Extraordinary Service: The Key to More Customers, More Sales and More Profits

How many times in the last 30 days have you been treated poorly by a business? The University of Michigan Business School recently released the results of the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The index, which is based on interviews with 16,000 customers of 200 companies in 33 industries, has shown declining satisfaction with service in each quarter since it began in 1994.

Here are ten ideas to assist you in enhancing your relationship with your customers and the level of service they receive from your business.

1. Make Lasting First Impressions - From the moment potential customers walk through the front door or call your store on the phone, they are making a decision if they are going to do business with you. Greet the customer with enthusiasm and a smile, welcome them into your business as you would a friend into your home. Reinforce the importance of a warm and friendly greeting with all of your employees.

2. Ask The Customer - Survey your customers by mail or phone. Ask your customers to list three reasons why they like doing business with you and three reasons why they don't like doing business with you. Ask them for suggestions of what you can do to improve the service you provide. Ask them what other products they would like to see you carry in your store. It will send a clear message to your customers that you value their feedback and their business.

3. Mystery Shop Your Business - Hire a company to secretly shop your store. They can provide you with feedback from a customer's perspective on what it was like doing business with your store. Use  the information gathered from mystery shopping to evaluate the question, "are we creating a memorable shopping experience for our customers?" Use mystery shopping to shop your competitors for their service and price comparison. Mystery shopping can provide invaluable information on attracting and keeping new customers.

4. Remember Special Dates - When was the last time any company that you have done business with remembered a significant date in your life? Build a profile on each of your customers. Ask them to provide you with birthdays and anniversaries. In recognition of their birthday or annual anniversary as a customer, send them a card or a small gift from your store.

5. Give Them Added Value - The average business spends six times as much money attracting new customers as it does retaining existing customers. Invest in your existing customers. Set up a frequent buyers club offering additional savings to regular customers, hold a customer appreciation day and once a year send each one of your regular customers a free gift. It's that little added value that says you care about your customers.

6. Make Your Employees Owners In The Company - People work harder and care more about customers when they feel like they have ownership in the business. Create an incentive plan that lets them share in profits. Reward and recognize their commitment to customer satisfaction often.

7. Measure What's Relevant - You cannot tell people to do their best and then just how their best is good enough. You (and they) have to know how they're doing and where they can improve.

8. Show Appreciation - When was the last time you received a thank you note or received a heartfelt "thank you" for spending your hard-earned money with a business? Look your customer in the eyes and say, "Thank you for doing business with me." Send thank you notes and incentive gifts to your customers to tell them how much you value their business.

9. Keep In Touch With Your Customers - How often do you hear from the insurance agent that handles all of your insurance needs, or the real estate agent that sold you a house, or the countless other businesses that have provided you a product or service? Do you remember their names and refer them to other people you know? You do if they keep in contact with you. Call at least five customers a week just to keep in touch with them. Send out a monthly or quarterly newsletter. Let them know about other products and services you offer, along with tips and ideas on how to maximize their health and longevity.

10. Taking Care of The Customer is Everyone's Job - Whether it's the person stocking shelves or the person behind the cash register, empower your employees to handle a customer's complaint or request on the spot. Train your employees  how to handle unhappy customers and how to personally walk the customer to an item they are requesting.

We all want to feel that the companies we spend our money with really care about us. Pick one idea and put it into action at your store.