be hugely appreciated by your customer?

    And how many other services or products could be made to feel first-class with just a few tiny edits and extras too? Plenty, I'm sure.

     

    So here is this week's poll question:

    What are ways you've found to set yourself apart as a sales professional? How do you provide outstanding customer service?

    Looking forward to reading your replies!

     

     


    This post was edited by Rod Schwartz at March 4, 2024 11:36 AM PST
    • 12 posts
    March 24, 2017 8:35 AM PDT

    I don't want to distract the discussion with my views about Uber – I'll leave that for another time. As regards customer service, I think we'd all like to be those drivers in Paris!

    To me, customer service is about two things: putting yourself in the customer's shoes, and a healthy dollop of common sense. As in so many areas of business, the Golden Rule firmly applies here: How do you like to be treated as a customer?

    For one thing, you want to be treated like a king or queen. You want to be appreciated. You want to be listened to. You want to be RESPONDED to.

    Let's say you've just arrived on this planet and have no idea what good customer service should look like. The first thing you would want to do – unless your objective is world domination – is LISTEN to your customers and implement what they tell you they want. Well, you may well be as distant from your customers as that interplanetary traveler would be – so rule number one is, LISTEN. I guarantee you will be surprised by what you hear; it will be significantly different from what you think is important to your customer.

    I'll give you an example: Our salespeople are very good at presenting the benefits of radio advertising – traffic, sales, cash in the drawer, and so on. But when we asked our customers what was important to them, the responses were very different – that the commercials ran as scheduled, that the production was error-free, that the bills were accurate and easy to understand, and so on. While we by no means backed off on our commitment to helping our customers get maximum results, we took a good hard look at our mechanics and processes and shored up the weak spots. As a result, our customer-satisfaction level, not to mention our competitive advantages, skyrocketed.

    If a station or group commits to seeing themselves as others see them – which is harder than it sounds – great customer service will be an inevitable result.

    • 121 posts
    March 26, 2017 10:34 AM PDT

    Jay hits the nail on the head when he mentions it really depends on what matters most to your client.

     

    My best advertising partners are the ones that I've created a relationship with beyond what is expected.  Anyone can sell them ads and hopefully get it right making sure the copy and finished spots are correct and air okay.   That's not customer service, that's just doing our job.

     

    I have gained the trust of several clients by offering them stuff that goes beyond what they are spending.  I am their marketing coach and help them oversee all of their marketing and advertising efforts.  I even bring in others with who I will not get any compensation but who I know would be a good and trustworthy service provider that can go beyond what I can do.   Recently I introduced a future client to someone who she can sit down with and redesign her website, even though I could have sold her a website thru my company.  Why did I not go with my own company for this site?  She needed someone that she could talk with face to face and who was willing to work with her on revisions.  Our companies website building we recently started outsourcing to one of our vendor-partners and they are not available to meet face to face.

    I look at my job as connecting the best to the best.  This means doing what ever I can to help create success for my clients.