Following Up Turns the Tables

A friend of mine recently catered a home party for a regular client and received a gratuity that was not as generous as in the past. As part of his regular practice he  placed a follow up call to the client the next day. When asked about the service and food quality the client replied ” I didn’t want to say anything, but one of your employees was not very professional in the way he interacted with my guests. ” “He spent too much time in causal conversation and not enough time clearing dishes.”

My friend thanked the client for making him aware of the issue. He apologized and said he would pay closer attention to supervising his staff and speak to the employee about the incident to ensure it would not happen again.

A few days later in the mail my friend received a check from the client to compensate for the gratuity and a request to cater an upcoming party. The same client made recommendations to her friends regarding his catering service and he was awarded several future catering jobs.

Following up is an opportunity to turn around a bad experiences,  strengthen relationships and turn customers into evangelists.

Giving to Customers Throughout a Lifetime

I can reflect back to a book that was read to me as a child called ” The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. To this day I think of the value it has brought to me throughout my life and am thankful for the message it has instilled upon me.

We often forget about how customers thank us everyday without saying the words thank you. So I thought to myself when interacting with customers what can be done to give the best service and experience?

• Focus your undivided attention to the customer.

• Greet customers with a smile. Whether in person or on the phone a smile can be both seen and heard.

• Recognize customers and address them by name.

• Listen to customers needs.

• Anticipate customer preferences.

• Be knowledgeable about products and services and if you don’t know an answer be diligent in finding the answer.

• Have patience. Don’t make customers feel rushed. Rushing customers can make them feel unappreciated.

• Be empowered to do what is required to satisfy a customer.

• Summarize service issues and explain how and when they will be resolved.

• Tell customers you appreciate their business.

Rewards for providing the best service may not be expressed in words such as thank you, but by simply having customers come back for more.

Online grocer offers unique service like no other

Online grocer Freshdirect has instituted a “Guaranteed Fresh” mark that appears on every item it’s kitchen produces.  According to their website the “Guaranteed Freshness Dates take the guesswork out of shopping so customers can make informed decisions that help plan meals, avoid waste and save money.”

Only FreshDirect offers this unique service, unlike supermarkets and other online grocers FreshDirect sources its fresh products directly from local dairies, fisheries and farms and then ships them directly to the customer.

If you are dissatisfied with any item you order contact them right away, FreshDirect will make it right with their 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

Companies like Freshdirect that differentiates itself by providing a unique customer experience will continue to thrive against competition.

To read more about FreshDirect’s unique service click here

http://bit.ly/9QGwq2