Credibility Part 2

We all say that we believe in great customer service. How do we exhibit that level of service or gratitude for our customers? How do we show gratitude and appreciation to customers for their faith in us and our offerings? What should we never do that shows our customers that their business is not valuable to us? Are we credible to our clients?

We must always be professional with our customers. We should always treat our customers with respect and honor their business with us. Their records with us should be protected from any misuse, theft, or vulnerability. It is imperative that we do not allow any outside appropriation of our customers’ records. Businesses that do not take the utmost care in protecting customer records should be penalized for their failure to do so.

Recently there have been several cases of businesses allowing their records to be violated and customer data stolen. Usually the notification of these thefts is provided to the customers several months after the event, delaying the time for customers to protect themselves from exposure. Does hiding an event which may badly impact customers show gratitude for their business? Would it exhibit credibility to our clients?

Businesses who value their customers contact them from time to time and let them know of additional services that the customers may wish to purchase. These solicitations must be kept separate from normal contacts such as birthday or anniversary greetings, congratulations for achieving any honors or distinctions, or gestures of gratitude for referrals of new prospects.

These solicitations may also allow customers to revise their status with the businesses. They may improve their customer status, or upgrade their level of service, perhaps for a lower payment. In other words, the business presents the customer with an improved level of service for a revised price. This is a great way to maintain them as a repeat client instead of having a one-time customer.

Of course a business would not appear credible if it cannot remember exactly what the customer has purchased. This “memory loss” leads to business failure if allowed to become prevalent. How would a customer react if a business “forgets” what services they have purchased? How would a customer react if that business solicits them to purchase additional services which they have purchased previously, perhaps on an ongoing basis and perhaps for some time?

Errors such as these might make anyone think more than once about continuing to be a customer of such a business. If a business forgets what we bought from them, they obviously take our business for granted. The credibility of such a business is damaged greatly. Maybe someone else will appreciate us more.

There are many ways for a business to exhibit their gratitude for their customers and their relationship, and many ways for businesses to exhibit their lack of gratitude. The majority of customers who end their relationship with businesses believe that they were taken for granted. Building credibility with our clients ends this belief. Please leave me your comments here, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.