… First…. NewsFlash! NewsFlash!….

We’re so excited to deliver this very special announcement on behalf of Jo and Greg

This past Saturday, June 1, Jo gave birth to her gorgeous and very healthy little button: James Edward (9 lbs 12 oz). Everyone is doing fine, and Daddy Greg is just thrilled, as are we!

And… On with the Blog…

So… you’ve spent time creating products, or designing the right services that serve your ideal prospects’ wants and needs. You know your stuff is awesome… so why aren’t more people raving about you? And why is it that customers don’t return again and again?

Aside from focusing on getting traffic to your website (which should be your #1 priority!) have you ever given any thought to how easy (or difficult!) it is for your customers to buy your products or services from you… and the experience they receive from you when they do?

Think about it for a minute. Can you recall purchases you’ve made… or attempted to make online recently?

Was the sales process so effortless that it barely registered that you were buying something? Did the company follow up well and make you feel they cared about you?

Or… was the process so clunky and long winded that you wanted to give up?! Then once you had paid your money, they didn’t seem to care less about you?!

You know… it’s your job to exceed their expectations!

But do you know which one applies to your business?

There are many different components to a successful sales process and one of these is customer service.

Sales=Service

You’ve sold your product/service, so what else is there?

Your customers get something else out of buying from you… their customer service experience.

Why your customers might feel great about buying from you:

  • Your product or service has fulfilled their needs
  • Your product or service (and you) have changed their life… they’ve now become huge fans and will recommend you to all their friends.

Dealing with your business was a fun and easy experience.

3 reasons why your customers don’t return

  • They’ve got the product or service they wanted, but felt bullied and pushed into the decision
  • Your sales process was so awkward and frustrating that they go elsewhere and buy from your competitor who makes it easy for them to do so
  • They didn’t feel that you cared about them

When you’re evaluating your customer care process, there are two questions to ask about the customer experience:

  • What experience do you want your customers to have when they deal with your business?
  • What level of expectations might the customer have of your customer experience?

Let’s look at an example:

If you want to make it easy for customers to buy from you, have you actually checked recently to see how easy it is?

  • How many screens or clicks do they have to go through on your website to buy? (think of Amazon with their one-click buying),
  • How many times do they have to enter their information? (every time they buy or do they have an account online with you that stores their buying information?)
  • Do your sales people on the phone provide them with clear information about how to get their product?
  • Are there things about your sales process that make it hard to buy?
  • How quickly do they receive the product?

Look honestly at your customers’ experience of your business through their eyes. Are they actually receiving the level of customer service you believe or want them to be getting?

Is there a step in the process that is letting your business down? Act now to plug that hole, and make sure that anyone in your business who deals with customers is fully versed on your customer ethos.

What can you do this week to create a better customer experience?