Set and Sustain Your Customer’s Experience!
With Ramadan around the corner, almost all industries generally boom. Groceries, banks, salons, clothes shops, malls…etc. And if you are an owner or work in any of these outlets, you will be bombarded with customers and the best advice is to keep a cool head and treat customers like you always did. Consistently good!
They Say Customer Is King But Truly Consistency Is King
Business owners often wonder why sales suddenly drop. Why things were going so well and then they just…fizzled. Some might wonder “I don’t understand, we brought new stock to keep up with demand and now the stock is just dead weight.”, Others might ask “What went wrong? We rarely had a single slot open for appointments and now our appointment book is empty”.
If you have said or thought of these statements, or had a friend who owns a business voicing the same concern, then it may be due to one important factor, often missed or didn’t even cross the mind – consistency.
When you start your business and establish a reputation for yourself customers’ expectations are also set. And one thing a business should never change unless to the better is customers’ expectations.
1. Apply Consistency Everywhere
The way you answer the phone, the way your stock is constantly available, your business processes, your business ambiance, the way you handle customer transactions. It may sound easy but being consistent is difficult. It is giving the same experience day in day out. Come rain or shine. Whether business is booming or dooming. In other terms, you need to set your expectations, perfect them, sustain them, and maintain them.
2. Understand Your Customer’s Expectations
What do you want to offer them? How do you plan on differentiating yourself from others? What are your competitors doing? Set your vision and make sure it is in tune with local and global standards. Once you have set your standards, go over them and iron out any kinks or potential for errors. Try them out yourself and see how the process or service is. Constructively criticize it and make sure the overall experience is a pleasant one for customers. Set delivery times, promises…etc and make sure they are met.
3. Observe Your Team
Make sure your staff live and breath those standards. Measure their performance by how they apply the processes and implement these standards. Reward them on a job well done and continuously monitor their consistency (or lack of).
4. Ensure Consistency
Customers don’t like to get a different experience each time they visit your store or call your call center. Whether your shop is bustling with people or not, your team should treat customers the way they are accustomed to being treated.
