Business Resolution #1 for 2019: Fix Your Customer Service!

As we begin a new business year, I have a resolution for you. By keeping that resolution, you will improve every aspect of your business; including your bottom line. Simply stated, 2019's Job One is

Fix Your Customer Service!

Don't think you have customer service problems? You are wrong. In fact, I have found the people who are most convinced they have the best service often have the worst issues.

Last month, I was caught up in an incredible customer service mess involving minor in-patient surgery. It was so bad and the issues so numerous I won't bore you with the details. After nearly an hour-and-a-half of nonsense, I sought out the office manager and attempted to explain the issues. Her reply?

"I think our customer service is really good."

Yet, on an earlier visit to the same physician's waiting room, there were two women complaining about the extremely long wait and that no one seemed to be able to give them information. 'Really good' customer service? Hardly. 

Great customer service is never coincidence. It is never accidental. It must be designed, it must be hired-for, and it must be part of your enterprise's DNA. The best news? The incremental additional cost is usually quite small. It will have one of the best ROI's of anything you do. 

Your opinion and the opinions of your employees are irrelevant when attempting to ascertain the satisfaction level of your passengers/customers/patients/clients. How do you find out where you stand? Ask a cross-section of (men, women, young, old, etc., etc) your clientele and tell them to give you the their opinions, straight. 

Always include an incentive because you are asking them to give you their most valuable asset, their time and attention. It can include enclosing a $2 bill with each questionnaire (with a stamped, self-addressed envelope so the recipients can just pop it in the mail), a half-price oil change, or whatever is appropriate for your industry. Use a rubber stamp on the envelope with the words, "Earn $2 By Completing Our Survey" so it isn't set aside as junk mail.

Why not use Survey Monkey (SM) or one of the online tools? While much better than nothing, they can be too impersonal and they do not capture the full human interaction. You want your customers to be able to instantly jot their thoughts and comments in between the lines of the survey. With SM, you may miss important insights. That stated, if your business primarily caters to millennials, Survey Monkey may be the way to go. 

Next up: I'll talk about what questions you should ask and how to use the information. 

MSE Creative Consulting is a company dedicated to cultivating businesses and business leaders that achieve outstanding results for their creators and stakeholders. Turn to this blog for interesting content on a wide variety of topics.