Left to Right: Kristen Vlietstra discussing her adjustments with her equine customer; Natalie Sauner’s measurements are being checked by her equine customer; Alexa Frye and Julia Curtis presenting some female vs. male anatomical facts in a presentation; and finally the extent to which SCHLEESE will travel to see our customers – a ferry boat ride is not all that unusual.
I have been reading a lot about customer service issues and suggestions in various online newsletters I subscribe to (especially my favourite – Profitguide), so I thought it seems to be a hot button topic right now and perhaps I should revisit as it pertains to our industry (and more specifically to my company).
Regardless of the business you are in, obviously the ultimate goal is not just a satisfied client, but actually to make raving fans of your customers. People who will be loyal to your product and your brand until the end – no matter what – and who will sing your praises wherever they go. People who actually take the time to sit down and write you a glowing testimonial of their experiences with you and your company and who are happy to share. Sometimes it is actually those people who may not initially have been 100% happy but for whom you have worked even harder to make sure their issues are resolved who turn into your strongest advocates.
Too many times in the past we have heard from ‘the general public’ that they love our product, but hate our service. Obviously, that hurts. Especially when I know how hard everyone in our company works – from the craftsmen in production, to the accounting/administration department, to our technicians out in the field. So we decided to delve a little deeper into this seemingly counter-intuitive statement. We followed up whenever possible with people who were making these comments and heard that – for the most part – it was because a) we weren’t reactive enough fast enough or b) we simply weren’t available as often as people felt was necessary.
So – what to do? Since we were at the time for the most part basically still ‘commuting’ pretty much all over North America so the reactivity and availability points were absolutely valid. To address this, in the past couple of years we have hired local on the ground representatives and work with a large number of independents as well – all of whom have been trained through the Saddlefit 4 Life® courses and whose expertise is truly second to none.
The truth is still, however, that no matter what you do – you simply cannot and will not please all of the people all of the time. We do recognize at all levels the paramount importance of our very valued clients and doing our best to keep them happy, but the reality is also that sometimes – the customer is not always right. Sometimes the customer doesn’t know what they want, and so you walk the fine line of guiding them into what you know they need. That sometimes brings with it the most rewarding result!
And although the general wisdom is that clients are supposed to be the important people it has hit me that it is our sales and service technicians who are no less important – to both our clients and to the company. Why? Simply – because they’re excellent. They come to work to be excellent, and they are excellent in delivering service. And if you deliver excellence, your clients will respect you. Clients are happy because of how they are taken care of. Service is caring. It is not menial. Read the full article here.
~ Jochen Schleese CMS, CSFT, CSE, courtesy of Saddlefit 4 Life
