At a seminar for the Naas Chamber of Commerce  this week I highlighted a shocking statistic from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This is  regarded as the worlds most reliable and robust measure.

Since 1994, when the survey began, at least 25% of customers were unsatisfied by what they were receiving from businesses set up to serve them.

Now that’s in one of the world’s most competitive economies. The key question is what is the score for your business ? If you match this number it means that at least a quarter of your customers are unsatisfied. I don’t know what is going in your business but I’d hazard a guess that this represents both your biggest threat and your biggest opportunity.

So what to do ?

A key first step is to look at your business and ask yourself what level you are at.

Brian Tracy highlights 4 Levels of Customer Satisfaction:-

Level 1 – You meet expectations. This is the basic requirement for staying in business. When your customers purchase from you they expect certain levels of service both explicit and implicit.

Clearly, what they have purchased needs to deliver the benefits they were promised. They expect courtesy, to be billed promptly and accurately, to have any query answered swiftly, timeliness etc. This is different for each business but you must know what these are. Meeting these levels simply keeps you in the game, it does not build any loyalty to you nor allow you to raise prices.

Level 2 – Exceed expectations. This level moves you beyond mere survival. What do you do that makes your customers feel warm & positive toward you ? This can be something very simple like calling your customer a few days after purchase to check in that everything is OK. Simply by asking you have raised yourself above your competitive set. Another idea is to deliver on some critical non-essentials. Speaking recently to a few friends, a lady stated that her reason for using her hairdresser was the fact that they had a quiet room were she could relax for a few moments.  What can you do ?

Level 3 – Delight your customers. A florist I was speaking with has a thriving business with weddings. Her flowers are great but the thing that impressed me was the insight into her customer. She delivers the day before and taking the time to talk and reassure the bride to be. On the day itself she ensures that she is at the church when the bride arrives just to make sure the flowers (and everything else) are just fine. I’m pretty sure that she delights her customers and receives referral after referral on the back of it. Is there something in your business that you could do ?

Level 4 – Amaze your customers. At this level you do something for your customer that is beyond their imagination. They are so impressed that they can’t help but tell everyone they know.

A great example of this comes from Federal Express. In delivering a parcel into the mountain town of Breckenridge, the road was closed due to high snowfall. The local manager hired a helicopter costing $7,500 and delivered the parcel. To the customer’s amazement, the Federal Express manager stated that they “valued keeping their promises more than the money”. That story has been retold thousands of times.

By doing something extraordinary, you create a lifetime of loyalty.

Some of this may seem obvious but that is exactly the point. The obvious isn’t the norm. Being aware of the levels and putting in place a plan to raise them reaps big rewards. It is low risk, high reward but that doesn’t make it easy.

Small changes make a huge difference and can transform your business.

If you want to understand more how you can raise your level call me today on (086-393-5437) or email me at gmoxom@focalpointcoaching.com