Cultivating the Right Attitude Turns Customers Into Followers Putting the customer at the center of all you do is the cornerstone of succeeding at any business.
By Kumail Hemani Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Off with the customers! Said no businessman ever.
Everyone recognizes the key to a prosperous business is customer satisfaction. The pursuit of new customers must not distract from keeping the existing ones happy. That small percentage of returning clients is what keeps a business running. Converting customers to loyal followers will amplify returns.
Related: How the Rules of Customer Satisfaction Have Changed
To maintain the steady customer base that ensures your company thrives, first entertain the question, why did your client choose you out of the entire lot available in the market? He must have found you competent enough for his business, so half of your job is done. Now you have to deliver more than expected. A satisfied customer is a delighted customer, indeed. Providing the service/product for which you are paid is your obligation. What makes it different is your attitude towards the client during the service.
Here are some qualities that, when integrated with your service, can satisfy your customers:
Surprise them. Fulfilling your customer's needs is your job. Identifying his unsaid requirement will gain you his admiration.
Relate with them. Discuss ideas and blueprints with your client to make them feel you are working with them instead of working for them. Be be a good listener who remembers the events that made them happy and the ones that disappointed them. Tap into your client's psychology. Understand them.
Make yourself available. Be prompt in your correspondence. Always be available to your client, as they can have a query or problem at any time of the day. A complex contact procedure is an unnecessary hassle for them.
Keeping the client a priority will gratify them and establish an orbit for you to rotate around. The client expects you to be compassionate, not a robot that speaks monotonously and tries to be done with them as soon as possible. Strive to be cooperative and humane. Assure them that their problem is your concern. Make them feel welcome and honored. Keep repeating the mantra "Your wish is my command" in your head to soothe yourself in case you get stuck with some picky customer. Even if the time you are spending on them is not very long, it should be focused and dedicated.
Related: Why Stellar Customer Service Is Key to Building Your Online Brand
Here are five customer centric beliefs:
1. A customer is the most important visitor on our premises
2. He is not dependent on us entirely; we are dependent on him as well
3. He is not an interruption at work, rather he is the purpose behind it
4. He is not an outsider to our business, instead, he is a part of it
5. We are not doing him a favor by serving him, he is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do it
The purpose of any business is to make maximum returns. This is not rocket science! Never take for granted the customer's satisfaction, without which the ultimate goal cannot be achieved. You should never consider the client as an object that brings along monitory value with him. Instead, take him as an opportunity that will spread positivity about you when he is content with your services. As they say "A pleased customer is our best advertisement".
Wil Reynolds of SEER Interactive puts it as "Don't do things based off of hours. Create internal documentation that helps everybody get better. Work onsite when you can. Spend your time training them. It doesn't mean you have to have new hours. It just might mean that you change something for a week or two."
