July 2017
CED
Construction Equipment Distribution Published by AED: Business Fuel for a More Profitable Dealership
CED Magazine's 2017
Attachment Showcase Featuring products that can boost sales and customer productivity
n Good Company n New AED Member Allied Construction Products Security Equipment returns to its roots
Co. partners with secondary school for workforce development
n A Closer Look
Point of Rental Software offers resources to AED members
Why Customer Satisfaction By Christine Corelli
M
any dealers have spent a fortune on customer satisfaction surveys in hopes of obtaining information that will identify aspects of the overall customer experience that need improvement. Surveys are also used to obtain testimonials to help in sales and marketing efforts and for the vitally important purpose of continuous improvement. All of these are good reasons. Yet satisfaction surveys are not always effective. There are several reasons why: • Many customers find satisfaction surveys to be irritating and obtrusive. The minute they see one, they cringe, and their fingers go straight to the delete key. You may even be among them. You don’t need to figure out why. We all have a daily barrage of emails, phone calls, texts, messages and meetings. We have multiple priorities, shifting priorities and, very often, competing priorities. There are machines we must sell, parts we must find, equipment to fix and a multitude of details to remember. There are important to-dos, deadlines to meet and tasks to perform. Our customers have projects to complete, buildings to build or demolish, fields to plow and more. Who has time to complete a satisfaction survey? • Many customers don’t complete surveys because they are too long. Even if they really like you and are happy with the level of service you provide, and they simply want to let you know they are happy, the moment they see the survey is long, you lose them. • The majority of surveys focus on customer satisfaction and not customer loyalty. In today’s highly competitive world, you can boast all you want about high levels of customer satisfaction. It’s nice, but it’s not impressive enough. Ask any customer service expert and they will tell you that having high levels of customer loyalty – better yet, customer advocacy – is what is most impressive to customers and is a key factor in creating and sustaining a successful future. Having high levels of loyalty is also a key selling point for your salespeople. • Customer satisfaction surveys don’t always provide data that precipitates action – action on the part of your company to put practices in place to ensure you are being proactive in preventing complaints. Also, unless they are worded correctly, they don’t encourage action on the part of your customer to refer other customers to you. “Are you confident enough in us to refer another contractor for sales and product support needs? If so, thank you in advance for providing a referral. Name: Company: • Yet another reason customer satisfaction surveys don’t always work is that some draw attention to things you definitely don’t want attention drawn to. For example, perhaps a customer had a negative experience when an employee didn’t seem empathetic with his sense of urgency to get his machine up and running. Perhaps a salesperson overpromised just to make a sale. Perhaps a parts person shipped the wrong part. Perhaps someone failed to follow up. You certainly don’t want any questions on the survey that will remind them of these situations. • Some surveys provide no anonymity. If you don’t give an option to leave anonymous feedback, your customer may feel uncomfortable. • Surveys cause you to lose connections. Online instruments, emails, letters, and other nonpersonal tools diminish “getting close to the customer” and even hinder one of the most important aspects of business success – building relationships! • Customer satisfaction surveys are not usually held in conjunction with employee satisfaction surveys. If you do compare the two, you may find that employee satisfaction and loyalty and customer satisfaction and loyalty are closely related.
What’s a Dealer to Do?
If you still want to use a customer satisfaction survey, you are not alone! Many dealers still do. Simply do your best to obtain the information you need. Here are a few tips:
Do It the Number One Way
Hold a great customer appreciation event. Greet customers at the door and ask them to complete the short form before they enter. When they do, put their business card in a fishbowl and enter them in a drawing
34 | www.cedmag.com | Construction Equipment Distribution | July 2017
Surveys Don’t Always Work for something great! Or give them a hat or a funny T-shirt. That always works!
Make the Survey Short and Sweet
However you choose to conduct the survey, including using any of the abundance of online survey creators available, obtain answers to these simple questions: Use a scale of one to five, with one being the lowest. 1. Urgency to serve We demonstrate a sense of urgency to serve. 1 2 3 4 5 Poor Excellent 2. Knowledge and help provided Our employees are knowledgeable and helpful. 1 2 3 4 5 Poor Excellent 3. Communication Our employees communicate on a high level, follow up, and keep customers informed. 1 2 3 4 5 Poor Excellent 4. Problems and complaints Our company solves problems and resolves complaints quickly and effectively. 1 2 3 4 5 Poor Excellent 5. Ease of doing business It is easy to do business with us, and our website is easy to use. 1 2 3 4 5 Poor Excellent 6. Caring and friendliness We are friendly and caring. 1 2 3 4 Poor
8. Loyalty I plan on continuing to have your company serve me. 1 2 3 4 5 No Perhaps Yes 9. Advocacy I would be willing to refer a customer to this company. Name: Company: No Perhaps Yes 10. Do you have any comments? _____ Adapt and change the survey questions as you see fit. But remember these two things: 1. Everyone in your organization must have total dedication to your customers. When they do, then you’re in a better position to obtain and maintain strength in the marketplace and you won’t have to conduct surveys. Their loyalty and advocacy will be reflected in your bottom line. 2. Talk to customers. Ask questions and listen. That’s how you will obtain the best intelligence. CHRISTINE CORELLI is slated to present “Dealing with Difficult People and Situations.” To learn more about her, visit www.christinespeaks.com or call 847-581-9968. © Copyright 2016, Christine Corelli & Associates, Inc.
STRIKER
HYDRAULIC BREAKERS
Compacto rs Breakers, , and Compactio n Wheels.
5 Excellent
7. Consistency Our departments provide consistently great service. Sales Department 1 2 3 4 Poor Service Department 1 2 3 4 Poor Parts Department 1 2 3 4 Poor Rental Department 1 2 3 4 Poor
5 Excellent 5 Excellent 5 Excellent 5 Excellent
3900 Ben Hur Ave., Suite 3 Willoughby, Ohio 44094 440.954.9923
www.toku-america.com July 2017 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 35
CED
Construction Equipment Distribution Published by AED: Business Fuel for a More Profitable Dealership
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Train Like A Pro
Tips and Tools To Become An Effective Trainer n Emerging Leaders
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Jamie Carson’s unique path to the construction industry OBC July ad 061417.indd
EPG Insurance caters to the industry’s many unique needs
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6/14/2017 8:57:06 AM