It seems these days bad customer service is the only kind of customer service we get.
With the never-ending shortage of people who want to work, every business is shorthanded and scrambling to serve customers with fewer people.
Many businesses have combatted this issue by having a shorter open window during the day or closing multiple days per week to handle the workforce shortage.
Good customer service is so important to every business. It doesn’t matter which area of the shed industry you work in, manufacturing, sales, rent-to-own, or improvement products; you must give your customers the best service possible to keep them coming back while continuing to grow a prosperous business.
Good customer service begins with relationship building. Have you ever noticed a really great waitress or a great drive-through worker?
As business owners, Jim and I notice good customer service and try to remember what made the employee stand out. People who deliver good customer service make the customer feel like they are top priority and try not to feel bothered by a customer who has a long list of requests.
Relationship building can include noticing someone’s kids or remembering a particular item they really liked their last time at the business. We live in a small town so good customer service also includes knowing people’s names and about their family.
Building relationships with your customers will keep them coming back to you as they feel a connection with you and know they will be treated fairly each time. They will also refer their friends to you for these same reasons.
Good customer service also includes following up. Whether you are building a shed or trying to sell one, you must continue to follow up with your customers to ensure they have everything needed. In the sales industry, follow-ups are essential to closing the sale.
In the ever-changing world of technology, so many manufacturers are embracing the idea of social media marketing and sales. One key concept to making this work in the shed industry or any other sales position is follow-up.
People are busy and although when they talk to you today, their No. 1 priority is purchasing a building, tomorrow they will get busy chasing their kids to practice, school, etc., and forget about that purchase.
Life happens and sometimes it doesn’t matter how badly you need something if life doesn’t slow down long enough to allow you the time to get it.
As you begin to work your online sales, don’t forget the power of following up with people and remind them you are still there ready to help with the sales process. You can do this by making follow-up phone calls.
Sometimes a simple phone call using a few short notes about a person and their situation may spark a conversation that could lead to a sale.
If a customer told you they were holding out on buying a building because their daughter was getting married next month, maybe wait and call them back in a month and ask how the wedding went. This conversation may be a good way to remind them that they needed a building before the craze of the wedding.
You can also achieve this by sending a quick email just reminding a person you are available if needed. Many times, using follow-up as a technique for good customer service will help you close the sale.
Although good customer service can be hard to find in the ever-changing workforce today, it can be achieved.Â
Using the power of relationship building and making people feel important and heard along with following up are a few tools we can use to help our businesses grow in a tough economy.
