Your Customers - Have You Asked Their Opinion Lately
Learn about the importance of having an "ask strategy" and how to implement it..
Bound for Savannah, sitting on a transfer boat from a
resort island in South Carolina, I cannot help thinking about the resort;
beautiful and staffed by nice people. But is that enough? I think not.
How Was Your Stay?
When I checked out of the resort, the woman at the front desk never asked me
about my stay; wonderful, good, bad, or indifferent. This is the best time
to query guests-asking for their honest feedback about their stay. However,
nobody cared to ask me.
Had she, I would have mentioned the cob webs hanging from the ceiling, the
fact that the bathroom was in desperate need of repair, that I had to call
to request maid service, and that none of the resort's materials were in the
room, not even a pen and paper-good thing I did not need to order room
service.
My Conversation
As I leave, the conversation that I'm having with myself about the resort
is, at best, mixed. While most of the time that I'm visiting hotels and
resorts is as a speaker, I also organize a number of small meetings each
year. Would I bring my group to this island resort? I really do not think I
would. My conversation with myself about the place is, "Pretty property and
nice people, however I truly question the competency of the resort's staff.
Every time one of your customers does business with you, it is your
opportunity to develop or strengthen the relationship-or to damage it.
What's Their Conversation?
How in the world can you query all your customers? Simple, ask them. You can
have customer service representatives ask your telephone customers and you
can have other employees ask in-person customers. How do you get your
employees to ask? Motivate them through incentive. This information is
golden as you periodically review your business strategy.
Earlier this week, when I was in my office, I received a call from one of my
suppliers. The customer service person was calling to ask how we could do
more business together. I suggested a strategy change for sample ordering
from their web site-to make ordering easier on the customer. They asked!
And, if they make the change, I will do more business with them.
Ask Strategies
Consider developing both a formal and informal "ask strategy" for your
organization. The informal will consist of your employees asking at every
possible opportunity, "How are we doing?" And, truly caring to listen, and
record, the answers offered by customers. Offer various low cost incentives
to employees that turn in their "ask sheets" each week. Hold contests only
allowing the people that turned in their "ask sheets" that week, or month,
to
participate. Offer positive motivation.
For your formal ask strategy; mail out "ask surveys" with every order.
Incentivize your customers to participate. Have your sales staff conduct an
"ask session" with every customer quarterly-and incentivize the sales staff
for their participation.
Path toward Improvement
You can improve your products and services much more effectively when you
have a deeper understanding of what your customers consider to be valuable
and important. Your "ask strategy" will quickly fill in your knowledge gaps
in this area. You do want to serve your customers the way they want to be
served, don't you?
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