From Suspects to Cheerleaders

No, this is not an article about an upcoming episode of CSI, despite the headline. This is about how to recognize and sustain customer satisfaction which is the lifeblood to the growth and success of any business. Without customers a business does not exist. How can you identify and define what you may have?

One format to conceptualize the targets of your marketing strategy can be to view the following categories. The challenge is to move along from suspect to cheerleader and here’s why:

Suspect - someone whom you may know but who does not know about your company’s product or service. Research the potential candidates in the marketplace who need what you have to offer. Determine your marketing strategy to make these suspects aware of your existence.

Prospect - someone who knows about you or you may have contacted but has not made a purchase yet.

Purchaser - Now, these folks have made an initial purchase. Yippee! But it’s just the start and a critical point in the potentially profitable future relationship. Maybe your advertising was effective or your sales team was persuasive and you have a first time buyer. This is a significant milestone. You have successfully induced them to try your product or service and the relationship can begin in earnest.

Customer - This is obviously a wonderful level because this is a purchaser who continues to purchase from your company on a regular basis. We all want these.

Cheerleader - But here is the best level because this is a customer who is so satisfied with your product that he or she tells others about your company. Here’s where you get to ask the most important marketing question,” Would you recommend us to someone you know?” That question about sums up the entire positive attitude you could create in a customer. A Very Happy Customer!

How do you move along this continuum? Here are some suggestions to consider and questions to answer:

First, you have to identify and define your market. What business are you in and what are you areas of core competency? What product or service can you deliver that has significant attraction compared to others in the marketplace?

Now you need to develop a clear understanding of your customer’s requirements and plan to anticipate future needs. Visit you customers regularly. The more strategic the customer, the more frequent visits required. These may be monthly or quarterly. Remember Pareto’s Principle, otherwise known as the “80/20 Rule.” In this instance, 80% of your profits will come from 20% of your customers. You should be spending 80% of your time with the core 20%. The problem is that the 80% want your attention. You do need to deal with them but organize your efforts and resources accordingly. This may be challenging but it is worth it being sure you concentrate your efforts effectively and efficiently.

Work to exceed customer expectations. In today’s world, customers are spoiled (as we all are) by high performance companies not necessarily in the same industry. Fed Ex delivers overnight. Customers transfer that expectation and now believe that all products and services can be delivered overnight - even manufactured garments. It may not make sense or even seem possible, but the expectation level drives competition to get quicker delivery time.

Seek to understand how your product is being used by your customer. Is the product performing as anticipated under those circumstances? For example, do the delivery drivers wearing your cargo pants think the pockets are functional? Is the range of motion of your jackets comfortable while performing work functions? Have you asked you customer to suggest design changes that would improve satisfaction?

Spend time with your customers so you can learn first hand what makes them delighted. See them function in their environment and learn about the demands from their customers. How can your product or service help them “sleep better at nigh?” What pain can you help eliminate? My father, Dominick, who was in Army Air Corp Intelligence, used to tell me he learned in the service that “There is no substitute for personal reconnaissance.” Today, this may be called “MBWA”- management by walking around. I know this concept is typically applied to wandering in your own company, but think of the value you can bring by walking around your customer’s facilities. Years ago while visiting a client’s warehouse I learned why my invoices weren’t being processed promptly -- the shipping cartons I selected did not fit the customer’s shelves! This caused delays and of course a level of dissatisfaction. No one had bothered to inform me of the required carton size. Luckily I was there to see it.

Encourage and accept feedback from your customers. This is an excellent way for you to show interest in your customers and make necessary adjustments to improve satisfaction. Teach your people to ask for and listen to the feedback and accept it in a constructive way. Design feedback systems relative to each customer segment. For strategic accounts use a more formal structured approach where in-depth interviewing would be recommended. For smaller accounts have your customer service team conduct surveys over the telephone or email. Keep notes on the feedback you receive and try to identify trends. Measure the complaints and set up a metric to target improvements.

Continually search for ways to improve customer service. Form focus groups of people within your company who service an account. Brainstorm for ways to increase customer satisfaction. Learn where your company’s infrastructure can do better to support the sales and customer service departments. Ask customers to describe frustrating experiences and ask for suggestions on how you can better serve them. Follow up with customers after you have implemented changes to determine if their satisfaction has really increased or what else may still need to be accomplished.

Talk to the customers of your competitors. Find out what they like and don’t like and how you may implement strategic advantages.

Remember that customers judge your company in two ways: how well you deliver on your commitments and how well you handle problems. Determine a clear picture of the situation when a customer issue arises. Ask the customer to describe what has happened and what result they would like to see. It’s inevitable that all businesses run into problems for a variety of reasons. The earlier your customers are brought into the loop the better chance you have to resolve the situation in a most satisfactory manner and possibly the least costly to you as well.

You only know your side of the picture and it’s not the whole story. Takes steps to amend procedures so the issue can be avoided in the future. Let you customer know what you’ve done and follow up to assure compliance.

Give your service people the right tools and resources to do their job. Your job as the manager is to assure the success of your workers. They need to be trained in their skills, know your company’s standards for performance and know they can rely on the leadership to support them in their efforts. Motivate them and reward them for excellent customer service. Recognize the greatest achievement when you have a customer that makes a referral to your company. Then you have a cheerleader. This is better than a customer. Be sure to celebrate!

Joseph Greco is president of Greco Apparel. Visit them on the web at www.grecoapparel.com