Customer Focus - Just 5 SimpleThings You Need to Think About
You can boil down the difference between successful businesses and the rest in how they work with their customers, in just five areas.
So, what does this mean?
What They Want
Selling what your customers really want is just critical.
Being on good enough terms with your customers to research, (hey maybe just by
chatting with them - radical idea, huh?), helps you find out how you can best
serve their needs.
Price is Right
By balancing the kind of pricing you want to offer
with exceptional service levels, there is a fascinating calculation to be made.
Prices rock-bottom with inadequate attention to item 5 are not likely to bring profitable
consumers rushing to your door. Providers have an ongoing dance between price
and service - be aware of it. It is not possible to sustain your business with
lowest prices and poor service.
When They Want It
In the internet world, availability of your
goods and services is measured critically far more than ever before. You may
not need to be 24/7, but you certainly need to be aware of it. More traditional
customers are also becoming more demanding. So businesses need to be especially
sensitive to the hours they trade, whether they sell goods or services, by stores
and/or phone.
Easy To Buy
With the advent of the internet, making it easy to
purchase is vital. Why not make purchases from the comfort of your home study
or workplace office? So having your people who are available, exactly when your
customer wants them, to make payment for goods and services relly easy is a
serious point worth considering. Even in shops, the sensitivity of simply having
staff focused on delivering the very best of attention is critical. Every day
there may be threats to different shopping channels, so the adage that you 'only
have one chance to make a first impression' is becoming ever more important.
Trusted Follow Up
By ensuring that you have all your ducks in a
row so far, sustainably building whatever business you are in, is vitally dependent
on how you handle ongoing customer service. Indeed if you are only focusing on
a one-time purchase, then, frankly, you are not going to have much of a future.
Repeat business is very inexpensive for you, so an investment of post-purchase
excellence is very worthwhile.
By focusing on these five elements,
teasing out the consequences with your management teams, you will have a great
chance of making business progress. If you choose not to take the time to
analyse what you truly need to do, there will be a jeopardy for you in the not
to distant future.Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide,
mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He
has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website,
http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.
(Note to editors. This article may be edited for use in your publication or
newsletter as long as a live link to the website is included)
...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Death Spiral
Sometimes things just happen. Maybe we lose focus and take our eyes off the ball. Maybe we don't recognize the signs. Sometimes it happens quickly due to a loss of a major customer or loss of a major product line. Sometimes it is a slow, gradual process. Market share seems to evaporate; gross margin exhibits an extended period of decline. Morale suffers, employee turnover increases, net profit declines, costs seem to get out of control and losses become imminent. Some Owners, Presidents and CEO's who find themselves in a situation facing these warning signs may actually contribute to the creation of "The Death Spiral" if they aren't careful.
The Compliance Officers Killer Application
It used to be that only the largest multi-nationals needed a Compliance Officer. Today most practices, regardless of size, would be wise to charge someone within their organisation with the responsibility of keeping abreast and managing the compliance process.Take as an example European employment law that has been introduced over the last few years that has changed the face of European businesses. Small businesses in particular are finding that a casual and informal approach to employment issues can now result in statutory fines that have no bearing on the financial health of the individual company and could, without as much as a by your leave, directly result in the demise of a company.Small to medium businesses do not often have the luxury of employing a full time Compliance Officer and although larger organisations can afford a dedicated person they are finding that with compliance issues mushrooming the Compliance Officer now has a team, a department and if not already, how long before compliance becomes a division? Regardless of size, the first step in compliance for any organisation requires them to identify the areas of compliance that are applicable to them. Rules and regulations are being introduced monthly on a local, regional, national and international level, covering everything from data protection and freedom of information, anti-money laundering to environmental waste control, race relations to health and safety; with ignorance being no defence there is a requirement on the individual businesses to know their responsibilities, and fines for those that wait to be told. Having identified the areas of compliance the company then needs to understand what they need to do to ensure they comply. It is becoming conceivable that with the shear volume of compliancy issues that companies who can show a good faith effort in complying will, even when they fall short, reduce the risks of fines.Having identified and understood the compliance issues the Compliance Officer needs to define and implement policy and disseminate the information throughout the organisation.It is important for the Compliance Officer that they do not inadvertently become the company's patsy. Senior managers are not averse to ignoring the internal memos they receive advising them of their responsibilities. Compliance Officers need to deliver their messages up and down the corporate food chain and record that their advice and directives have been received and more importantly understood.The Compliance Officer has to avoid becoming the company scapegoat. This won't happen by itself, a sales team that has a long history of success though a relaxed attitude to selling is not going to willingly adopt new, and what they will see as restrictive, practices without a fight. 'I didn't get the memo', 'I didn't understand it', 'I thought it meant something else', 'I thought these were only guidelines' are likely to be stock replies, along with the one or two old timers that didn't think compliance issues applied to them. It used to be a safe bet to blame IT, blame Compliance is rapidly taking its place.One valuable tool in the Compliance Officer's tool box is the online survey and questionnaire.The online survey can deliver a message internally to the individual; it can be informative like a memo and educational by referencing detailed policy. Importantly it can become a valuable self registering record that confirms that the information has been properly disseminated and understood.A single survey question can achieve all these objectives at the same time.Take an example:-Are you aware that section 45 of the Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Act 2003 imposes an obligation on directors of certain companies to prepare statements on their company's compliance with its relevant obligations? (Click here for a summary of Company's Policy on Compliance Reporting Obligations)YesNoFor those Directors that have not read the policy the survey will give an opportunity to view the company's policy online (using an embedded live HTML link). Should Directors answer 'No' the Compliance Officer knows who to target.The survey also records the manager's response and shifts the responsibility away from the Compliance Officer to the individual manager where the responsibility needs rest for a company to meet its compliance obligations.Using an online website such http://www.surveygalaxy.com where multiple surveys can be managed, easily modified, updated and re-issued on a periodic basis across an organisation online surveys can be the Compliance Officer's killer application.Through the regular use of online surveys the Compliance Officer will be in the driving seat, leading and not chasing compliance issues, not only circulating the information on a one to one basis but also monitoring and recording the level of awareness throughout the organisation.The Compliance Officer's role is a difficult one, like a parent keeping a wayward child on the straight and narrow, most employers, let alone their employees, often do not fully understand the true consequence of their, often innocent, minor discretions. Assigning a Compliance Officer is a start but enabling them to fulfil their remit will be the difference between a company being fully compliant and one that risks suffering the consequences for having let compliance take a back seat.
Quality Standards with ISO 9001
Standardizing Quality Systems
Innovation Management ? what are the practical impediments?
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
Workplace Security Plan: Does Your Company Have One?
Consultant's Perspective...
The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Communication Breakdown
An ongoing series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.
Business Innovation ? the Value of Work Processes
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
Prepare A Winning CV
There is every chance that elements of this article may not be appropriate for everyone in every situation ? and that's precisely the point! Every situation is different. No two projects are the same. No two Curriculum Development Specialist roles are necessarily identical, but for name. Context, duration, region, sub-sector and many other factors are likely to create requirements that are unique, even when very similar. So a standard CV, or your most recent one with a date change is not necessarily the best one to submit ? and I would contend, never the way to approach submitting a CV within a project.
Real Costs in Distribution and What it Means To Your Company
Ever feel that all the lawyers in thh Country need to give their lives up for our freedom, by exiting the planet forthwith? Yes, me too. In an article in CCJ-Commercial Carrier Journal entitled "Ticking Away" The Insurance Time Bomb. It discussed how the trucking industry is limiting their insurance expenses by skipping some of the more prevalent coverage. For this reason the trucking companies have begun to add to our service contracts in the service sector, higher limits and more comprehensive additional insured certificates.
Hiring Great People And How to Be One Yourself: Five Secrets
Bad news.
Supplier Sees 53% Reduction in Out-of-Spec Orders Case Study
The goal of perfection is a challenge. It is often viewed as an expensive process requiring large investments. Yet one company has realized a 53% reduction in orders that have to be set aside for additional Quality Control checks. How did they do it? They used communication techniques - not capital outlay!
Increase Productivity: Five Powerful Actions
How can you make the best use of your energy to increase productivity each day? Here are five actions that can increase productivity and leave energy to spare. They will also help you to achieve more balance between your work and personal life.
7 Strategies for Sustained Innovation
The need for constant reinvention is a given in today's business environment. And while a breakthrough product or concept can catapult an organization ahead of its competitors, in these fast-paced times, that advantage is often short-lived.
Take This Into Consideration Before You Write Your Mission Statement
What principles should a company keep in mind when developing a mission statement? Appropriate criteria must be chosen for defining the business. There are several alternatives for defining one's services: by the products one produces, by unique resources that the company possesses, by a particular strength that the company has, by unique financial measures, or by needs that are met. Anyone who has to draft a mission statement should pretend that he or she is an advertising copywriter. "Tell the world in 25 words or less who you are and what you want to become." The statement should be concise and to the point.
Having Your Phil
February 2nd, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Gobbler's Knob in a small town in western Pennsylvania, 20,000 people and a national radio and television audience anxiously await the prognostication of America's favorite furry forecaster. In a tradition dating back 119 years, Punxsutawney Phil emerges from hibernation?and if he sees his shadow, it's back into the burrow for six more weeks of cold weather.
Measuring Creativity, DIY style
Creativity measurement is often required in order to benchmark existing competencies, monitor improvement, increase output and generally provide tangible and useable processes and structures for clients.
Beyond Management Coaching: When Things Are Getting Out of Control
Leaders and Managers often ask us, 'What do you do when you have tried to coach and counsel an employee about a performance concern, and the employee has not responded?
Building Trust in Your Business Relationships - 10 Steps
There are some simple things you can do with your people to ensure that they start to trust you. As a letter from Mike Emmott of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK says, in April 2005's UK Management Today says:-"Our surveys show that only one in four employees trust senior management to look after their interests"Is that not appalling? How on earth can businesses develop, survive and above all hang onto their best people if they are seen to be untrustworthy?It's horrible.There is an article below which talks a little about 'Rapport Building', but to supplement that, here are Ten Steps to help you build trust with your people.
Learn About Commercial Collections Agencies Fees
As with any other service, there are good and bad commercial collection agencies. Beware of any agency that offers you cut rate commissions far below the accepted Commercial Law League rates, offers you kickbacks on commissions, or makes outlandish promises about recovery success.
Outsourcing Quiz: Cheap Vs. Good
Someone can say, 'Why do you oppose this?' So I'd like to prevent such attacks and tell that this article is dedicated mainly to the issue if it's worth to look for the cheapest solution.
|
