My Newsletter 2/7/19
2月
15日
Nobody doesn't want to be complimented. “Good Job”, “Nice Work”, “Great Idea” even just a “Thank you” would make their day. But in addition to those regular compliments, people enjoy being called “Crazy”, “Weird”, “Miss Fits”, “Different” and other usually uncomplimentary words. That is because everyone, somewhere deep down, wants to stand out from the rest.
It's funny most people want to get along with others but at the same time, people want to be different from others. Old Apple commercial emphasized that people who use Apple is different from others. That was brilliant. I wanted to be different and I started to use Apple. Now I am not sure Apple represents what I am anymore. But that is another story.
To accomplish higher customer satisfaction, many companies try to create a "cut cake" (by the book) approach to customer service. Treating every customer like a king. But the service level usually goes down the drain. Nobody is treated like somebody anymore. I understand this for large companies. They can not really keep track of each customer. But for small companies, that is where you shine.
If you know the history of your companies relationship with the clients, you can treat each customer like they are someone important. When I had cable (I do not have cable TV anymore), when I called for support, after a long wait, the first thing the support person asked me was “is your cable box turned on?”
If your company can provide better individual support, customers will like you more. But some small companies think they can charge more for better service. I say that is wrong. You provide better service to retain your customer, not make more money. If you charge your customer more, they will go find another company.
Treating your customer better at the same price is the key to small business success.