It’s a Natural! Exceed Expectations

March 15, 2011

Superior customer service naturally increases sales. It’s a simple statement, and one which most business owners know intuitively. But do they take time to implement internal processes necessary to make the link?

What is customer service in the 21st century? As the saying goes, ‘It’s not your father’s customer service.” Certainly, being nice to customers still rings true in the ears of business owners, employees and consumers.

If businesses are to exceed customer expectations at every point of contact, it takes a great deal more than niceness. Today, this means always focusing on the customer’s needs. It’s not about what you have to sell, be that a product or a service, it’s about what the customer needs.

Businesses that see the link between sales and service don’t just focus on their sales team and the profit from each sale. They focus on making sure the customer is more than happy with their purchase and highly pleased with their experience while purchasing.

It’s not enough today for customers to be simply happy and simply pleased. Competition is fierce in every industry; more than economic factors weigh heavily on who will become your loyal customers.

Let’s take a look at Business A and Business B, which are on equal footing when it comes to price, selection, quality and other tangible factors. Why, then, will Business B retain this customer? By exceeding customer expectations, providing superior customer service, and addressing the customer’s needs.

Business B found out it’s not too hard to improve sales by developing a loyal customer base. Business B’s customers are more than just satisfied, they are loyal. They make unsolicited referrals, they generate repeat transactions, they purchase more than merely-satisfied customers, and they forgive mistakes (yes, we all make mistakes). Perhaps most important, Business B has a good chance of retaining its loyal customers, even if the competition approaches or prospects them.

Exceeding customer expectations is not a difficult challenge once you define what your customers expect and train your team to meet and exceed expectations. Using research and experience, Taylor Performance Solutions has developed a list known as Core Customer Expectations^SM.

Each core expectation carries equal weight in retaining loyal customers. If even a single expectation is eliminated from a transaction, consumers tend to get annoyed, upset, and in some cases, angry. What sets Business B apart from Business A is its mission statement: To meet and exceed customer expectations consistently through a commitment to the standards defined by Core Customer Expectations^SM.

A side benefit to these standards: happier employees. It makes sense that when customers are content, employees have less stress, experience greater pleasure during their day, and enjoy increased job satisfaction.

Defining Core Customer Expectations^SM

Customers expect ten core elements in each transaction conducted by your business. These are:

• Work with representatives who listen to them
• Receive individualized service
• Be treated with courtesy
• Be treated with respect
• Receive helpful and timely information
• Hear reasonable explanations for delays
• Be recognized
• Be serviced by representatives pleased to be at their jobs
• Receive quick and courteous problem resolution
• Work with knowledgeable representatives

The questions you need to ask yourself are these:

• Isn’t this what you expect as a customer?
• Can all your employees deliver on Core Customer Expectations^SM?
• Does your business provide service that naturally increases sales?

Superior customer service naturally increases sales. Taylor Performance Solutions can help you achieve these goals. We apply Core Customer Expectations to all our business relationships.

Tags: customer expectations, customer satisfaciton, customer service, customer service training, increasing sales, loyal customers

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