From the Customers' Perspective
In order to be truly successful, you need to be able to view
your business from your customer’s perspective. This means you will need to
have excellent customer support with the proper help desk software and a call
centre where customers can call when they are having a problem.
Unfortunately, when struggling companies downsize, one of
the first things that seems to be neglected is the customer support. Not only
do you need to pay for things such as help desk software, you also need to pay
the employees.
If you are in this situation, think about this from your
customers’ perspectives. Downsizing the customer support can actually hurt your
company more.
Also, successful businesses are ones that have learned what
their customers’ needs truly are. They learned how to view their business from
the customer’s point of view. Here are some tips that will help you learn how
to do this:
Excellent customer support
Customers love it when you have excellent customer support.
This includes having a call centre and using the latest help desk software to
manage calls. When a customer has a problem, it is a big frustration when it
takes them a while to navigate the system and select the correct category from
the prompt.
Make your help desk system easy to use and your customers
will be happy. Employ friendly, helpful people that will really listen to the
customer and be dedicated to helping them through their problem. This is not
only a good way to retain customers it can also help you gain new ones.
Know the market and your customers
The better you understand your target market, the easier it
will be to understand your customers. If you already compiled this information
when you prepared your business and marketing plan, revisit it. If it has been
a few years since you examined both your market and your customers, you will
need to go through the process again. People’s needs change so analysing the
market often could give you a competitive advantage.
Become your customers
If you are having trouble understanding things from your
customer’s perspective, try to find a way for you to “become” your customer. If
your company is small, this won’t be possible.
Companies often hire mystery shoppers to help them get an
accurate evaluation on how the company interacts with its customers. The more
mystery shoppers you can afford to hire, the better. There are companies who
specialise in providing businesses with certified or other qualified shoppers.
Mystery shopping duties include calling customer support
centres, purchasing products, calling a business for information, and other
duties. After they are finished with their tasks, they compile a report and/or
fill out a questionnaire. Based on this information you can evaluate just how
well your company treats the customer.
The information that a mystery shopper gathers will help you
better understand your customers’ needs and wants.
Determine customer satisfaction.
Dealing with unhappy customers is a part of doing business.
Everyone goes through this. However, if there are a lot of unhappy people, you
may need to re-evaluate how your company does business.
If you as the business owner stop understanding what they
need or want, it will be nearly impossible to consider their point of view when
evaluating their concerns.
If you are unsure of how your customers feel, you can either
hire mystery shoppers, as mentioned above, or have your customers fill out
surveys. You can give your customers an incentive for filling out the survey,
such as a discount on the product or service or a free gift.
What if your customers are unhappy?
If after evaluating the surveys and/or mystery shopping
reports you realise that the majority of your customers are unhappy, there is
still time to change and make them satisfied again.
Evaluate which aspects of your product or service your
customers aren’t pleased with. After you do this, you can take the proper
action needed to solve the problem.
If the problems are vast, you may need to hire a consultant
to help you make the changes.
It’s the little things.
Certain things matter to your customers, and they don’t
necessarily need to be expensive. When people choose to do business with you,
they are doing so because they like your company and product or service and
what it has to offer.
Simple things such as thank you notes, discounts, and free
gifts can really help increase your customer’s opinion of you and your business.
Just determine what it is you like in a business, and strive to do the same for
your clients.
If you have a store, always keep it neat and pleasing to the
eye. If you have employees encourage them to be friendly and helpful. If you
have a help desk or call centre, train your staff to be understanding and
knowledgeable on any potential problems. The way a customer is treated will
help determine if you will get repeat business and referrals.
Customer satisfaction
When you consider the customer’s perspective, it increases
customer satisfaction. Important aspects of this include a functioning customer
support centre with the proper help desk software, a great staff, and
re-evaluating the marketing. If you think you need help in certain areas of
your business, make the changes needed to make your customers or clients happy.
If you need help making changes or analysing the market,
consult with an expert. It also may be helpful to meet with other business
owners and exchange ideas.