With every interaction and transaction, a business gives its customers a positive, neutral or negative feeling. The last two have no place in a thriving company, while the first is a necessary component to happiness and success.
In all likelihood, you can recall some experiences as a consumer that left you with a positive, if not a great, feeling. The value you received during these interactions endeared you to these companies, creating loyalty and repeat business. The money and time you spent was well worth it, and you walked away with a positive, satisfied and happy feeling.
You’ve also likely engaged businesses that left you wishing you had never walked through their doors. In most cases, this may have been because of the poor customer service you received, an inferior product or bad and uncaring attitudes.
Even if your experience was a neutral one – not negative, but not positive either – the trust and loyalty that is so vital for customers to have was not nurtured in you.
What business can afford the negative impact on its customers, and therefore the bottom line, from the lack of positive experiences? No matter the economic environment, customers matter, and the unhappy ones tend to have a far greater negative impact on your reputation and business success.
So, where does the quality of the experience your customers receive start?
If you answered at the top with you, the business owner, then you are correct. You are the leader of your company. This means that all of your team members take their cues for behavior and performance directly from you. Your attitude and behavior set the standard in your organization.
When the owner of a business truly cares about people, they will endeavor to provide them – both team members and customers alike – with the best experience possible.
These leaders understand that when their team feels good about the people and company they work for, they will have a greater tendency to impart those same good feelings to patrons through a positive attitude and exceptional customer service. They know their well-chosen and highly trained staff will likely follow their lead and strive to give each and every customer a great experience.
The wisest business owners, the ones who “lead” rather than “boss,” hire people with a good skill set and more importantly a caring and positive attitude. In addition, these leaders create and work to maintain an uplifting and supportive work environment that fosters the positive attitudes of their fellow team members. By doing so, engagement goes up, and team members feel they are part of a solid team who, together, consistently deliver a positive experience to each customer.
Along the road of business, you will encounter team members who prove to be unable or unwilling to maintain a positive and caring attitude. In these cases, your best choice is to let these “bad apples” go. Negative team members are like a cancer within any organization, damaging the morale of the team, diminishing customer relations and ultimately hurting the business.
You will also experience customers that are never satisfied, no matter how well you serve them. They will always find something to complain about and some reason to bring negativity into your business. Toxic customers, just like negative and uncaring team members, must be let go of. Otherwise, you risk contaminating the positive experience your company provides and subjecting your team members to unjust treatment.
In return for receiving a good feeling from your business, most customers you serve will be fiercely loyal to your brand. They will refer potential new customers and may even assist in negating any bad-mouthing you may be experiencing.
All of this leads back to and affects the bottom-line of your business. This will result in more sales and a feeling of accomplishment in providing a consistent, high-quality experience.
The majority of customers and team members have attitudes that contribute to a positive two-way experience. When you hire people with great attitudes, then supply them with training, support and a positive work environment, you have set the stage for exceptional customer service, the kind that leaves customers feeling great about your business.
Give yourself and your business the gift of an honest self-appraisal. If you find that your leadership style, current team, work environment or your customer service could benefit from the support of a qualified coaching professional, then take that next step and invest in your excellence.
The success of your company and the happiness of everyone involved is on the line.
