Exceptional companies stand out in a positive way in the hearts and minds of their customers.
They accomplish this feat by delivering high-quality customer service on a consistent basis.
Consumers have a variety of businesses from which to choose when they’re in the market for a certain product or service. They’re increasingly discerning with their hard-earned money when looking to satisfy their individual wants and needs. It’s important to consistently deliver high-quality products and services to stand out.
Take a moment and consider your recent experiences in spending financial resources. Of your last 10 experiences:
- How many companies stood out as exceptional?
- How many were mediocre?
- How many of those experiences were downright poor?
Most likely, the majority of your experiences were mediocre, a few poor and even fewer exceptional
Now, reflect on the defining qualities that created each of these experiences:
- Did you feel welcome and appreciated?
- Were you treated with dignity and respect?
- Did the product or service you purchased exceed your wants and needs?
- Will you buy from this company again?
- Would you, without hesitation, refer your family and friends to these companies?
- Did they provide good value?
- Are you happy you did business with these establishments?
In your honest answers to these and other questions you ask of yourself lies your secret to greater professional success. By understanding what you value most in your experiences and duplicating them for your customers, your company will stand out. In turn, you’ll benefit from increased referrals and become more successful.
Your business can consistently deliver high-quality products and services for years. But it only takes one paltry experience for a regular customer to stop doing business with you and then share that experience with countless others. It costs next to nothing to earn high-quality referrals from your customers, but it’s costly to have consumers think poorly of you and your business.
Consistency in several key areas is vital to
operating and building a standout business.
It’s your commitment to excellence and consistency that enables you to maintain that position over time.
Exceptional Customer Service
Creating exceptional customer service experiences on a consistent basis begins with the owners. When those who’ve brought the company into existence are honest and endeavor to give their customers more reasons to say “yes” and fewer reasons to say “no,” the likelihood of operating an extraordinary company increases.
A Caring Team
When a company hires managers and team members who care, they create a team of people who hold themselves personally accountable to delivering exceptional customer experiences. In contrast, when team members don’t work with the intention of being their best and caring for customers — both in their attitudes and behaviors — customers sense that, the business reputation is tarnished and revenues are lost.
Training and Skill Development
If you want to help your team members be their best on a consistent basis, it’s imperative to offer ongoing training and skill development in relationship-building, communication, customer service, leadership, listening and sales. Effective training will position your company to operate at the highest standards and meet and even exceed the desires of your growing clientele. By instilling and supporting a positive mindset and helping them to develop the necessary skills, your caring team members will be positioned to deliver an exceptional experience every time they connect with your valuable customers.
Making it Right
Operating a standout company isn’t about being perfect. It is, however, about the pursuit of excellence and giving your absolute best day in and day out. When you or your team drop the ball with a customer, your integrity must step in — no matter what — and make it right for the patron who makes your business possible.
It’s the quality of each customer experience that matters most.
The critical ingredients of a consistently exceptional experience are exceptional people, exceptional products and exceptional services. Get these right on a consistent basis and your business will always stand out as one of the greats in the hearts and minds of your customers.
To learn more about this topic or discuss your unique situation, schedule a FREE EXPLORATORY SESSION by filling out the form below or submitting your information on our Contact Request Form.
This article was written for and published in collaboration with The Business Times newspaper. Access the article here.
