Give Customers Their Pickles - a philosophy of customer service

Bob Farrell opened up an ice cream parlour store  in America about twenty or so years ago, and eventually developed it into a small business model that became a successful chain of restaurants across the country. He became known for giving  away free pickles to customers, in order to "delight" them (in the U.S, as opposed to here in Aussie-land, the Yanks like their pickles)

Well, the pickle became a customer service metaphor for Bob Farrell, in terms of encouraging other small business owners to identify how they could increase customer satisfaction and give their customers an experience that would make them want to come back. In this short video clip, he share his inspiring philosophy of customer service as the basis for any successful small business

Customer Service In Your Small Business

If you're in small business, then you know the importance of good customer service as a strategy to compete against larger companies in your sector.

You may not have the same profile as some of the larger companies, you do not have their advertising and promotion budget. You are probably not able to beat them on price - because they have economies of scale and greater volume in their purchasing power.

However, where you can compete with "big business" effectively is in customer service - building a closer relationship and establishing more of a personal relationship with your customers.

Manage customer expectations

One thing I have learned from more than twenty years in small business is the importance of managing customer expectations - and the principle of promise less, deliver more

There are few things that annoy customers more than their supplier not doing what they said they would when they promised. Your customer may well plan their schedule and other commitments around your delivery promise, so you are better off adding some contingency time onto your time estimate.

In other words, let's say for example that you run a small printing business. And your customer asks when will the job be ready, and you think to yourself that it should be finished by 2.00 pm . You could actually say 2.00 pm and then maybe later you discover that it takes a little longer than anticipated and isn't actually ready til 2.30 pm - and therefore you'll have a disappointed customer on your hands.

Instead by applying the principle of "promise less, deliver more", when you think to yourself 2.00 pm - you say to them "It' should be finished by 3.00 pm - but if we get it dome earlier, I'll call you" - then when you complete the job at 2.30 pm they'll be happy and you'll be less stressed !!

If you're thinking of some customer service skills training for your staff, you might have a look at Customer Service Training Melbourne

Service recovery

OK, so we've explored the importance of managing customer expectations. But what happens when you do get it wrong? Maybe you've provided them with something different to what they asked for. For example, going back to the printing business - let's say the customer ordered a big supply of printing on yellow paper, but you mistakenly printed on white paper.

Often, it is the complaint from the customer himself that will bring the matter to your attention. This is where it's important that you have trained your staff in how to handle complaints. The customer may well be upset, so it's important that you show some empathy in the situation. Once you recognise that you got it wrong then apologise quickly and explain what you will do to fix the problem.

This is not the time to try to find excuses for the mistake, because all the customer wants is a solution to the problem you've created for them . If it is going to take some time to correct the situation, see if there's anything you can do in the interim to alleviate any difficulties your mistake has made for your customer.

For example, imagine you arrive at your hotel to check in and yet your room is not ready when it should be. The receptionist apologises, says it will just be another twenty minutes - and arranges for a couple of complimentary drinks at the bar whilst you wait. Doesn't this gesture help retain goodwill?

Let's go back to the printing example .... imagine you have rectified the situation and deliver the printing on the correct paper, you should think about what you can do retrieve some goodwill. Maybe you give the customer a significant discount on the order, or you throw in something of a complimentary nature to "ease the discomfort" suffered by your customer. After all, research has shown that it costs a lot more to attract a new customer than it does to retain an existing one.

And the final aspect of service recovery involves you and your team reviewing why the problem happened in the first place, and how you can prevent a recurrence of the problem. Is there a procedure that needs tightening up? Does an employee need a bit more training? Remember, if you've recruited good people, then they would not have intended to make a mistake, so try and see what can be learned from the experience and be careful of simply blaming an employee without having got all the facts.

So in summar, effective service recovery when things go wrong can help to retain customer loyalty that otherwise would have been lost to your small business. We all make mistakes some time - the measure of your resilience is how you recover from them

Motivating your staff

High and consistent levels of customer service will only be delivered by motivated staff. As the owner and manager of your small business you have a vested interest in the success of the business. But how do you create a feeling of "ownership" in your staff? How do you get them feeling some enthusiasm for the business and engage them in what you are trying to achieve?

For some great tips and advice on staff motivation, have a look at How To Motivate Employees

What your customers really want - but don’t always tell you

If you run a small business, then you well know that your revenue stream is directly dependent upon your ability to deliver what your customer expects. However, now-days customer expectations are dynamic and evolving and your business needs to be capable and agile enough to keep pace with these changes.

Your business needs to be able to shift gears and adapt quickly – whether it’s to changing customer expectations or changing competitor practices – in order to remain poised for sustainable growth.  The following lists seven of the most essential things that customers expect from your business.

1.  Value

Your customer’s level of satisfaction depends upon the value he feels he has gained from the transaction, versus what it has cost him for the product or service that he has received. There is no single absolute measure of value as it entirely depends on the perception and taste of the beholder. However, there are a range of different metrics that can define value and it is important that your business recognises which of these metrics are suited for the kind of customers that you look to target.

For example, one particular customer visiting a restaurant may find value in how delicious the food is, while another customer would place more value and importance upon the overall ambience and service. At the end of the day, no customer wants to pay more than the perceived value of the benefits he is receiving. So at the very least, your business needs to understand the priorities of customers in your particular target market whilst also remaining aware of your competition, so you can tailor your unique value proposition accordingly.

2. A great service experience

As far as customer service is concerned, as you no doubt have already learned, the key is to ensure that this is consistently delivered and to the best of your ability. We are living in a society where customer is the king and you simply cannot afford to compromise on customer service. Customers want to be treated as special and a small businesses typically has a greater opportunity than their bigger competition to build a personal relationship with them. So make sure that if you are employing staff, that they are friendly and actually like dealing with people.

3. Trust earned through reliability

No business can afford to risk breaking the trust of their customers – which can be a long time earned, and yet very quickly lost. Avoid becoming the type of small business that will over-promise in an attempt to win a sale – and then fail to deliver what has been promised……. If your business does not keep a promise, it will obviously lead to a dissatisfied customer who loses trust in you. But worse still, they will often likely tell at least ten of their friends and family about their disappointing experience. So if you are going to make any type of mistake in your estimates of how long before a job will be completed or something is delivered, always be conservative in your estimate. You are better off under-promising and over-delivering to your customer.

4. Quality

If you want to win over your customers, provide them with a quality product or service every time. By doing this consistently, you will eventually create a brand that wins customer respect and loyalty. But if you’re really looking to differentiate yourself, then consider this “A good business gives customers what they want – a great business gives them what they need”……

Imagine for example, you go into one shoe store and ask for a particular pair of size 10 runners, which they get for you. You go into another store and ask for the same thing – and they say “Sure, I’ll get those for you sir – but may I ask what you will be using them for”. Then as it turns out, there is a pair of runners that is actually better suited for your requirements. Which of these two stores would you most likely return to next time?

5. Listen for the subtle messages

Do not expect that your customers will always tell you what they do not like about dealing with you – although admittedly a few will do this quite clearly!. However for the majority of your customers, you need to learn to recognise the subtle hints and signals that they give to you.

Many of your customers aren’t going to always tell you directly for example, that your employees are not well presented. They might instead make what seems a flippant remark – “Is today casual Friday?” Neither will they necessarily tell you that one of your employees seems a little sour or difficult to deal with – instead they might simply ask “Can I speak with Julie about this, she knows our history better than Rob” ….. You need to learn the art of listening to your customer’s subtle messages – before they send you a more direct message and vote with their feet.

6. Convenience at its best

Improving ease and convenience for the customer has been a driving force behind so many innovations in business. There are endless ways that your business can continue to innovate your product and services. One aim of your small business should be to regularly search for incremental opportunities to improve the experience of your customer.

This improvement could be in the nature of your product/ service itself, or in the way it is presented, or the way in which it is delivered, so their shopping experience becomes even more satisfying. By way of example, a shop that sells garment can offer to provide home delivery for an altered garment – there’s no doubt this would be very much appreciated by their customer.

7. Accountability

Customers are willing to deal with only those businesses that are accountable for the goods or services they are providing. Your business needs to be proactive in providing your customers with a prompt response in the event of a complaint. Sometimes we get things wrong – so your first priority is to solve the problem.

If you’ve made a mistake, then admit it quickly – and compensate your customer. Provide the product/service free, or at least provide it at a significant discount. Doing so, chances are that you will retain customer goodwill. And then once the problem has been solved – your next priority later will naturally be to prevent any recurrence. This often requires having a look at how your procedures can be improved.

Wrap up

Although you might well feel that you're aware of these small business tips on “best practice”, it can never-the-less be helpful to occasionally step back from the day-to-day operation of your business and  evaluate how well you are actually running your business. You may feel your business ticks all of these boxes and if so, that’s great...... Just watch out for that most devious of enemies - complacency.

Our guest author:

Boni Satani is an online marketer associated with Australia’s Leading 1300 & 1800 Number service provider – Zintel Communications. .

If you enjoyed this post, you might like to also take a look at Innovating & Adapting in Your Small Business 

Customer Service - Being friendly helps, but it's not enough

Of course you care about customer service in your small business. That's a given.

Your success depends upon attracting and retaining repeat customers. But what you need to remember is that there are two crucial dimensions to consistent quality service delivery - your people and your procedures. Both of these dimensions require your attention

In previous posts we've explored how to hire the right people for customer service roles. One of several important attributes your service staff need to possess is a happy and friendly disposition - no customer wants to deal with a "sour-puss" who looks like they've been sucking on lemons.

• Balance - personal touch and procedural efficiency

But it's all well and good to have staff who display a warm and welcoming manner with your customers, who make them feel special and can build great rapport with customers. Yes, the "feel-good" factor is important in the experience of your customer - but at least as important is that your customer gets what they expected.

It is the efficiency of your systems, processes and procedures that will so often determine whether your customer is satisfied that they received what they were promised, when they were promised it.

If you are getting some customer complaints, or if your customers are voting with their feet and you find that you are not getting repeat business from them, then go back to reviewing your business fundamentals. Where is the need for improvement .....

1. Is the design of your product or service itself in line with the core needs of your customers. Ask for feedback from customers
2. Are your procedures and processes enabling efficient service / product delivery? Get some input from your staff on this matter - they work with your systems every day and know what's not working. And listen to their ideas with an open mind!
3. Are you over-promising and under-delivering?
4. Have you trained your staff properly in the use of your systems?
5. Are you recruiting the right people? If need be, take a look at How to conduct the job interview
6. Are you managing your staff in a way that keeps them motivated, and brings some enthusiasm into the workplace? If need be, have a look at How to motivate employees

If your focus is solely on efficiency of processes, you risk a business culture lacking the warmth and personal touch  needed to forge enduring relationships with customers. If you focus just on your staff and making sure they are happy and that the workplace is a warm, inviting one - then you run a risk that customer deadlines and budgets may not be met.

So as the manager of your small business, try and get the balance right between a focus on both your people and your processes - and then with repeat, satisfied customers, your profits should flow!