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What Do Consultants Do?
Defining Service
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The Learning Organization
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Understanding Employee
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Cross-Training as a Motivator
How can I motivate my
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Seeing
Things from the Customer's Perspective
http://www.easytraining.com/customers.htm
Copyright © 1997 Claire
Belilos
CHIC Hospitality Consulting Services
Sometimes we are so
busy organizing and managing our business, we forget that it continues
to exist because of the customer. Yes, we do integrate the faceless,
nameless customer in our planning, but we tend to think of the customer
as an entity that buys our product and service - we see customers
as numbers that bring in income. We get busy laying plans to lure
customers to us and not have them go to our competitors. But do
we invest enough time and effort to discover who is our customer and to think of him or her as a human
being who also thinks and plans, has specific needs and expectations?
A good exercise in the
right direction when planning anything connected to customers is
to remember that we ourselves are customers at other stores and
of other service providers. For a brief moment, let us forget our
marketing objectives and operational challenges. Let us analyze
ourselves as customers. We can begin with writing out a list
of expectations:
- Where do we,
as potential customers, look for a product or service?
- How can we
decide from the many offers around?
- Do we have
time or desire to shop around for what suits us best?
- Do we have
a clear definition or vague idea of what we want?
- Do we first
make a few phone calls to check out the service providers?
- Do the answers
we receive affect our decision?
- Does the tone
of voice, culture, or lack of culture, affect our decision?
- Do we go physically
around checking or sampling products?
- Do we ask people
we know for their recommendations?
- Do we expect
to find something uniquely suited to our wants, tastes,style
of life, and economic capability?
- What happens
when the sales person tries to force upon us something we do
not want?
- What happens
when we do not receive immediate attention?
- What happens
when the person serving us does not listen effectively?
- Are we attracted
to buy what is on sale though it is not what we really want?
- Do we expect
the sales person or Manager to treat us like royalty?
- Do we expect
them to thank us for patronizing their operation?
- If we recount
a joke or little story (if we feel a need to socialize) do we
expect a sympathetic ear and response?
- If the sales
people are busy, are we ready to wait patiently for our turn
even if no-one has acknowledged our presence yet?
- How do we react
if we hear the Manager or employees indulging in personal jokes
and conversations while we wait?
- Do we expect
first-class efficiency, cleanliness, and order even in a little
operation?
- Do we expect
the sales people to call us by name?
- Do we expect
them to explain and demonstrate the performance and advantages
of the product?
- Do we expect
the same sales person to close the sale and process the payment
efficiently and speedily?
- Do we expect
to be thanked for making the purchase?
- Do we expect
a decently attractive and safe packaging of the product?
- Do we expect
the Manager or sales person to wish us a good day,and a "we'll
be happy to see you again"?
- Do we leave
the store with a good warm feeling, happy at our purchase,or
do we feel that we have been "enticed" into buying
and have misgivings?
- Are we satisfied
with the warranty or guarantee we were given?
- Are we satisfied
with the price and value of the product or service?
- Do we feel
that we definitely want to visit that operation again?
- Are we so proud
of our purchase that we tell friends about it?
- Was the service
so good that we feel compelled to mention it to others?
- Once we try
and use the product back home or in the office are we as satisfied?
- If we call
the store with further questions, do we expect full attention
and service?
- Do we expect
to be recognized when we visit again?
- Do we expect
to see the same people there?
- What do we
think if we find totally new employees and a new Manager?
- Would we continue
buying there if this were the case?
- If upon use,
the product proves unsatisfactory, do we expect the store to
take it back?
- If the store
people do not handle our complaint to our satisfaction,do we
want top Management(head office) to do so?
- What do we
think when the head office starts arguing with us?
- What happens
if the head office apologizes, resolves our complaint and compensates
us?
- How do we feel
and what do we think if the store drastically increases its
prices once it has established a large customer base? will we
ever go back there again?
- How often do
we expect increases in prices?
- Do we accept
a lowering in the store's standard of service?
- Do we make
it our policy to try out or buy at different stores?
- What would
make us "stick" with one store?
- Do we consider
ourselves unique, and want to buy only what is unique to us?
Read, re-read, and edit
your list. Show it to others. Discuss it with your Managers and
employees. Use it to design a "Mystery Shopping" check-list.
Have some of your acquaintances (unknown to your staff) come to
your operation, buy your product and sample your service, equipped
with your check-list. Ask them to complete it based on their experience,
or have unbiased professionals do it at regular intervals. You will
know your operation's strengths and shortcomings from the customer's perspective.
Survey your customers
regularly. Prepare a customer (or guest) questionnaire form. Make
sure it is obviously displayed, and thank the customer for taking
the time to fill it. Have employees encourage customers to fill
in the questionnaire and leave it in a locked "drop-in box".
Follow up on comments
made, analyze them, draw a chart, correct and improve where needed.
Keep a customer database. Follow-up with a thank you note to the
customer (and further information if needed).
Seeing our operation
from the customer's perspective and encouraging our employees to
do so will not only lay the course for a successful business, but
guide us in planning our company policies, procedures, and employee
training. It will lead to shared objectives among customers, employees
and ourselves. Today's customers want a say in the way a business
is run. Customers see a business as being there to provide for and service their
needs.
Copyright © 1997 Claire Belilos
This article is not to be uploaded, sold or distributed in any form
or manner without the author's written permission
If you
need to set up an effective Customer Service Training environment
in your organization, please contact Claire through our contact
page at http://www.easytraining.com/contact.htm
Read
our Terms and Conditions
Claire Belilos,
Chic Hospitality Consulting Services, Home Page: http://www.easytraining.com, specializes in Hospitality,
human resources strategies, organizational training and development,
Customer Service and problem-solving. She offers "on site",
online and distance consulting and coaching. She creates job,
training and evaluation tools, and custom-tailored solutions to
people management problems. List yourself to be advised of
the new location of the Customer Service Viewpoints forum at http://www.easytraining.com/csforumlisting.htm
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While you are here you
may enjoy reading the famous speech of the late Mr. James Lavenson,
former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Plaza Hotel
in New York City. A perfect example of true leadership
and marketing creativity. He shows how effective communication,
employee training, motivation and reward go beyond the achievement
of business objectives. This speech, now considered a classic,
featured on many sites and used by Universities and organizations
since first delivered, was recently brought to our attention by
Kevin Fields, Lecturer, Hospitality Management, U.K. Please
go on to read Mr. Levonson's inspiring words at
 
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