By
Virginia Mburu
From the last episodes, he has learned
negotiation skills, the mistakes to avoid when bargaining and now wants some
lessons on how to make this interaction a “wow experience” . He remembers
the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10: 30-35 and the various
characters in it.
A man in dire need just as his customer
who needs his services so as to create a masterpiece, the Priest
and the Levite who were not willing to assist and the Good Samaritan who
went out of the way to assist the man in need.
This parable was narrated in response to a
question “who is my neighbour” but several lessons can be learned on how to treat
our customers or is it client?
Lesson 1.....Have an active customer
service policy plus the right process and technology
Verse 30- 33 - “In reply Jesus said: “A man
was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They
stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A
priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he
passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and
saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came
where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”
This Good Samaritan must have had a ‘help any
person in need’ policy otherwise he could have adopted the same “I do not care”
attitude of the Priest and Levite.
Have the right people to interact with
customers. Have everyone understand what a ‘wow’ interaction is. They should be
quick, accurate, courteous, empathy, patience, adaptable, clear communicators,
have a good work ethic, have a thick skin etc. Make it a point to hire
front office personnel who can smile within 30 seconds, can easily recognize
voices and recall names.
Are you demanding excellent performance from Customer
Service Personnel?.. Then, it is imperative that you have excellent processes,
systems, equipment, environment etc. Equip and train your employees about the
business, products/ services, communication, the customer service process and
the technology in effect. Let everyone in the business know the standards of
customer service expected and how they contribute to the achievement of the
‘wow’ interactions. What about the employees appreciating that it is the
customer who pays their salaries/wages?
Lesson 2.....Did you ‘see’ the customer?
The Priest, Levite and Good Samaritan all saw
the injured man. They did not just look at him- they took note of what had
happened to him... they all saw that he needed help.
How often do you walk into a store and the
attendants just glance and go back to whatever they were doing and act
like they do not see that you need help?
It is important to quickly respond to the
presence of a customer. Make eye contact.
Lesson 3.....Make them feel special
Continued verse 33 “......and when he
saw him, he took pity on him.”
The Good Samaritan cared for the injured man and
he was drawn to his predicament. Possibly, he took a little more time to
observe the injuries, to empathise.....
Let the customers know they are welcome and you
are willing to serve them. What about a genuine, wide and sincere ear to
ear smile that makes your customers feel extra special?
Lesson 4.....Give them your undivided
attention
Verse 34 “He went to him.......”
While the Priest and Levite evaded assisting the
injured man and crossed to the other side of the road to continue with
their journey, the Good Samaritan went to him.
Go to your customers, greet them, address them
by name where possible. Introduce yourself and then proceed to find out how you
can be of help. What can you sincerely compliment them on?
You can start a general conversation about
weather, current happenings etc. to develop rapport and trust. Let your words
and body language be congruent- no looking around to see who else you would
rather be attending to!
Lesson 5.....Engage them to find out what
they want
We are told that the injured man was half dead.
He may not have been able to articulate his needs but your customers can!
Genuinely care for them- first for the person
keeping in mind that we buy for emotional reasons and then rationalise to back
our decision. It will help that you go the extra mile to make it easy to
buy from you. Show that you respect them. Make use of the courtesy phrases- please,
thank you, may I etc.
Probe customers to identify out where they are,
where they would like to go, what is stopping them from getting there, what
it’s costing them to be in the current situation, how do they plan to get to
the desired destination etc. Listen actively to discern the stated
and unstated needs.
While at it note that current customers expect
to be treated differently from prospects. Find out if they have bought
previously---reason why a Customer Relationship Management System is critical.
Make it possible to share customer information with the next person the
customer will interact with.
Lesson 5.....Educate them
The Good Samaritan had an unconscious man to
deal with and thus there was no one to discuss the diagnosis and prognosis
with! You do!
Having identified the stated and unstated
customer needs, now it’s time to educate. How does your product or service
benefit them first as individuals and then as a business? Is it ease of use,
time saving, productivity improvement, cost reduction, improved sales, improved
welfare etc. How will it get them to their desired destination?
Lesson 6.....Time is life or is it money?
Act fast
Verse 34 continued “.......and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to
an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two
denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and
when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”
Some needs must be handled immediately. This is
what the Good Samaritan did and he gave generously. He immediately administered
first aid to the injured man, provided ambulance services, booked him a room in
an inn, nursed him overnight, paid a cash down payment and wrote a promissory
note to cater all extra expenses!
Agree on contract terms and act fast as time is
essential. For you...For the customer...Make the transactions quick. Limit
mistakes, misunderstandings, process gaps, system hang-ups etc. that eat into
transaction time. Give customers as much as you can within desired
profitability margins and considering other constraints such as time, personnel
and available resources.
Lesson 7.....End on a high note
Customers gauge how pleasant or unpleasant an
experience is based on how they were handled during peak times and at the end.
I am sure the injured man was wowed by the actions of the Good Samaritan!
Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur
How do you ensure you are ‘wowing’ your
customers and prospects?
How do you ensure you end on a high note?
Who was the neighbor in this parable?
Share your experiences, suggestions or questions
in the comments section below. Who knows- You could probably be the customer
who will benefit from the “WOW” interaction!
Whatever you do, make sure it results in less
work, more money and positive impact.
Update
Talk to us... we will assist your business improve customer
satisfaction through the “My Customer Lifetime Value Optimizer" program?
Click here for more details...... Do you know an entrepreneur who would benefit from this
coaching?...Please do share the link......
The Work Less, Make More Money Passionate
Entrepreneurs Coach
Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate
Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the
entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing
strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money
and positively impact within one year. Access some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on
www.biasharacoach.blogspot.co.ke
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