Jagdish Joshi laments that some major brands seem to behave as if customers couldn’t live without their products. There is nothing called ‘monopoly’ in this 21st century market, he writes in ‘Sell Like a Great Man, Give Service Like a Madman’ ( >www.wonderlandbooks.co.in ). “There is a competitor for you somewhere. And if you start avoiding the customer, he himself will dig out the competitor and go for him. A customer won’t recall the brand if there is no follow-up on the part of the company.”
Customers prefer customised services, and so the returns will be high when you personalise the services, suggests Joshi. Do not just meet the customers’ expectations, go beyond the usual, and experiment; some may succeed while other ideas fail, but at least your clients will consider you as being active and creative, he urges.
“Give your customers what they want, not what you like. Bombard them with offers and discounts for using your service. Don't make them feel obliged but instead make them feel proud to be associated with you.”
Customer service is not a department, it is an attitude, the author avers. The moment a customer walks in through your door or makes the first call or puts in the first email, your customer service begins, he explains. “Learning how to treat your customer is no big thing. Just place yourself in the shoes of a consumer and imagine how you would want to be treated.”
Follow the SHEEP, reads the title of a chapter. The acronym stands for systems in place, human touch, ethical approach, execution on time, and post-sales monitoring. ‘S’ is about ensuring a smooth flow of goods from the start to the end of the chain, till it reaches the customer, Joshi notes.
On ethical approach, his advice is to treat the employees as internal customers and clients. Since truth has a way of surfacing, stay away from unethical ways of competing or making money, the author instructs. For, once a business’ image is tarnished in the minds of customers, they will never bother to look back or give it a second chance, he adds.
Catchy presentation.
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