There's no good time for bad service.

THIS MONTH:
+ You Call This Service?
+ By the Numbers...

You Call This Service?
"Thanks for calling The Colorado Gift Basket Company.* May I help you?"

- - "Yes, I'd like to order a gift basket for my coaching client in Toronto."

"OK, fine. May I get your name and phone number?"

- - "Fred Berns. 303-665-6688."

"Ok, then. I'll pass this onto Stephanie in sales, and she'll call you right back."

- - "Oh...any way I can place this order with you?

"No, I'm Angie, the owner, and that's not my department. Stephanie in sales handles the orders. I'll have her call you right back."

- - "Gee, Angie, I'm kind of in a hurry here. Can you possibly help me?

"Yes, I'll give your name to Stephanie in sales, and she'll call you right back.

- - "But I have my credit card information right here. I can give it to you right now."

"I'm sorry, Stephanie in sales handles the orders. I'll have her call you right back."

--"Uh...OK. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Bye now."

That was 11 days ago. I'm still waiting for "Stephanie in sales" to call me right back. That's why I placed my order with another company.

I'm thinking that "Angie, the owner" doesn't get it.

She doesn't get that hers is just one of 233,000 Google listings for companies that sell Colorado gift baskets.

And she doesn't get that you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.

If you are, or work for, an owner like Angie, we need to talk.

We need to discuss some rules for doing business in a tough economy -- or in any economy, for that matter.
Rule #1: Sales is your department. Call yourself a designer or an architect or a builder, if you like, but first and foremost, you're a salesperson.

Rule #2: Customers can buy elsewhere the design services and products you sell. Easily.

Rule #3: Never, ever make a buyer wait.

* Names in this report were changed.

+ By the Numbers...
The problem with klutzy customer service, as described above, is that word gets around.

Unhappy customers don't keep secrets.

Studies show that:

+ The average upset customer tells nine people about it. One in five will tell more than 20.

+ The average business never hears from 96% of its unhappy customers. But 90% of them won't buy from them again.

+ For every complaint, the average firm has 26 customers with problems.

+ Of customers with a complaint, 70% will do business with you again if you resolve the problem -- and 95% will if you do so quickly.