One of the great tasks of a business owner, as I see it, is to be the one who sets a direction for the communication of your business’ message. It’s become quite a task with so many consumers and clients having their own “bullhorn” (if you will) on social media, blogs, etc.
CLARITY in your communications has become a critically-important skill for the business owner, especially if you deal with consumers.
(And, btw, a great, pithy little post that I saw by Seth Godin from last weekend talks about this clarity issue quite well: http://bit.ly/1L4myDx)
But, I thought I’d still meditate on this a bit this week — yes, accountants aren’t exactly known as great communicators as a tribe, but I hope you’re seeing that we’re not exactly your grandfather’s accountants, are we?
So, here are my thoughts.
Venuti On Creating Clear Customer Service Expectations
“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” – Jim Rohn
Over the course of each year, I get a couple phone calls from clients who think they are not getting perfect service from us (and a whole lot more that tell me the happy opposite, I’m glad to be able to say).
I’ve learned that this is par for the course — and not to panic about it.
Almost all of these calls start with, ‘I read in your newsletter that client service is important to you, and I just wanted you to know…’ or ‘A few months ago when I was on hold I heard that you wanted me to call you if I had a problem that wasn’t being taken care of…’ etc.
Sure, nobody likes getting calls like this but in another way I love complaints.
What’s the alternative? For most businesses, the customer really doesn’t want the hassle of complaining. The customer who doesn’t care enough about you or your staff to say anything. The customer who goes to the competition, and not only doesn’t recommend you to others, but perhaps “badmouths” you. Sure, I don’t like getting these calls, but I love clients who give us the opportunity to make them happy.
Here’s my advice: Find as many ways as you can to tell your customers that you want to know if they are not happy.
But if you’re going to ask for input from customers, you need to act when you get it. Every client who writes to us or emails us at our firm, whether it’s a good comment or a complaint, gets a response. And we do everything we can to fix the problem.
Again, every chance you have, tell your customers you want to hear from them if they’re not totally happy. This signals something about your business which is actually quite refreshing, in my experience! Tell them when they are on hold on the telephone. Tell them with signs in your store or office. Tell them in your advertising. Tell them when you communicate via email. Tell them on your web site. Tell them every way you can.
Of course, another reason you want to ask for those complaints is so you can fix the things that went wrong in the first place… but there’s another great reason.
Your team members aren’t likely to forget your customer service expectations when they know that your customers know them and that you want your customers to tell you when they don’t get excellent service.
I’m personally dedicated to your success. Can other accountants say that?
Feel very free to share this article with a Newtown Square, PA business associate or client you know who could benefit from our assistance — or simply send them our way? While these particular articles usually relate to business strategy, as you know, we specialize in tax preparation and planning for Newtown Square, PA families and business owners. And we always make room for referrals from trusted sources like you.
Warmly (and until next week),
Stephen Venuti
610-353-0686
Stephen J. Venuti, CPA, MST, LLC
