I have been writing about how businesses can grow their business by going “Back to the Basics” and focusing on their most important asset… their clients.
In this segment, I wanted to discuss the importance of communication. In this tech-savvy world, we have lost the art of communication. Think about how many e-mails and text messages you receive vs. phone calls. Communication has become abbreviated… whether it is because of limitations of character spacing on Twitter or because we are abbreviating our text messages.
Businesses who focus on their customers by reinstating the fine art of communication can truly build their business. Think about it. If you send an e-mail to Company ABC regarding the poor service you received, what response will impress you the most? No response, an e-mail response, a phone call?
The worst case scenario is no response. I recently sent an e-mail to a company I do a lot of business with expressing my concerns with their product. That e-mail was sent three weeks ago and I have yet to hear from them. You may be asking why I did not call them… it is because their “Contact Page” on their website only gives e-mail contacts. Do I feel like a valued customer? No.
What about an e-mail response? At least it is a response, right? Well, that may be true, but before you start hitting “reply”, take a moment to think about it. What would you want if you were in that customer’s shoes? Would you want the standard “thank you for your e-mail” response? Or would you prefer that someone at the company take the time to pick up the phone and actually call you to discuss your concerns? I am pretty sure it would be the latter.
E-mail and text messaging are great forms of communication… they have certainly made parts of our life easier. But before you respond to a customer or client, take a moment to think. Do you want to lose the customer because you didn’t take the time to respond or do you want to turn the customer into a life-long client?
NOTE: Many of you who are reading this are probably shaking your heads, thinking “But I don’t have time to follow up!” Customer Service and Client Retention take time and they are processes. If you take the time to develop your Client Retention plan, you will be able to follow through. If you are still concerned about time, then outsource this to a virtual assistant.