Time is a critical part of customer service.
More than likely, your customer doesn't have nearly enough time to do all the things he or she wants to do -- including purchasing your service or product!
Knowing this, how can your organization save your customers' precious time? What can you do long before your customer decides to contact you to make his journey a smooth and time-efficient one?
First, look at the hoops a prospective customer has to jump through to find your organization. If you are a retail store, restaurant, inn, realtor, or nonprofit, how do customers learn about what you offer and why you are unique?
Are you well positioned on Internet search engines with your website optimized for popular keyword searches? When a customer surfs your site, can she easily find what she is looking for? Is she compelled to stay on your site and make contact with you for an appointment, reservation, or purchase?
Once your customer visits your business or nonprofit, how easy is it for him to purchase from you? Think about all the steps along the point of sale process. Find all the places where there are "hot spots" which waste a customer's time or confuse him.
Acknowledge how busy your customer is and turn those "hot spots" into positive experiences. Would your customer find it helpful for you to hold her purchases until after lunch? Does she need dinner reservations or directions to the best fishing lake?
If your customer wants to look at property all day with his three young children, do you have a box filled with fun games and activities for the kids? Have you planned the day's itinerary down to the minute so that not one precious second is wasted?
Treat your customer's time like it is your own. Guard it, protect it, and try to find ways to make more of it by providing compelling experiences at each opportunity.
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