Sales Revenue is the engine that drives your business. Customer Satisfaction is the fuel. Your ability to satisfy your customers is the critical determinant of your success in driving sales and growing your business.
Perhaps the worst enemy of any relationship – be it between friends, committed couples, parent and child, employer and employee or a Business and its Customer is – UNMET EXPECTATIONS.
Have you ever been surprised to come home to an unhappy spouse or significant other? Ever been caught off guard by a disgruntled employee? Have you ever experienced the wrath of angry customer and been at a loss as to what went so wrong? If so, you are not alone for sure. Such experiences are common. What a few people understand is that, very frequently, the displeasure of an employee or customer was rooted in their not meeting some expectation – an expectation that they had failed to recognize. At the very least, such unmet expectations result in friction. At worst, they can end relationships.
In Business, there are four levels of customer satisfaction, all based on degree to which you meet their expectations. The higher you rise, the more you will build customer loyalty and greater will be your success. Let’s look at the four levels.
- Meet Customer Expectations
- This is the basic and lowest level of acceptable Customer support. This is the minimum to stay in business. At this level, your customers have no complaints. They are satisfied for the moment. But are they Loyal? If a competitor demonstrates that it can and do more than merely meet their expectations, they will very quickly become ex-customers. More ever, if you fail to meet their expectations, perhaps only one time, they will leave and find someone who will.
- So what do your customers expect of you? You should be very clear on this and make every effort to meet these expectations every time. Typically ensuring your team uses your methodologies, Processes and Systems will ensure this.
- Exceed Customer Expectations
- This higher level of customer satisfaction is reached by surprising your customer, going beyond what is expected. Fast, Friendly services, followed up by a phone call to make sure everything is alright might be enough to put your business in this level of service. This level moves you beyond mere survival building a measure of customer loyalty which gives you an edge on your competition. The benefits your business will experience is higher sales, more profits, enabling you to raise prices annually and receive referrals.
- So how will your business exceed the expectations of your customers? What is it your business can do that your competition does not?
- Delight your Customers
- Have you ever experienced a level of service that actually brought a smile to your face? Very few Business’s do this. A customer served at this level is truly delighted and loyal for life. You have reached to an emotional level of satisfaction with your customer when you delight them. These delighted customers will actually not allow competitors of yours into their world because they “love” the work / service you provide.
- So what can your business do to go that extra 1/2 mile to delight your customers? Is it follow up after the sale? Follow up after the service or product has been delivered? Is it something during the sales process such as showing your prospects your a document outlining what you do, how you will do it and what they will receive & See.
- Amaze your Customers
- This is the highest level of customer support that will propel your business into the stratosphere. Providing a level of Amazement to your customers puts your business in a position to dominate the marketplace and achieve remarkable revenues / profits.
- So examine your business. Examine your customers and determine what would Amazement look like to them. How can this be accomplished?
Clearly, one key to growing your business, to increasing revenues and enhancing profits, is to continually seek ways to improve your level of customer satisfaction with your products / service and interactions. At the very least, meet expectations but figure out what is the expectation of your customers at Delight and Amazement level and think about setting up methods, processes and systems to achieve that.
Need help in determining this? Feel free to reach out to Focal Point Business Coaching of Pennsylvania. One of our Elite Business Coaches are here to help.
www.businesscoachingofpa.com
1.610.768.7774 and ask for Mark