In the current economy we need every advantage we can leverage. Number 1 should be customer service. With people charging next to nothing for their services and your competition just a click away, customer service needs to be at the forefront of your business plan. Please allow me to share a recent email I received from a web development company after requesting services for a small upgrade.
Hi Travis.
Thanks again for contacting us, but based on our current workload, we’re too busy at the moment for functionality enhancements on projects we didn’t build. Please keep us in mind in the future if you’re looking for project work.
This email is very polite and well written, and the company has every right to take on jobs they want. Now let me tell you how I interpreted the email.
Hi Travis.
Thanks again for contacting us, we’re way too busy to deal with you and your needs. We have many people paying us big bucks so why should we deal with you, we don’t need your business, and never will. Please keep us in mind in the future if you’re looking for project work.
Maybe that’s a little harsh, but that’s what I got from it.
Something this small that seems harmless, can turn a customer away for life. Each and every customer should be treated like gold. From those who spend $10 to those who spend $10,000. I’m going to go a little farther with that. I’m gonna say why stop with your customers? Why not treat everyone like gold? It takes little effort to be nice, but yet both parties gain immensely.
It’s impossible to buy a brand, just ask the CEO of Chevy, Toyota and BP. No matter how much money you dump in advertising, the perception of your company will ultimately be decided on how treat your customers. As well as the core values of you and your employes. Sure anyone can market his or her self, buy some advertising and get some sales. But to consistently out perform your competition you must have a desire that goes beyond just making the sale that benefits you at the time.
Now, lets try to improve on this email.
Hi Travis.
Thanks again for contacting us, we look forward to helping you meet your goals. As of now we are very busy working to meet deadlines and it will take some time before we can begin work on your project. But never the less we are excited at the possibility to have you as a customer. If you need your site development done in a hurry may we suggest you contact “yada-yada” they are a wonderful company and come highly recommended.
By focusing on pleasing a customer/prospect/human, not only would they have changed the way I thought about their company, they would have sent a partner a great referral. In turn that referral could have repaid the favor when they were too busy to handle more work. It would have been a win-win for everyone.
If you think otherwise please let me know.
