“Delivering good customer service shouldn’t require a focus
group or study by Harvard Business Review Magazine!”
-Tony Rubleski

Here’s the premise of my thought: great customer service makes dollars and common sense for every business to strive for, especially when getting new and repeat business is the lifeblood of every organization. Surprisingly though, poor customer service is still the norm in many businesses and it simply should not be tolerated.

New customer acquisition is tough enough these days as prospects are jaded, skeptical and picky when looking for someone to work with for the first time, or when they’ve become dissatisfied and looking for a fresh alternative.

Here are five powerful and instructive reasons why superior customer service is vital to marketing success. If marketing is the oxygen of every organization, great service is like the blood which flows to support the entire body. It’s essential that they work together in tandem and not in opposition.

#1. Word-of-mouth marketing online and offline is either your friend or foe. Exceptional service pays off in multiple ways that far too many people downplay or continue to ignore at their peril. When done well, people talk about you and it costs nothing, but it can pay off in a big way.

When done badly, poor service spreads much quicker especially in the age of instant communications. Tick off a customer today, without offering up a happy resolution quickly, and you risk that the unhappy person will go online and find potentially several hundred, if not thousands of people, to tell and turn against you (See enclosed article reprint regarding disgruntled college student and local towing company). The choice is yours.

#2. Better service = more referrals. This should be common sense but many businesses, non-profit leaders and sales people still don’t get it! The customer of today expects and wants to be appreciated for their patronage and relationship. Again, if you do this well, they’ll tell others they know and become your unpaid sales force in the form of referrals and continued repeat business. Yes, these little details do make a world of difference.

#3. Happier employees often translate to happy customers. Every person on your staff is the “Director of First Impressions” whether they know it or not. Well trained, valued, and respected employees are a non-negotiable in today’s turbulent economy. It can take years to win a customer and only seconds to lose them.

A grumpy or distracted employee is far more dangerous than your biggest competitor. The competition you’re often aware of and can keep an eye out for. However, a disgruntled employee can often hang around like an undetected cancer that slowly takes over the body (your business) and hopefully can be caught and treated (put on a plan or fired) in time before it’s too late.
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