10/14/2022
I recently purchased a new living room set from a local chain store. We wanted a couch, loveseat and recliner. We searched all the local stores and some internet options and settled on one we liked. I had heard stories of delivery taking up to six months so I discussed it with the salesman. I was explicit that I did not want to make the purchase if it would take longer than one month to receive. He went and checked his system and reported it would be 2 to 3 weeks. So we made the down payment. I have made several follow up calls to different people in their company to see when the furniture will be delivered - all of which have been ignored. Before anyone says slow down Karen, I want to tell you why I gave the backstory. I never expected to see the furniture in three weeks. I knew that sales people were saying what they had to to make the sale. Where I am most disappointed is the lack of customer service. We all have customers. We all have people that are counting on us to deliver. Whether it is furniture, or parts, or information, how we handle our relationships with the people that place their trust in us is important!
As a coach I provide a service. My clients expect that once we have identified areas that we need to work on that I do my part. In the business coaching aspect of my business failure to deliver costs the company valuable time and resources. In the life coaching aspect it cost people days of quality living. That is what I am paid to do is solve problems. Building trust is imperative. My hope is that my clients are thrilled with the results they get and are willing to tell others. The success or failure of my business depends on me taking care of my clients.
So here are my three tips for improving your customer service. First of all, be trustworthy. Think for a moment how critical trust is for us in order to make good decisions. Would you go to a doctor that is known for making mistakes? Certainly not. Or maybe an auto mechanic that never fixes your car. You wouldn’t go back. What about the coworker who you are counting on to gather information but never comes through, eventually you end up doing it yourself because you have learned not to trust them. Being trustworthy is the foundation of customer service.
The next tip is to be transparent. This is sometimes difficult to do but in the long run it will produce better outcomes. It is in our nature to avoid conflict or be the bearer of bad news but when we lack transparency the foundation of trust crumbles.
And lastly and most importantly, when events don’t workout the way you plan, evaluate what went wrong. The one thing I see the most in coaching is that people try to fix a problem with the same solution over and over and can’t figure out why they get the same result. This is because they have never really understood why the problem is occurring. Once I help them get to the right root cause the solution is usually pretty easy to implement. This is the step that gets the results! It takes persistence and sometimes several tries to get the right solution but once the results are there the customer is happy. And happy customers come back for more, happy customers tell their friends and happy customers make us successful.
If you are starting a new business and need some help with customer service let me know. I can help. If you are an individual that has things in your life to sort out, I can help with that too. Visit www.tiroinnovative.com to book an appointment or give me a call and we can set something up.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
