Loyalty Leader Quick Tips

Is Your Service Worth Bragging About?

January 18, 2012

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We had finally embarked on a project that we’d been putting off for 13 years. We decided to have all of our hardwood floors sanded and refinished. The work had to be scheduled in two phases because the project involved three upstairs bedrooms, stairs, a dining room and living room. In short, our whole house would be ripped apart. The first week was tough because two rooms full of bedroom furniture had to be moved into the third bedroom. Our family spent an entire week sleeping on mattresses and a sofa in our family room. We hired movers to handle the furniture. The second week was stressful as the movers came back to replace our furniture on freshly finished floors and move our piano into the family room. The guys laid down pads and never made a mark as they moved our heavy dressers and set up two beds. They carefully lifted each piece of furniture for me so that I could apply protective pads to the bottoms of the legs. They listened carefully as I expressed my concern about a piano being rolled over the new dining room floor. After they briefly discussed the situation, they proceeded to lift the piano and carry it from one end of our house to the other so it never touched the floor. I was so impressed that, after they left, I called Bill Schmidt (no relation), the owner of Schmidt Moving & Storage Co. Inc., in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ‘You have a fantastic team of employees,’ I said. ‘They listened to my concerns, patiently helped me with my tasks, and went the extra mile every step of the way. I will recommend your company to everyone I know.’Forget the customer satisfaction surveys.When it boils down to determining customer loyalty, there are only two questions that you need to ask your customers: 

  • “Will you do business with us again?”
  • “Will you recommend our business to others?”  

If your customers answer “yes” to these questions, thank them profusely. They’ve just saved the company a fortune in marketing. If your customers answer “no” to the questions, immediately ask them, “Why not?” Then, follow up with a more important question, “What could we have done differently?” 8 Questions You Can Ask Yourself These questions will help you to determine whether or not your service is worth bragging about: 

  1. If this were my business, would I give the same attention to quality and service that I do now?
  2. Am I more careful about work quality or customer service when my boss is around?
  3. Do I treat every customer like an old friend?
  4. Do I deliver good quality and service even when my boss or co-workers do not?
  5. Do I actively search for ways to improve service?
  6. Do I go beyond my job description?
  7. Do I make a special effort to understand each customer’s special needs?
  8. Can I guarantee that my last 10 customers were satisfied? 

Ownership of great service is a necessary ingredient for delivering service that is worth bragging about. It needs to come from each and every employee. Don’t wait for your boss to tell you how to treat your customers. Ownership is based on common sense and choosing to do the right thing.   ‘You made my day,’ Bill replied. ‘Thank you for offering to tell others. That’s what keeps us in business.’

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