Thank Goodness for Our “Customers”

We truly appreciate the organizations and departments – our “customers” – that depend on us for their materials, goods, and services. Each agency, each division, each department has others relying on us for resources they need to complete their tasks – in the truest sense of the word, they are our customers.

Customers can provide us with several valuable resources and contributions which may not be as obvious…less top-of-the-head mindfulness on our part.

• Customers keep us sharp and innovative – they have an expectation of us providing value, quality, and service

• Customers tell others about our work and results – bragging on our behalf when we exceed their expectations; warning others when we don’t

• Customers give us feedback and suggestions – good, bad, or indifferent, they periodically have something to say and share it with us

• Customers like value, but expect fairness – when something goes wrong they expect a fair, hassle-free solution

• Customers demonstrate affiliation and loyalty by alerting us of problems or situations – often they are the first to report a problem with our on-line presence or alert us early about things like an emerging trend in slow delivery

• Customers realize we’re not always perfect but expect us to strive toward practical perfection – how quickly do we identify and correct problems; are we innovating by adopting proven new technology – making their job easier

• Customers want to be treated with respect and consideration – they expect to us to follow up on commitments – like a promised return call or sending additional information

• Customers like simple and easy transactions – simple items like auto-populate routine and contact information from stored data

• Customers develop relationships where they receive value, quality, and service – we can control all these variables.

Organizations that recognize the value of the customer beyond just today’s sale have a precious resource to aid in their success – like the 12^th player on the field for some football teams – the fans – which have a huge influence on the outcome of the game by being engaged and enthusiastic.

Organizations who do not recognize the contributions received by the customers, will have a harder time achieving success.

Philosopher George Santayana said: those who do not learn from history are obliged to repeat it mistakes – a business corollary of today is: organizations who do not recognize the value of listening to their customers are bound to make the same mistakes repeatedly, but not to the same customers (they have moved on).

Sales Lab Posts – a fresh outlook