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Thou art my customer - Client service ideas that deliver Reprinted from BDC Profit$ Magazine, distributed by Business Development Bank of Canada. ''Get creative.'' That's the official mantra of Tony Wanless, who firmly believes that staying on top of customer service today demands some innovative thinking. ''It used to be that customers were seen as this amorphous, faceless mass,'' says the BDC Consultant whose expertise is knowledge-based businesses. ''So much has changed now. The reality is that 95% of business in Canada is small business, so we've moved from mass markets to specialized niches, empowering customers to get what they want from whomever they want,'' he says. This dramatic change in the business landscape, explains Wanless, has had a major impact on how customer service has evolved. ''Put simply, you can think of it as smaller groups dealing with other smaller groups.'' In turn, that same phenomenon has created very discriminating customers who can make easier choices about their preferred suppliers. Another major factor influencing customer service today, he says, is the rapid growth of trade in knowledge, compared to goods. ''If you're a retail clothier, you sell your knowledge of clothing, not just the clothing,'' he says. ''There's a fundamental shift from distribution and delivery to focusing on more follow-up with clients and educating them.'' The good news, says Wanless, is that entrepreneurs are well equipped to meet the evolving demands of customers and have a competitive advantage over the larger players. ''Small businesses are used to dealing with people on a smaller scale. It's not about mass customer acquisition anymore. It's about providing great customer service and holding on to the loyal customers you have,'' he emphasizes. So what can entrepreneurs do to keep their clients satisfied today? ''Make your customers feel like human beings and be sure to solve their time and money problems,'' says Wanless. Here are just a few ideas that top his list. Know your customers inside-out Wanless emphasizes that the cost of acquiring new customers is significantly higher than developing new business with existing clients. ''It makes good business sense that you get to know your customers and better satisfy their needs,'' he says. The first step, says Wanless, is investing the necessary time and resources to get closer to them. ''It might seem like an old-fashioned idea at first, but taking your clients to lunch really works,'' he says. Rather than simply rely on conventional corporate means such as customer surveys, Wanless believes that small business owners should try alternatives, such as simple, personal contact. ''If you have 100 clients, you could probably get a good representation by systematically lunching with 40 of them,'' he says. ''People today want that personal touch. They want a personal reason to be your client.''
(c) 2004, KnowPreneur Consultants |
