A smile goes a long way
I was reading with interest a report from Cisco last week that polled 1,000 owner/managers of UK SMEs about the importance of customer service.
Yirrell: Moaning may be bad for you and those around you
Unsurprisingly, 88 per cent questioned in the vendor’s Customer Kings study said good customer service is paramount and that the personal touch makes all the difference.
As a consumer, any company that actually remembers my name and treats me like a human being will immediately get my repeat custom. I’m sure I’m not alone in that thinking.
Reassuringly, a third of companies surveyed were happy with the service they received from their channel partners. This still leaves some room for improvement, but is a step in the right direction.
Interestingly, 47 per cent of those surveyed also believed that miserable employees should be removed from an organisation.
Most firms have a resident grouch, but it is quite something to hear that their jobs could be under threat because of it.
There is nothing worse than meeting a person who projects a constant feeling of doom and gloom. Most people would run a mile rather than do business with such a negative character.
Happy employees are key to any company’s success, and this is dependent on how they are treated by their own employers.
Good staff should be made to feel valued. The happier the employees, the more encouraging they are to potential customers who in turn will spend much-needed money.
Sara Yirrell is editor of CRN