Business musings...

Cars and coffee. Both subtle indicators of your brand…

Too flashy a car and clients might feel they are paying you too much. But, if you drive an old banger, you could well be perceived as unsuccessful and therefore hardly a safe bet to work with.

And what about your coffee? In a world where establishments serving real coffee lie on every street corner, might your coffee be undermining your brand? Increasingly, I find that people expect the same quality coffee in business meetings as they can get on the high street.

I’m not saying these criteria are fair judgments but they do seem to happen. Might be something to think about.

Becoming aware of how areas within your business communicate with your customers is vital if you want to convey a consistent message about your brand/business.

The difficulty is that your customers don’t just read the words you write, or hear what you say about your business. They tend to read a whole lot more into every single interaction with your business. Both consciously and unconsciously. They even read things into the interactions they don’t have, or the things you don’t do.

Some examples…

• Shabby carpet in a reception area.
  Customer perception: Maybe your business isn’t doing very well if you can’t afford a new carpet.
• Taking a long time to answer the phone.
  Customer perception: Maybe you don’t actually want my business.
  
• Old fashioned branding.
  Customer perception: Maybe you are just an old fashioned company delivering out-of-date solutions.

Becoming aware of what your business is saying about itself can be hard when you’re so close to it, but with some outside help you can train yourself into noticing again. Try interacting with your business as if you were a customer – how does it make you feel? What would you be thinking if you saw or experienced those things in another business? Ask your friends, family, colleagues and customers what they think about your business.  Listen to their honest opinions.  Then aim to change the things you can.

Being confident that your business is communicating what you want to communicate is a great place to be.  Don’t let your business undermine what it is you really want to say!

The Problem

I wanted to book a van into the local tip at short notice to dispose of an old fridge whilst I still had the van on hire. Surely not too much to ask on a Friday morning? It wasn’t going to be that busy, was it?

I rang the City Council hotline, only to be told I have to book 24-hours in advance. Any chance of changing the rules just this once? Surely they had spaces left?

“Sorry sir, they print out the booking sheet at the beginning of every day. They won’t pick up your booking until tomorrow.”

A good reason for the 24-hour booking rule? I don’t think so!

A prime example of systems first, customer second. The frustrating thing is, it would be so easy to fix!

A Solution

There are lots of solutions! Solutions aren’t the problem these days with the continued advance of technology. You can get systems to do what you want, when you want. And with an increasing number of technology platforms, you can provide access to them far more easily.

THE CHEAP AND CHEERFUL SOLUTION: The easiest and cheapest solution I came up with was emailing or texting new booking details from the central call centre to a pay as you go mobile located at the entrance to the tip. The booking details are then added to their paper list; job done!

WHAT THE CUSTOMER WOULD REALLY LIKE: However, in the world of business excellence and web technology, what customers expect is probably far beyond that. How about real-time telephone and online booking for your slot; online cancellations; postcode eligibility checking; text message reminders; and (if required for businesses) integrated payment system? And, at the tip, how about a rugged handheld Windows Mobile device with 3G access to check visitors off in real-time and keep up-to-date with bookings?

Worried about the cost? Factoring in the time saved at the call centre, higher tip utilisation, shorter waiting lists, plus the fact that a system like the above wouldn’t actually cost the earth to set up, you might be surprised at the speed with which you get a return on investment. You also have happy customers. And they’re priceless!

You wouldn’t catch us doing that!

It’s easy fall into the trap of making customers work around your systems, rather than the other way round. We get numb to our own systems because we use them all day, every day. Our customers don’t! It will never be possible to delight your customers by making them work around you.

Customer Service First

By working around your customers and exceeding their expectations, you’ll pave the way to increased customer loyalty and positive word of mouth – both highly valuable commodities!

Systems can, and must, come second.

Technology and systems are, after all, adaptable and upgradable. Customers usually are not!

Try exploring your business through the eyes of a customer. What would frustrate you if you were on the receiving end of your business? How much of a difference would it make to you as a customer if the business had put your experience first?

Ask your customers how they experience your business. Ask them if there is anything they feel could be improved. Listen to that feedback.

Find out how much it would cost to make the changes.

Implement the improvements, and watch your customers smile.