Make your service or product excellent, or you’ll answer for it

Before the internet, local shops took an interest in their customers. The shopkeeper might also have known some if not all their customers by name. He or she was also aware of the need to treat each customer with fairness and cheerfulness. Even when they were complaining. Because word of mouth would get around the locals if he (or she) didn’t, and their shop would lose custom. This is how social media worked pre-internet.

Then the internet came along. Things changed but also stayed very much the same. Today a company that doesn’t treat its customers with fairness when they have a complaint can‘t hide. Forms, email addresses, and call centres offer them very little protection. Social media has seen to it that bad treatment of a customer by a company gets around fast. Very fast. If I’m treated badly I’ll tell my friends and they’ll tell their friends and so on. Before you know it that company will lose business and have to right the wrong.

You can’t hide from social media

Businesses can’t hide from their customers anymore and they’re always answerable. So all businesses should try to be more like that pre-internet shopkeeper. They need to make 100% sure all their customers have the best product or service possible. Always. Everyday. Because today’s £5 purchase might be tomorrow’s £200 purchase. But only if the service is excellent.

To illustrate this let me tell you a story.

My wife and I had a trip to London. We got there early in the morning and found ourselves passing a Lalique Glass store. The shop assistant could see us looking at the glass on display in the window. He smiled, opened the door and asked if we’d like to look around. He was friendly and talked about some of the glass we were admiring.

Excellent service pays-off

Later that day we had some money leftover and made a point of passing the shop again. We went in and bought a small memento of the day, it wasn’t very expensive. But we had excellent service throughout. Our purchase was wrapped in tissue paper, tied with Lalique ribbon and put in a very upmarket bag. We also got perfume samples, a little booklet and the business cards of the two members of staff who had served us. This is a great example of how customer service should be whether online or not.

As a business, you should always be looking to add value. Your business can’t afford to lose customers. So treat every one of them to the personal treatment like they are your only customer. Try to add value on social media with expert advice about your products or services. Build a trustful relationship with your customers. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your actions and your company’s actions don’t matter and that no one’s looking. They are and it will.