I am sure that the vast majority if not all of us would agree that providing good if not great service to our customers is a key activity of any business.

This week has got me thinking….why is it that we know it, any business person will know it, businesses and their owners spend thousands (notice I do not term it invest) yet we see very little difference.

I along with you have money in our pockets to spend, we also have lots of places to spend it and there is a great deal of competition for our hard earned money. One of the key differentiators is the service we receive, do we really want to spend and support businesses that don’t recognise us as a customer, someone who contributes to covering the costs of the business and helps employ the staff that treat us so poorly.

I used to accept poor service, keep my mouth closed, feel angry and frustrated but it was just part of life….not now, if I work so hard to earn my income I feel I have every right to expect a decent service, so if the service is not up to my expectations then why shouldn’t I go elsewhere and spend my money with someone who can treat me politely and professionally.

What got me thinking was the service I received from my dentists; I had an appointment with the hygienist as a follow up to one a month ago. I arrived 5 minutes late having dashed from work, yes it was my fault and I apologised on arrival. I was told that I would not be seen as I was late, now excuse me but am I the only one who has rarely been seen on time when I have visited the dentist? I expressed my dissatisfaction only to continue to be told the same thing.

The following day I wrote an email to complain and was somewhat surprised that the same message was echoed along with a rather long explanation of the appointment system. Still unhappy I advised them how they could put it right, that was to arrange a new appointment and for the inconvenience that they wave the fee, too much to ask? Well clearly so as their response was a half polite no. I have been with the practice for over 10 years, they have now lost a customer and I am going to make sure my friends and acquaintances know about it. So what is the cost to this business?

Are similar things happening within your business?

How do you measure your customer service?

Do you monitor the complaints? If not then I suggest you do.

Your staff could be damaging your business more than you thought

For the Dentists it would have cost them about £30 to meet my request, how much has it now cost them in future income? May be more than they thought and certainly more than the £30 they would have spent in resolving it to my satisfaction.

For help with your customer service in the East Midlands please contact me for a free consultation.

Simon Winfield

Achieve the Potential…..in customer service

No related posts.