As you are all aware, no matter what business industry, customers are the most important. These individuals purchase from you or purchase your advice because you help them resolve issues. Is it the product or service that has them return to you over and over? No. While it may be true that the product or service is so great that it sells itself, the key factor to your success is the customer service you provide.

Yes. Believe it or not, everyone has options of who to go to for products or services. I have three McDonalds within a mile of me where I live. But I choose to go to the one that is furthest away because every time I go the employees are cordial, professional and get my order right. I have never had to travel back to retrieve something they forgot. And the agent at the intercom never sounds like she just got out of bed.

It seems that most businesses don’t buy into the belief that customer service is the most important factor in the operation. Most companies don’t have a customer experience plan in place to ensure that customers have a specific type of experience when engaging with employees. Many companies never train employees on customer service skills. They expect you to learn systems and policies and that is the extent of what you are taught.

Customers today are not willing to tolerate poor service because they know that they have options. I encourage any business owner or manager to investigate the customer service the company offers when you notice a dip in your sales. Begin to train your employees on what you want customer service to look like. Feel free to take advantage of mystery shopper programs to get an assessment of how someone felt about their experience with your employees. One place that I can say has it right from beginning to end is Chick-Fil-A. If you notice, it doesn’t matter which Chick-Fil-A you go to, the employees are cordial, professional and get your food to you rather promptly. The line could be wrapped around the building and it seems that you wait a typical short period of time compared to other restaurants where there is barely any customers in line or inside.

Remember, customer service is the fastest way to build or destroy your business. Get proactive in providing the best service to your customers and your business will survive.

Wishing you all the best!!!