It's been almost three years.
Three years we've serviced this client and every other week we hear the Janet Jackson song echoing all around us:
"What have you done for me lately -- oooo, oooo, oooo, yeah!"
I don't like the messaging, the design sucks, why aren't my adwords pulling, why am I not in the Wall St. Journal, why am I not winning awards, why don't I have buyers begging me to buy?
"Oooo, oooo, oooo, yeah!"
But you know what? I'll let you in on a little secret: we do a really great job servicing the heck out of this client with big ol' friggin' smiles on our faces -- heck, we do that for all of our clients.
Yes, we know the marketplace and know marketing and media relations and all activities in between.
Our customer service is big and bountiful, regardless if it's our tough to please three-year client or any customer buying any marketing product or service from us, we have great service.
And that's one of the big marketing differentiators in the new millennium, right next to product differentiation and transparency and corporate responsibility and topical best practices content marketing.
Yes, and having quality products and services helps in the long run.
However, brand loyalty flails, outside a company or within. Great customer service must be embedded deep with a company's culture in order for it to thrive and survive, especially for smaller to mid-market players.
If your employees are unhappy then that seeps into the customer service ground water and poisons the business.
Are you:
- Proactively communicating with your employees regularly to circumvent dissatisfaction and keep up morale and engagement?
- Proactively communicating with your customers regularly to circumvent dissatisfaction and keep their business?
Negativity abounds in the workplace, in the media and with your buyers. You've got to excel in your servicing and respond with positive action in kind -- you've got to constantly earn the business.
Just like David Lee Roth's solo album Eat 'Em and Smile. Fans were still mourning the Van Halen break up and although the album was a critical and commercial success, it was Van Halen they wanted back together.
Dude.
But David was a smart business man. You know the story of the brown M&M's?
Our client of almost three years is still with us; our employees of many years are still with us; our reputation in the HR marketplace is excellent.
If they demand 12 inches then you give them a mile and all the while you just eat 'em and smile.
"Oooo, oooo, oooo, yeah!"
Here's another great customer service post from our friend @AliciaSanera - Thank You For Your Complaint.
Post by Kevin W. Grossman (join me on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn - and now join HRmarketer on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn!)
Labels: corporate responsibility, customer service, marketing and media relations, transparency
It's been almost three years.