Blog posts in Customer care

Manners matter

It seems a simple concept – treat your customers with respect and they are more likely to feel good about you. And for many businesses, their relationship with their customers is integral to their success.

However, while seeking a house to rent with three friends recently, I realised that some letting agents (but not all) do not pay attention to their customer service, no doubt because house-hunting is for the majority of people a once-a-year activity at the most. Perhaps they ought to realise that although that customer is unlikely to need an estate agent again in the near future, people talk, and the people they talk to are potential new customers. By displaying some simple good manners and good ethics, therefore, they might just win another customer via word of mouth recommendation, and if they are struggling that customer might be the one they need to stop them going under.

Meanwhile, if you are selling something the customer will want or need more frequently you will probably be aware that it is crucial to convey to the customer how much you value them to ensure that they return. Small businesses are often more directly customer-facing than large companies, and you should use that personal relationship to your advantage.

It might seem trivial, but honesty, efficiency and a friendly demeanour will all help to convince them that you are the business from which they will buy the same product or service the next time they need it. If the customer sees you as trustworthy, it will be easier to sell them the benefits of what you offer and to keep them hooked.

The frosty letting agents who rudely let us down the day before signing our contract are now known in at least our four workplaces as unreliable. In contrast, the straight-talking one or two that listened closely to our requirements, tracked down suitable properties for us, stuck to their agreed fees, and did not expect us to bankrupt ourselves for the sake of a period mantelpiece, are the ones that I will recommend to friends embarking on the task of finding their own new homes.

So, whether you offer a one-sale item or service, or your business relies entirely on repeat sales, customer service is not something to be pushed aside like another stack of unwelcome paperwork. Particularly in the current environment, it pays to go that extra mile.