It’s interesting. But if a willing and able customer wants to give you money, take it! Since my last blog post about not getting service providers to return email requests, I’ve had THREE people from three different parts of the US tell me of similar situations.
Real World Story: Each person wanted to do business with a particular company. They were willing to make the effort to reach out to these companies and make a commitment to make a large purchase. And they were able to pay for the services they were looking for. In particular, one person wanted to have the reception for his wedding at a local restaurant. He physically went into the restaurant and made a request directly to a staff person. He never heard back from anyone. He sent an email to the owner of the restaurant. He never got a response. He then decided to track down the person whose job it is to book events at this restaurant. He left a message in her office asking to use her restaurant for an event for more than 200 people. He never heard one word—no call, no email, nothing. Naturally, he finally had to take his business elsewhere.
Less than six months later, the restaurant went out of business. I wasn’t surprised to learn this. Are you?
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Respond ASAP within 24 hours when a customer calls, emails or gives an in-person request to do business with you and your company!
- Have a policy and procedures for handling ANY request for products or services, which should include documenting the request and assigning someone to be responsible for following up.
- Have a system of checks to ensure customers who submit requests have been contacted.
- Be specific and clear with time frames and expectations to ensure you meet and/or exceed customers’ wants and needs.
Remember: While customers want to experience awesome customer service, you’ll be surprised how many are simply WOWed by effortless transactions on their part. Make it easy for customers to spend money with you. Nothing will shut down your business faster and permanently than saying “no” to customers’ money.
What do YOU do to ensure your customers’ requests are handled in a timely manner? I’m eager to hear your stories in the comments section below.