the little things in customer service

Knowing Your Worth

It's all about the 'little things'

Have you ever considered that your clients may not remember you for the hard work you've put into the products or services they've received?

They may not even think about the overall effort you've put into the customer experience designed specifically for them.

It’s possible that you may may have no idea what your client thinks about when they consider you and your business.

What do they remember you for?

Through the after sales programs we've run on behalf of many of our clients, we’ve collected a tonne of customer feedback over the years, and it’s become quite clear that customers find value in some of the smallest actions; actions they had previously not even recognised, let alone attributed much value to.

For some, it was the interest shown in their children or pets during conversations or meetings. For others, it was the continued cleanliness of their bathrooms. In many cases, it was the extra effort around communication that meant that expectations were managed and met; an additional phone call, an extra email to clarify the details of a recent meeting.

Things like these continue to impress on me the importance of the 'little things' inside a business and how the specific industry, service or product on offer rarely has much impact on the continued relationship between customer and supplier.

Once we’ve reached an expected level of business delivery, we’re now in the realm of working on improving the 'little things', and it’s all those little things that make the difference in a competitive industry.

What do the little things look, sound, feel or even taste like in your business? What are the little things that you’re remembered for? What are the little things that have created your current brand? What do people say about you behind your back?

Brand is a blade that cuts both ways. Are you "the girl that always returns my calls" or "the girl that’s always late" or "that account manager that I trust because they keep my confidences" or "the one with the big mouth"? Whether conscious or not, we’re always branding, personally and as businesses.

It's the little things that are performed by our staff, our suppliers, our contractors, ourselves. It’s the little things that seem to leave the biggest impact and it’s the little things that keep people coming back or send them running for the hills.

Discovering these little things in your business is like finding gold just lying around ready to pickup. Once you discover what it is for you and your business you can amplify the affect, train the concepts into your people, so that they can become more powerful and more consistent.

So are you aware of how you're branding? Are you aware of what your clients value from your service and delivery? What are your 'little things'? How do they affect the life time value of a client, and therefore, what do they mean to your bottom line?

The simple process of asking for detailed feedback from these clients may result in recognising a 'little thing' they appreciate from you.