Exceptional Customer Service: The Key to Success

There is nothing quite as sad as watching a thriving business, which was built around the personality, charisma and skill of the owner, deteriorate when someone else takes the reins--yet this is exactly what happens on so many occasions. Succession planning is a nice term, but it isn't always that easy to find someone who cares as much about the business as the original founder did.

This is as true for family businesses as it is for others. Often the grandparents invest tremendous amounts of energy in building the business. The next generation of entrepreneurs benefits from the thrift, vision and hard work of the grandparents. They may even run the business relatively well, although perhaps not as well as the grandparents. Then come the spoiled grandchildren, and all too often, the end of the business.

It doesn't have to be that way, of course. One of the best tools for preventing such a slide is for heirs of the business to maintain the same personal relationships and superior customer service that made the business strong.

The goal is to acquire "customer evangelists", people who are so excited about your business they want to spread the word. This won't happen without a commitment on the part of the business owners, however. The entrepreneurs involved must develop a company culture that fosters stellar customer service and encourages going above and beyond the call of duty.

Building strong business relationships is key, and savvy business owners watch for hints as to what will please their customers. Don't buy them chocolate if they eat a raw food diet, or offer them a golf outing if it is plain to see they would much prefer to go bowling. It may sound like common sense, but one size definitely does not fit all when it comes to those little extras that make a customer feel special. The more sizeable the contract, the more time should be spent thinking of creative ways to curry your business relationship.

One of the hardest things to remember, particularly with customers who border on the obnoxious, is that they are "always right". There is nothing to be gained from arguing, but there may be a lot to gain from keeping the customer happy.

Another way of providing excellent customer service is responding to customer inquiries with a sense of urgency. Bureaucrats may get away with losing important papers in the shuffle, but that doesn't work in the business world. When you give customers a quick resolution of their concerns, you stand an excellent chance of winning their repeat business.

Another mark of superior customer service is the commitment to keeping promises. That old adage "promises were made to be broken" may be the norm in some sections of society, but it doesn't cut it in the business world.

There is much to be gained-financially and in terms of reduced stress-by providing excellent customer service. If you have somehow lost sight of the customer or slipped into the "bureaucratic mode", why not make a new commitment to providing exceptional customer service? No doubt both you, and your customers, will be glad you did.