My husband and I ate at one of our favorite restaurants a few nights ago and were astounded by the incredibly poor customer services skills of the on-site manager.  It was a rather curious situation and I honestly believe that a third grader could have handled things better than this guy.

The headline of this post comes from a blog post by my friend Brian Carroll. His post describes a conversation he had with a client where they discussed how lead generation often ignores current customers. As a result of the discussion, one CEO decided his company would begin focusing more on current customers. He even referred to their new focus as their “Customers First Plan”.

My father-in-law is a restaurateur here in Denver. Several years ago, he took out a full-page ad in the local newspaper that read, “Take this ad to your favorite restaurant and receive $10 off dinner for two.” The ad did not specify the name of a restaurant or any contact information.

Have you ever been upset when a company makes a promise that it doesn’t fulfill?  This is one of the easiest ways to lose customers.  Otherwise known as “Over-promising and Under-delivering”, this demonstrates the company’s lack of commitment to follow through and satisfying the needs of their customers.

We hold them captive, take away perks and charge for things like never before…

So how can it be…we’re so surprised…they’re walkin’ out the door?

Let’s hold a mirror to ourselves people!  The gig is up.  Customers have our number and they’ve had it.  It is just plain too much work to reap the benefits of a ‘loyalty program.’  So check it out…here’s the classic experience customers have with loyalty programs.  After reading this, how much of this stuff would make you feel loyal?  Scratch that.  After reading this, how much of this makes you downright exhausted and inclined not to buy from a company who would you make you jump through these hoops?

A few years ago AOL became the poster child for a special kind of customer abuse when a customer recorded his phone call to them as he tried to cancel his account. All he wanted to do was leave. All they wanted to do was prevent him from leaving.

But they had his credit card information and so they could make him jump through any hoops they wanted to prevent him from becoming a former customer.

As customers we are impatient, demanding, time starved and knowledgeable. Given all that, we know what we want and when we want it. And contrary to popular belief, it does not always have to be fast. But it does need to be resolved by a competent person in a responsive manner. We really don’t want to be on hold for what feels like an eternity. But if and when we reach a human we want it to be the right person.

Saying “sorry” is not admitting defeat. It’s admitting you’re human. Customers like that.

Beloved companies regularly practice this important peace process. It makes them grow.

Remember when you were a kid and your brother or sister punched you or pinched you? Sure, he or she apologized. But it didn’t mean much because a) your parent was usually prompting the words, and b) you’d been apologized to many times before, just to be punched again another day.

11 Ideas* for Companies and Customers (*An extra idea because times are tough!)

In these economic times, when our nerves are raw and we are stretched like a rubber-band ready to snap…we all need a kinder hand, a kinder voice…just plain more kindness in our life.

Recently I was at a youth mentoring conference. One of the topics we found ourselves discussing was how challenging it is for many adults to relate to kids. This is a major obstacle to recruiting mentors for kids.

After thinking about how I interact with kids (of all ages) I concluded the best way to connect with them is simple. Just pay attention. Look at them, ask them questions, listen and be there for them. Focus on them completely. Do this and they’ll bring you into their world.

It seems natural customer loyalty would follow good service. If you get what you want and you are treated right, why would you not return to a business? But sometimes it’s useful to have more than an intuitive argument. So I have done a bit of research and I have found two statistics that tell me there is a clear link connecting customer service and customer loyalty.

They also suggest some substantial benefits from improving customer service.

Every business exists to help people accomplish something. If we fail at that then our business will not be sustainable. But to help our customers really get what they want, we need to know what that is.

When you ask your customers what they want, how you’re doing and how you can improve, they will give you a goldmine of information. Use this information well and your business can thrive in any economy.