As a business, you may unknowingly be putting on a costume or facade that tarnishes how you interact with customers.

Frankenstein

Frankenstein is the classic monster built from a bunch of different parts. The result was a hideous creation that didn’t really work so well.

Your business is a Frankenstein if, to the customer, you appear as a hodge-podge collection of independent departments and divisions.

Your customers expect a unified experience with your company, regardless of your internal org chart and departments.

Don’t be Frankenstein.

Witch

Think of the wicked witch from Wizard of Oz. She had her signature cackle and always seemed to torment those around her.

Your company is a witch if, from the customer’s perspective, you are never giving them what they want.

You may be hiding behind company policies, or draconian procedures that make your customers’ lives miserable.

Don’t be a witch.

Dracula

The vampire Dracula could literally suck his victims dry. Are you sucking your customers dry?

Hidden charges, fees, penalties, unbreakable contracts, restocking fees, etc. can easily eat up all of your customer’s money.

Determine what is a fair price and stick to it.

You can upsell your customers but remember there is a difference between offering them something and forcing them to do something.

Don’t be Dracula.

Ghost

Ghosts are mysterious in that you don’t always see them. They come and they go without any rhyme or reason.

You are a ghost to your customers if you are an absentee business. If you never answer the phone, can’t be found behind the counter, and are almost impossible to reach, you might as well be a ghost.

Don’t be a ghost.

Who Should You Be?

Instead of being a monster or an evil creature to your customers, be something positive.

Perhaps you could be a:

• Transformer: changing to meet the needs of the customer.
• Fairy Godmother: helpful, making your customers’ wishes come true
• Buzz Lightyear: fighting for what is right and defending the galaxy from bad customer service

Remember, customers hate getting tricked and love treats, so act accordingly.

Happy Halloween!

I’ve got some bad news for you: you’re not perfect. You, your employees, and your business will make mistakes that directly impact your customers.

When you make a mistake, you may be tempted to hide it, ignore it, or even deny it.

Don’t run from your mistake.

You need to be proactive in addressing the issue and resolving the problem with the customer.

How you handle mistakes speaks volumes about you as a business.

The last time we had to get a battery for our van, we went to the nearest Sears auto center. They installed a new battery and about 30 minutes after we had gotten home, they called us on the phone.

Apparently, the mechanic had forgotten to tighten a bracket during the installation and they told us we should go back in and they would take care of it.

I took the van back, the mechanic apologized for his mistake, tightened the bracket, and I was on my way.

If Sears hadn’t been proactive in notifying me of the problem, I would have found out about it later.

The same is true of mistakes you make with customers. The mistake will be discovered eventually.

It is to your advantage to identify it, confess it, and fix it before the customer realizes there is a mistake.

This will show your customers that you actually care about them after they pay and have left your store or business and will help build a long-term relationship with them.

Once the issue is resolved, take a look at why the mistake happened and learn how you can prevent that mistake from happening again.

If you quote a price to a customer, you need to honor that price.

This may seem obvious, but unfortunately, we live in a day where people and companies don’t always live up to their commitments.

When you honor a quote you’ve given customers, it is an important step in building a solid relationship with them.

We recently stayed at a beach condo on the Texas coast. When we made our reservations, the condo’s website had stated a certain price for the days of our trip.

By the time we checked into the condo several months later, their rates had increased. We realized this when we saw that upon check in, they had charged us more than we were expecting.

Armed with our original confirmation and quoted amounts, I returned and spoke with the manager to correct the problem.

After explaining the situation, she immediately (without argument or question) refunded the difference to me.

This was a huge relief.

You Can Diffuse the Situation

When your customers notice a difference between the quoted price and the actual sale price, they will get on edge or even angry.

The customer will come to you ready to fight, argue, and will probably be expecting the worse.

You can immediately diffuse any worries and conflict by honoring the original price.

Problem solved.

Remember: even though there was an error to begin with, the customer will remember the positive outcome and leave with a good impression of your business.

If a customer wants or needs more from you than their original order, don’t view it as an inconvenience, but rather more business for you.

We recently took our van into the dealership for a manufacturer’s recall. We scheduled an appointment and showed up promptly on time.

As I was checking into the dealership, I asked if they could take a look at the vehicle’s alignment.

This extra request was greeted with disdain and I was told “we can do that but it will take a lot longer to get your car ready.” The message I got was clear: you don’t want that alignment service.

So I got the recall service taken care of and then drove to another shop to get the alignment fixed even though the dealership could have fixed the problem and had my money.

In your business, you’ll find times when your customers realize they need more from you than originally planned.

This is a great opportunity for you since they will thus be spending more money with you.

Instead of a terse response like the dealership, you should say “Yes! We can do that for you.”

The extra work may take longer. The request may even mean higher costs to the customer.

However, your customer asked for it!

Respond positively. Yes! You can meet the customer need.

Once you identify that yes, you can deliver what the customer needs, you’ll need to then set expectations on how that changes what you need from the customer.

For example: “Yes, we can fix the alignment on your car. Alignments typically take an extra hour to service, is that OK?”

If you can meet the customer’s need, do it! Acknowledge it positively and with enthusiasm. After all, your customer wants to spend that money to fix the problem. Make sure that money is with you.