Phantom News - A Monthly Newsletter From The Experts in Customer Service

30 July 2008

Did anybody see where the first half of 2008 went?

I cannot believe how fast this year is going by. But seriously now, don't you hear this all the time. Every week I hear at least 3 people say 'That week just flew past'. It's time rather, to start thinking ahead, to how much time is left in the week. The glass, after all, should be half full.

The reality is that in South Africa today, it is pretty easy to get down and out about what's happening around us. Interest rates are hurting our pockets, constraints on home loans are restricting the growth of our property portfolios, and petrol prices are making the purchase of a scooter pretty appealing.

With customers' lives being made harder each month, should you as a business not be thinking of ways to make it a little easier?

How does your business treat its customers?

Are you doing your best to make it easier for them to spend their money with you? Customer Service is the cheapest thing to implement and has the greatest effect on bottom line if implemented correctly. Why then are service levels in South Africa dropping?

In my opinion, the thing that needs to change is the mindset of businesses in South Africa. Customers pay your bills, they are the people you spend a huge portion of you money on to try and get through your doors. Why then, does your staff treat them like an inconvenience? They have chosen your business, make it easy for them to stay, DO NOT do your competitor a favor and treat them badly.

Here are 3 things you need to know in order for your customer service to be improving all the time:

1. What do you want to provide your customers with?
2. What do your customers want to be provided with?
3. What are they being provided with currently?

If you do not know the answer to these 3 things, please give us a call, because that's exactly what we are here to find out for you.

If you think you know the answer to these questions, then we wish you good luck. Please contact us when you have lost enough customers and your bottom line has suffered enough, we will be here waiting.

Take this away with you - Be better today than you were yesterday, but not as great as you are going to be tomorrow.

Yours in service

Mike Hewan

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