It's Never One Thing
"The last straw breaks the camel's
back." --Arab proverb
I was having a conversation with a friend the
other day about customer service. We were
both bemoaning the fact that it's hard to
find good customer service and I was telling
her about a recent situation with a
consultant I've done business with for a
couple of years. I'm changing banks and
there is an automatic payment that comes out
for the services this consultant sells. He
was in a meeting when I called to find out
what I needed to do to change the account. I
was directed to his voice mail and I
explained what I needed. He had an assistant
call me back who politely left a message,
letting me know I needed to fax a voided
check from the new account. It's not a big
deal, but I kind of expected to talk to my
consultant. He called shortly afterwards,
which is why I do business with him. He had
my immediate need taken care of and then
called to catch up.
Customers are usually loyal
I realized that it is not one situation that
makes customers switch companies. Customers
are usually loyal. To be honest, often
laziness or lack of time keeps us doing
business at the same places and with the same
people. There are some people out there who
constantly shop for the best deal, but I
believe the majority of us stick with one
business unless a series of situations occur
where the service is not up to par.
For instance, I decided to switch banks
ultimately because of the service fee that
they charge non-customers to cash the checks
I write (see my June newsletter and below).
But it wasn't just this situation. It was
the inadequate staffing at the branch that
caused me to have to wait for an hour before
being served when my checkbook had been
stolen. It was the inability to cancel a
charge that I did not make until after it
dropped out of pending and into the account.
It was an assistant branch manager who said
she had canceled an account, but hadn't. No
one situation was enough for me to leave.
But the combination of these events made the
check cashing fee a deal-breaker.
You have two choices
If you deal with the public, remember that
every interaction provides you with two
alternatives - to deliver outstanding
customer service or to be one of the straws
on that proverbial camel's back. You may not
be the last straw, but if you are helping to
build that "burden", you are contributing to
the loss of existing customers. And all the
research proves that it is harder to get new
customers than to keep existing ones.
Beyond business, our relationships with other
people follow this pattern as well. We lose
friends more often because we don't attend to
those relationships, not because we have done
any one thing that has ended the friendship.
How many friends have disappeared from your
life simply because you have drifted apart?
Don't add the straw
Making sure that you aren't adding a straw is
the surest way to keep your customers - and
your friends.
In fact, not adding a straw might actually
increase your business. When my consultant
called me, I was able to do the other things
I planned to do when I called - ask him how
to upgrade my account, and give him a
referral. You never know what you might miss
if you don't treat those existing customers
carefully.
