Kikabink News

It amazes me that some companies treat their customers so poorly. You know, the people who keep these companies in business?

You would think that the benefits of treating customers well were obvious. Like keeping them as customers… encouraging them to buy more and more often… inspiring them to recommend their friends and colleagues to the company, and so on. Not to mention avoiding the “penalties” of poor customer service: losing them as customers and having them recommend that their friends and colleagues NOT buy from the company. And apparently more people are inclined to warn people against a company they don’t like, than recommend a company they do like!

So why is good customer so hard for some companies? My guess is that there is not enough commitment to, and discipline around, good customer service. Serving the customer is simply not as valued as getting them in the first place. I also suspect that when a customer complains, a couple of natural human tendencies kick in that can lead to poor service. I’m thinking here of the tendencies to:

• Be defensive when someone suggests that your company, and by association YOU, have done something wrong; and
• Be lazy. It’s so much easier to do nothing, rather than address the customer’s complaint!

And yet, it takes only a little more effort to NOT get defensive and to HELP the customer. Often problems can be resolved fairly quickly by:

1. Making an effort to not get defensive;
2. Listening - really listening - to what the customer has to say;
3. Thinking about how to solve the customer’s problem in the most appropriate way. Or, if you can’t solve the problem, escalating it to someone who can. And if no-one can solve this particular problem, being honest and upfront about it with the customer, and making other suggestions that may placate them (even if it’s just a refund).

As I often say, in an environment where poor customer service abounds, providing excellent customer service is surely a competitive advantage. So why not invest more effort in making it not just satisfactory, but second to none?

As you probably know, there’s a big difference between BEING online and SELLING online.

One of my web design clients runs a business that falls into the first category and is now considering moving into the second.

But she’s a little nervous - there happen to be numerous online competitors offering very similar products to her.

In fact, if I didn’t her better I’d say she sold a commodity - one that is subject to price wars and that’s difficult to make a lot of money from.

But I do know her better. And I know that she sells much more than her product. She sells:

1. Speedy delivery.
2. Unique training and ancillary products.
3. Excellent customer service - she really goes the extra mile for her customers.
4. Indepth knowledge of her product.
5. Personality and passion.

While some may be able to match my client’s speedy delivery… I really can’t see anyone else being able to compete with her in terms of 2,3,4 and 5. Certainly not all!

In fact, these “value adds” are what will allow my client to stand out, charge more and get more customers online.

So what’s the take-out for you? Well, take a look at what you’re selling on the Net. Are you value adding? Are you offering 1-5 in the list above on top of whatever product or service you sell? Or any other value-adds that I haven’t listed (there are probably many possibilities)?

If so, you’re well positioned to avoid commoditization and build and maintain a successful, profitable Internet based business.