Customer relations when the going gets tough

You don’t have to be ‘on top of things’ to know that we’re going through a difficult period. Confidence it almost at an all time low and customer satisfaction seems something from the past. A lot of companies are thankfull for the customers they have, that keep doing business with them and basically help them get through some tough times.

customer-relations These are the companies that have spend considerable resources trying to please their customers. They worked hard on every customer they had and are now picking the fruits of their hard labour. But not every company had the same agenda, had the resources or the time and money to do this.

1. If you really screwed up, acknowledge that you did something wrong. In a time where everyone points to someone else to blame it’s a relieve to see a company take responsibility. If you missed a delivery date, if the product wasn’t good enough or if the service was horrible. Take the hit.

2. Really focus on the customers you have. New customers are important, but they’re harder to find. And don’t forget that you can pick up a lot by word-of-mouth through your current customers.

3. Don’t overwhelm your customer with information. People are having an information overload right now. Right now, people have a lower tolerance for bullshit, if you spam them they’ll go away. Choose your information moments carefully and if you get a ‘no’, don’t be too persistent.

4. Give the right information. One of the reasons we’re in this financial mess is because of wrong information, look where it got them. If the right information means you have to ‘admit’ to certain information, so be it. There’ll be less discussion afterwards.

5. Try not to sell, try to help. Almost every company keeps a tight budget right now, so be honest with them and with yourself. If they don’t really need or can use what you are selling, don’t sell it to them. Sooner or later, during some budgetmeeting, the question will pop up why the hell they bought something and it won’t be a positive discussion.

Thanks so much for reading. Feel free to add anything.

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