I enjoyed the feature “Does your marketing serve?” (March, p28). Before the recent recession, the customer was king. Customer relationship management systems were all the rage, and companies were tripping over themselves to provide the best client experience.
Now, however, the focus for many organisations has switched to cost reduction and even corner cutting. Although attempts to uphold good customer practice remain, many companies have found their efforts have been compromised by the need to be lean.
What customers want to know is that a company is listening, that they are taking complaints onboard and that something is being done. This is not just about addressing individual complaints, but instead understanding that these problems often indicate the need for a fundamental change so that others don’t experience the same issue. A company that can engage, listen and act on customer feedback holds a very powerful marketing message.
It is widely accepted that disgruntled customers can be turned into loyal brand advocates when their issues are addressed in a satisfactory and pro-active manner – and this includes identifying complainants “venting” through social media and visibly making the effort to engage with them and attend to their concerns.
Good service relies on appreciation of more than just the obvious channels – organisations need to ensure they are listening and reacting to what is being said, as well as being able to identify specific issues that need to be addressed individually through whichever channel the customer finds appropriate.
If a customer complaint is handled well and swiftly, such good favour can not only save a business lost sales, but actually generate more sales – a reputation of excellent customer service can be so unusual that it spreads rapidly.
to magazine
