Serve Customers by Keeping them Informed
Chances are most people would agree with the following statement: Few things are more frustrating than being in a situtation where you have little or no control over the outcome, AND where you have no idea what is going on, whether any progress is being made, or if your waiting will never end. But every day in businesses around the globe, customers are subjected to these types of situations…
- They stand in line waiting to be seated in a less than crowded restaurant, but no one comes to greet them, let alone seat them.
- They contact customer service departments to resolve a problem they have experienced and are given vague timelines for its resolution.
- They wait at airport gates to board planes as time ticks away and the schedule departure time passes with no insight provided by the airline personnel regarding the reason for the delay or the time when it will end.
- They contact their builders about getting the finishing touches put on their new home and despite promises of dates and times for the work to be done, they wait to no avail for the workers to show.
The list cold go on, but the point has been made: When your goal is to serve customers, you need to keep them informed. It is really that simple. Even if you cannot give them the information they want to hear, at least tell them what is happening and when they can expect a next step to occur. That is what they expect, what they deserve, and what they need to know. Action Step: Review your customer touch points with a focus on what is being communicated to the customer at each step in the process. If you keep them informed and tell them the truth, they will be much more patient, much more understanding, and much more satisfied!
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