At a conference a few years ago I met a landscaper. He wasn’t just any landscaper – he ran one of the largest landscaping companies in the country servicing resorts, casinos, corporate headquarters, and very high-end residences. Originally, he started out as a local landscaper focused mainly on residential clients and felt he was providing good customer service because he made a point of occasionally asking his clients whether they were happy with his work. Some would mention something they wanted changed and he would take care of it immediately. He found those customers stayed with him. Others would answer “yes”, they were happy, and he felt good about that. Some of these, however, would fire him a few weeks or months later because they found someone else who would do the job for a few dollars less. After noticing this trend he decided he could no longer take “yes” for an answer. When his clients said they were satisfied, he would probe until he found something they didn’t like. Do you like the height of the grass? Do you like the way we trim this hedge? Are you happy with the color? Do you want more red? More yellow? More green? When he finally found something, he would fix it. His client retention shot through the roof! He realized that customer loyalty depended more on being responsive than on just doing a good job. As he expanded and took on larger and larger clients he never changed his approach to customer service.
We often assume that no news is good news and just because customers are paying their invoices, they are happy. This can be a dangerous assumption. Customer service has to be planned. You can’t just leave it to chance. Here are some suggestions for implementing a customer service strategy that may work for your business:
- Define a goal for customer service – You should have written goals for customer retention, repeat business, and referrals. But you should also clearly articulate how you want customers to feel about your service. What is the customer experience you want to deliver? What expectations do the customers have? How will you meet or exceed them? Get your team involved to brainstorm ways to increase customer satisfaction. Plan account activity with your team, including how often you will meet with customers to discuss satisfaction.
- Define a process and follow it – Consistency is not an accident. Involve your team since they will ultimately own the process. Make sure you don’t just focus on “what” you will do and “how” you will do it. The most important element, and the one most companies leave out, is “why” you do it. While you’re at it, go ahead and include “who”, “when”, and “where”!
- Educate your customer – You are an expert in your field, but your customers and prospective customers are not. That’s why they hire you. From your very first interaction, you have to put them at ease, help them articulate their needs, and to feel comfortable that they are in good hands. You need to explain what it will be like to work with you and to set appropriate expectations of who will do what when. I have a client who gives new customers a flowchart labeled “What to expect when working with our firm”.
- Hold regular check-ups with the customer – Plan them, especially if your service is on-going. Don’t just ask questions. Interview them and show them you care. Always try to find something to improve. If your product or service is normally delivered by your staff, this is a good opportunity to maintain personal contact so if your employee leaves, the customer doesn’t leave, too! This is also an opportunity to sell additional services and ask for referrals!
- Conduct a post-engagement review – This is especially important if your work is transactional or project-based. What went well with the project and what should be done differently next time? Meet with your staff first to get their perspective before you meet the client. This process is especially important when you lose a client. You can use surveys for these reviews, but I recommend a meeting or at least a phone call. The truth is sometimes painful to hear, but it can be even more painful to not hear it. A special touch is to send a thank-you note for their honesty and for having done business with you.
Once you have a strategy for managing customer service, market it. Most companies do not take a strategic view of customer service, so make it a point of differentiation. Highlight your process in your marketing materials. Remember: Satisfied customers stay with you, but extremely satisfied customers become advocates and give you referrals. And never take “yes” for an answer!