Customer Focus
Time Management
When Mistakes Happen, Keep Your Customer!
Let’s begin by asking a question: “Have you ever made a mistake and if so, please raise your hand?” We assume our readers all have their hands raised because at one time or another we have all made mistakes and mistakes typically affect others and perhaps even our credibility. When you make a mistake with a customer, the next thing you do is vital in maintaining credibility and loyalty. Some immediate actions to mitigate negative consequences if you discover a …
Customer Focus: Doing it Right
It is difficult for restaurants to differentiate themselves from their competition. They typically do it by having an excellent menu with a wide variety of choices, to appeal to the greatest audience. They also may do something special for birthdays – a free dessert or a group of untalented wait staff singing Happy Birthday to an embarrassed guest. However, sometimes restaurants get it right. Last weekend was our anniversary and we took a chance on a nice restaurant. I say, …
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Tagged Customer Focus, Customer Service, differentiators
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What are your Customer’s Needs?
In Customer Focus – The SID Way we write a lot about knowing the needs of your customer. Part of knowing your customer’s needs are to know more about them and how they will use your product or service. I’m often asked, “How do I learn a customer’s needs?” The wrong answer is to assume you know. The simplest right answer is to ask them a series of questions to learn more. Let’s consider a scenario where you work in …
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Tagged Customer Focus, Customer Needs, Customer Service
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Customer Focus Tips When Things Go Wrong
Let’s look at a case study this week. This example of customer focus is a real story. Two weeks ago I bought a refurbished Blackberry from a company on eBay. After checking the company rating (high 90 percents) I bought the phone for $30.99. I wasn’t looking for anything fancy. In fact, I considered it a downgrade. Two days after I received the phone, charger barely worked. I submitted a request for a new charger on Saturday; It took them …
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Tagged Customer Focus, Customer Service, Poor Customer Focus
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Customer Focus – NOT!
We come to expect that every now and then we will have a bad experience at a restaurant, hotel, or retail store. But, when we bring it to the attention of the Manager, we expect results and for the situation to improve. We have enjoyed brunch three times at a nice restaurant near our home. All three times the food has been excellent and service impeccable. Yesterday, however, we had a bad experience which was exacerbated by the Manager. We …
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Tagged Customer Focus, Customer Service, Managing Others, Poor Customer Focus
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Assess Yourself!
In our new book, Customer Focus – The SID Way, and on our website (www.thesidway.com) we provide a self assessment of your customer focus skills and behaviors. Self-assessments are tough because most of us like to think highly of our skills and behaviors. A few, however, are often overly critical of themselves in self assessments. Regardless of which category you fall into, a few tips are in order before taking a self assessment of any skills or behaviors. First, give …
Proposals – It’s Not About You!
Whether it is a one-page proposal to an existing customer or a 500-page proposal to the government for a new aircraft; to win, your proposal must differentiate your organization from the competition. There are many ways to differentiate, but the most important may be that you fully understand the customer’s business and the issues they face. The best method to demonstrate this understanding is to be upfront in the proposal about what you can do to help the customer achieve …
A Sample of Customer Focus
Having just finished the latest SID Workbook, Customer Focus – The SID Way, I find that I am much more attuned to evaluating customer service interactions. Usually we do this to assess how much tip we will leave or whether we will return to an establishment or not. This morning I was having coffee with a friend at the local Starbucks. While we were talking, an employee came to our table to offer a sample of their breakfast sandwiches. I …
Customer Focus – The SID Way
What are you doing to enhance your customer focus leadership skills? Find out where you can improve and help others! Customer Focus – The SID Way is a self-initiated development workbook for leaders and managers and is now available for sale. Customer Focus-The SID Way Book Description Price: $19.95
