How to get the most out of your customers

“A customer is never wrong” so goes an all-time business saying.

Another one borrowed from the Germany “der Kunde ist König” which translates to “customer is king,” is quite popular.

However, the reality on the ground in the conventional business hangs this slogan between truth and a myth depending on who the customer is and the stage of the business transaction in question.

Where did you buy goods or seek services recently and feel like a king?

Recently, when Bungoma senator Moses Wetang’ula failed to produce his national ID at the airport, the flight was reportedly delayed as the stand-off ensued.

You may be wondering just why innocent passengers lost valuable time in what did not concern them.

Ask yourself, what would it have been if it were you who had failed to produce an ID? Were the other passengers handled like bosses?

Here are key areas that you can exploit to get the most out of your customers:

TRANSACTION VS RELATIONSHIP

Peter Macharia is the managing director of Trans Researchers Limited in Nairobi.

Mr Macharia notes that many businesses have chosen to transact and not relate with customers.

“Many of the businesses today are interested with closing a sale and not establishing a relationship with a customer. Relationship management has been left to the elite while the majority of spenders belonging to the bottom of the pyramid are left uncared for.

“What they forget is that more sales is anchored in the big numbers of these customers who spread the customer experiences they get from your businesses. What would happen if you open one morning and no one approaches your shop?” wonders the consultant.

The focus on profit and numbers have made successful businesses value their customers a lot.

However, some business owners are in many cases willing to go any extra mile before a deal is sealed but after the transaction is done, the hunter becomes the hunted.

Take Philip Odondi for instance who went through a rough experience after purchasing an electronic product in town.

“The shopkeepers were very good to me and even tested the gadget to my satisfaction. The warranty was comforting and I left the shop smiling.

“But when I noticed a malfunction three days later, the welcoming attendant who had talked so well three days ago became dumb. He had a frown on his face and I was made to feel like an obstruction to other customers.

“One of the shop attendants even started doubting my receipt,” Mr Odondi, a frustrated university student, told Money.

There is, however, a lot of truth in the old business slogan, customers are the oxygen that keeps your business alive, and the sooner your business adopts it, the better.

That simple man or woman passing by just to know the price of your goods needs your full attention and her ego must be fully massaged to get anything from her purse.

His/her satisfaction is your business continuity and success.

BRAND AMBASSADORS AND FREE MARKETING

In the era where customers are enlightened and business are engaged in cutthroat competition, customers change their trends, tastes and preferences depending on how different providers treat them.

Mr Macharia notes: “In some incidences, the customer may be in the wrong, but it takes intelligence to address the incidence making the customer feel a winner but yet the business meets compliance agenda of its policies and procedures.

“Good language spiced by a nice tone is good to have in such incidences and business must adopt this under any costs for survival purposes. It is called emotional intelligence. It is the same with what charismatic leaders apply.”

One business reality that is hard to ignore is that retaining the customers you have is easier than getting new ones.

Your delighted customers defend a brand in the market against all odds which protects the corporate image of your business.

This actually saves you the burden to market the business since the wow experience spreads fast and woos even more customers for you.

The old ones become repeat customers and your sales targets can never be hard to meet even in tough economic times.

Bad experiences to customers spread even faster and wider. The negative effects is disastrous and the damage is hard to repair.

LITTLE GESTURES MATTER

“A little euphemism goes a long way to create a therapeutic effect to the customer’s soul and is a good ingredient in any business enterprise. Words such as sorry, thank you and please pamper emotions of customers and make them more loyal,” advises Kenneth Amwayi, a banker, in Nairobi.

The father-of-one, who has been in the field scouting for customers for years, at one point in his career believes that businesses must keep the good image even when customers default.

He adds that acts of kindness such as calling the customer to get their feedback makes them feel important and valued.

“I once gave a customer a branded pen and a Christmas card; he not only brought in more people but also became a diehard of the bank. These little gestures work miracles,” says Mr Amwayi.

COMPLAINTS HANDLING

Customer complaints spread like wildfire. Depending on how you handle the situation, you may well be extinguishing fire with petrol.

Sheila Lubia has been a customer service officer for a busy enterprise at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

And she has witnessed how simple complaints that have been poorly handled have caused big losses.

“With the advent of twitter and Facebook, customers can capture the bad experience and take it viral. The spread of bad news in the internet hurts the brand a lot.

“For instance, one customer was ignored by an officer who kept chatting on her phone; little did she know that she was being recorded. Well, the damage it caused the business cannot be compared to the fact that she lost her job,” says Ms Lubia cautiously.

It is most probable that you know the fact that the customer is your boss.

Ignoring your boss, talking harshly to the boss, delaying the boss and making the boss feel less important would only help drive you out of business.

Every focus the business makes must glide towards pleasing the customer and bringing more to the business.

Their perception about your business is the truth and the sooner you realise that, the more you have the chances to grow.

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Good customer experience action points

• Keep time. Traffic and loss of direction on the appointment date belong to the Stone Age. Time is money, and money is why you are in business.
• Make reliable communication channels and please have them managed. Having a round-the-clock call centre is one thing and responding to the calls, emails and tweets is another.
• Be in a position to rate your product quality. Invest in customer surveys and monitor your customer trends to know whether you are losing or adding customer base. Then act accordingly.
• Communication is not only verbal. About 55 per cent or more is body language and it is not what you say to the customer but how you say it that matters most.
• Keep your cool and admit when you are wrong. Apologise and reassure then act. They are your bosses, lest you forget.