Issue 094: What's your perspective - Is customer service part of sales?
Is customer service part of sales and client retention? What are your thoughts? Someone recently shared, "customer service isn’t part of sales."
We have the privilege of having our own perspectives depending on our experiences. Having been in a commission-based sales position before, I have a different viewpoint. And two poor customer experiences last week confirmed my perspective.
When I worked for the national on-your-site builder, we had something called DFTs; the deal-fell-through. As my income relied on sales, I was not too fond of DFTs to put it mildly. So, I tracked my DFTs, the cause of my DFTs, and always included a follow-up call with my clients to nail down the reason for the deals falling through after they left my hands.
Tracking metrics is the only way we can make improvements. For example, although 29 percent of the loss of the contracts occurred because of land issues, 71 percent occurred because of customer service issues. Once a client shared the project manager told her he was too busy to answer her questions. Once a customer service coordinator said to a customer, "it was a pain in the butt to build a house."
Both clients canceled their contracts. Think about it. Who wants to work with a company whose employee thinks what she does is a pain?! Who wants to work with a manager who says he's too busy to answer questions and doesn’t give an option?!
Last week, I went through a bank’s drive-through window. I was the only one in any of the lanes, and I placed my documents into the tube and pushed send. One of my favorite songs came on the radio as I waited. Then, another song played, and another and another. Finally, four songs later, the intercom voice says, "You want to deposit this?" When she sent the tube with the receipt back, she gave a quick "thanks" in a rushed tone.
According to Spotify, the average song length is 3 minutes and 17 seconds. That's a little over 13 minutes of a customer waiting to hear the first word from an employee. A similar experience happened three days later at another bank.
In this great resignation, I get that employees are overwhelmed and could be stretched too thin. There's no question about it. However, that challenge aside, a simple explanation and a "thank you for your patience" would have gone a long way. Customers want to be valued. Poor communication was the issue in these three circumstances.
Our words have power. It's how we use those words that can make a difference for our clients.
Bounce-Up™ Momentum Builder
Share your thoughts by hitting reply! We’d love to hear them.
Do you feel customer service is part of sales?
Do you believe communication can keep a customer coming back, or can it drive away a customer?
When has poor communication caused a poor customer experience for you?
Mj Happenings
March wrapped up with four different keynote programs. I was blessed to present Bounce-Up, Fearless Comebacks, Power Team, and Power of Words.
Last week, I facilitated a quarterly meeting with eight extraordinary non-profit executives who make a difference every day in their communities.
On April 13th, my newest book, 13 Simple Client Follow-Up Strategies, hits Amazon! Woohoo!
Until next time, remember to Power-Up, Play-Up, and Bounce-Up™!
Mj
P.S. Do you have a Bounce-Up story you'd like to share? Leave a comment or email me and share it.
