We all want happy customers.  Happy, satisfied customers are returning customers, and we know it costs much less to keep a customer than it does to find a new one.  Retention is the new Acquisition.

According to Wikipedia, Customer Satisfaction is a term frequently used as a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectations.  It can and should be measured with surveys and numbers. But my favorite way to know if our customers are happy is to check out the comments they enter on our website.  These three just came in this week:

"Awesome Trophy. I highly recommend this company and we’ll be using them again. The proof feature was above and beyond and helped make this the best Fantasy Football Trophy ever."

"Excellent service!"

"The plaque is beautiful. What is more impressive is the response time. A proof was sent to me within hours… Then it arrived in three days! I have ordered many recognition items from Trophies2go. They are the best!"

Happy Employees lead to Happy Customers

One of the best ways to make customers happy is to have happy employees.  And not just the people who answer the phone. Every employee has some way they are interacting with the customer or the customer’s order.  If those employees are happy, they will be more likely to provide great customer service.

What are ways to make your employees happy?

Employee Engagement.

You’ve heard this term a lot.  I think the most important thing about employee engagement is that it needs to be more than something discussed in the human resources department.  It needs to be a large part of how a business is structured and how it runs on a daily basis.

Engaged employees are more productive, more creative, more customer-focused and more loyal.  They actually show up to work and give best effort.

Clear Communication.

Identify meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or performance metrics for each employee that relate to providing excellent customer service.  They should be involved in the development of these KPIs.

Hold regular meetings to review how they are performing to these metrics.  These don’t have to be formal sit-down meetings.  Make them more relaxed at the local coffee shop, or if you’re strapped for time, do them on the phone or Skype.

A manager should always ask the employee how they can help them in the attainment of these metrics. Do they have the needed tools and education to do their job and meet their goals?

And feel free to adjust the KPIs if you find they are not reflecting how to make customers happy.

Recognition.

Recognize, informally or formally, when an employee does a great job.  Reward what you want repeated.

Reward the attainment of KPIs, as long as they are properly aligned to the service delivered to your customers.

Recognition leads to increased productivity, higher loyalty, enhanced teamwork and lower employee turnover.  All good things to have in place when you want to have Happy Customers.

Show Your Employees That They are Important to You.

Investment in your employees: their education, development and growth.

Discuss potential career paths, what they should be doing to move along those paths, and how you will help them.

ABOVE ALL:  Value your employees even more than your customers.

Without one, you won’t have the other!

Blessings, Anne