In some cases, one employee may be the reason customers come back. Acuff says he always stays at the Marriott Courtyard (MAR Quote - Cramer on MAR - Stock Picks) when in Philadelphia instead of a ritzier hotel because of one reason: the night clerk, Donna. "Every time I go there, she makes me feel like I'm the only person staying there. Once, I lost my keys to my car rental. She was going off her shift and offered to drive me to my client. As long as Donna is there, I am going to stay at the Marriott Courtyard."
Live, Breathe Customer Service
While it's important that frontline employees make customer service a priority, it's just as important for management to share the same mindset. Otherwise, these employees will feel like it's just another directive from corporate that will likely change in a few months.
Borrow From the Competition
Study the competition and don't be afraid to adopt their tactics to better your interaction with clients. Before Joe Pritchard started his own business representing photographers, he worked with one lensman who made a habit of preparing meals for clients. While all were busy with the photo shoot, the meal would be cooking, filling the studio with delicious smells. Today, when a client works with
Joseph Reps Inc., Joe has a chef whipping up a meal onsite or at his offices.
Adds Pritchard, "In this business, you're only as good as your last shoot. At this level, when dealing with national and international clients like
OfficeMax (OMX Quote - Cramer on OMX - Stock Picks), you're expected to take care of them during the shoot, prior to the shoot, even after the shoot. If there wasn't a vegetarian meal during the shoot, for example, that client may not come back."
Learn to Let Go
Sometimes, there's a customer you just can't satisfy. Rather than continue to bend over backward, and perhaps alienate your employees, be strong enough to end that relationship. Jordan Adler, CEO of
Scriblink, had to tell a client "no" when he wanted to be able to customize the online whiteboard with mathematical symbols.
First, says Adler, this ability would have appealed only to that client, who was a math tutor. Secondly, as a start-up with a certain amount of funds, he had to invest in requests that other clients would find useful, such as a phone conferencing feature, VoIP. That way, people collaborating on a project can speak to each directly from their computers. Adds Adler, who is also the cofounder of a guide to Manhattan parking lots, "The customer isn't always right."
If you have a story idea, email lan.thestreet@hotmail.com.
Lan Nguyen
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