Great Customer Service
How important is great customer service to you? As wedding planning has become a second full-time job, I have really had some experiences with customer service. Some experiences were good and others were just horrible. The companies that treated me well were prompt, efficient and friendly. The companies that did not have customer service were late on orders, non-responsive on follow up and rude and unapologetic when approached.
The companies that had great customer service were that way because there were systems in place. I would send in an order, get an order confirmation and a friendly email informing me that the order was being processed. A few days later, I would get another email with a tracking number that I could click on to link to UPS or FedEx and see exactly where my package is.
The companies that had poor customer service had trickier websites and longer waiting times. They would send me an email a few days after I placed my order, saying the order was being processed. I would then hear nothing until days later, when I finally called to see where my order was. They would never email back right away either. Instead, it would take a couple days and often, some would say, “Oh, it’s out of stock.” Others would say it will ship in a couple of days, or the order was still being processed. The out-of-stock response just kills me. It’s like, could you perhaps let me know that before I place the order? The companies that said that it would be arriving soon would then send me an email with no link to track the package, which would finally arrive later than expected. A couple of them even contacted me and said that they could not fulfill my request! I can’t even imagine how these companies stay in business.
Anyway, this leads me to the point that in real estate, it is highly important to provide good customer service because this directly reflects how your company operates and is viewed. Bad customer service breeds bad reviews which breeds bad business or no business. A reputation for great customer service will spread fast and serve your company well. As real estate agents, it is extremely important to give your clients good customer service. Great customer service goes a long way!
Government Workers
It is hard not to read the news or watch a news programs without something about government workers and the challenges they are currently facing. At one time or another, we've all complained about trying to provide information or get information from a government agency and the frustrations we feel. One thing we don’t often think of is what their job must be like.
When we think of government workers we often think of them in terms of lazy, not very motivated and just waiting for the day to end so they can punch out and go home. As with any type of job there are people like that and they can be found in every industry. But there are also those workers who are committed to their chosen profession and work hard to satisfy their customer-the general public.
Recently I had the experience of contacting one of our state agencies needing assistance in licensing several individuals for our real estate company. Initially I thought this would be a long, drawn-out process where I would be continually asked for more information and fall down the rabbit hole, never to be heard from again. To my surprise this government worker was pleasant and actually was genuinely interested in helping me. I explained the situation to her and what was needed. She proceeded to offer advice on how to expedite the process with limited documentation, helpful hints on how to properly fill out the required paperwork and where to send it to for processing. As I sat dumbfounded and a little embarrassed about what I was expecting just a few minutes before, she asked if I had any other questions or if she could be of further help, then to top it all off she actually said “thanks for calling and have a nice day." Next time you need assistance from one of our government workers take a different attitude. You might be surprised with the results.
Satisfied Customers
What do customers want? Satisfied customers, no matter what type of business you are in is the key to success. Any business to be successful must stand out offering the best customer service and creating satisfied customers over their competition without regard to price. When your focus is on price and price alone there will always be someone out there who will beat you. Extensive research has been done and customers will put service ahead of price, if given the chance.
Many people in the real estate business believe price is the only motivation when working with buyers. Nothing is further from the truth and the most successful real estate agents who have made their living selling real estate will tell you satisfied customers are what it is all about. Securing customers for the long term is how many businesses survive even in the toughest of economic times. But why do some businesses prosper and others fail? Research shows there are five areas that keeps customers satisfied.
- Knowledgeable and available staff-accurate information when they want it by people who know what they are talking about.
- Friendly people-not only savvy sales people but value each customer more than an individual sale.
- Good value-price is only one component and not the most important.
- Convenience-make it easy!
- Fast finish-once buying decision is made complete the transaction and follow up.
If you give people what they want, the way they want it, follow through with a fast finish, you are much more likely to turn them into satisfied customers and your business will flourish.
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