Knowing how to hold them
You may remember the scene. Jerry (Seinfeld, that
is) and Elaine have just been told by the car rental
agent that, yes, she has their reservation, and,
no, she has no car to go with the reservation.
An unhappy Jerry retorts, "I don't think you
know what your business is. You know how to take
the reservation but you don't know how to hold
it. It is the holding part that is important."
Herein lie two important lessons: First, what
do your customers expect? And, second, are you
meeting their expectations? Clearly, Jerry's car
rental agency failed on both counts. They shouldn't
be surprised when Jerry goes elsewhere the next
time he needs a rental car.
So, how are you doing at "holding" your
customers? Are you absolutely superb at one facet
of your business, but find that customers don't
remain loyal to you? Perhaps you need to ask your
customers what matters most to them. And, even
more important, if you're doing your job of delivering
on what matters most.
Most companies know that it costs less to retain
customers than to recruit new ones. SRA is
certainly not taking credit for coming up with
this principle, but we will take credit for
helping countless companies gain a better understanding
of their customers, resulting in a more profitable business
and more satisfied customers. In the final analysis, business usually comes
down to the relationship of a single user and a
multi-faceted provider. The tool SRA recommends
for understanding this relationship is the customer
satisfaction program.
Further, SRA believes that for the customer satisfaction
program to do its job thoroughly, it must go far
beyond the numerical measurement of the "satisfied" or "not
satisfied" customer. The basis of a sound
customer satisfaction program should include the
following:
Listen carefully to clients-
SRA doesn't use a cookie-cutter approach to customer satisfaction
programs. We may be the market research experts, but our
clients are the experts when it comes to understanding their
company and their products or services.
Help clients to understand the importance
of asking questions-
Hearing the answers may be painful. Not knowing the truth about
how your customers feel about your products or services can
be even more painful.
Keep clients in the loop-
When it comes to dissatisfied customers, our philosophy is "as
soon as we know about it, our clients know about it." Action
reports are a key component of our program. Time is of the
essence; if too much time elapses, a current customer may become
a former customer.
Companies who conduct ongoing customer satisfaction
programs are sending an important message: Customer
Satisfaction isn't just a slogan. It's a commitment
they are ready to stand behind. ‡
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