Customer Satisfaction Tips from Kenya

Posted by Joni Holderman on Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 8:21pm.

Wanjiku Wangai of Kenya, owner of a small retail store, always handles customer complaints himself. “If I cannot deliver very good customer service my own self, how can I expect it of my employee?” he asks. “Besides, I learn a lot about how I can improve my business, when a customer complains. And they learn that we are committed to good service, from the top down.”

Pundits claim that it is 10 times harder - and 10 times more expensive - to get a new customer, then to retain an old customer. On average, a satisfied customer tells 3 friends about your product or service, while a dissatisfied customer tells 10 people about the negative experience. Psychologists tell us that humans have better memory for negative events than for positive ones - meaning the disappointed customer will remember the experience longer than the satisfied customer does.

With that in mind, here are some excellent tips to retain the customers you already have.

Train every employee to smile, be friendly and deliver great customer service. Especially when business is bad or times are tough, it is easy for the level of customer service to slip. Retrain employees regularly in customer service techniques.

Organize the business for the convenience of the customer, not the employees. Many business owners fall into the trap of letting the employees rule the roost. A restaurant may serve the special the chef feels like cooking. A hair stylist may give the customer the look the stylist prefers - not the look the customer wants. Remember that ultimately, pleasing the customers is the only way for the business to be successful.

Wangai adds that the old American adage, “the fish stinks from the head down” is true of customer service. A boss who leaves customer service to underlings will soon be boss of a failed business.

“One of our elderly customers complained that we offered low prices…but only on produce that was almost spoiled,” Wangai says. “She was right. We started offering a discount on the freshest produce to her and other regular customers - and now we have a lot more regular customers.”

No business should become complacent about customer service. Service is a product that is created fresh every day. When a company becomes too satisfied with the status quo, it is easy for them to stop offering excellent customer service. Customers will notice right away, and sales will decline.

Reward employees who deliver exceptional customer service with special privileges, small cash incentives, promotional items, a day off or other meaningful tokens. Simply praising exceptional employees in front of their peers is an excellent reward.

Excellent customer service also creates more business by inspiring your customers to refer their friends and relatives to you. Be sure to reward those referrals with a formal or informal incentive plan.