MARKETING & CUSTOMER SERVICE NEWSLETTER
ISSUE
02 FEBRUARY 2011
this issue Marketing P.1 Customer Service P.1 Tool, Tidbits, and Trends P.2 The WOW Factor P.2 Upcoming Events P.3 Web Hits P.3 Key Marketing Dates P.3 Sponsorship P.4 TEAM FMWR P.6 Professional Development P.6
CUSTOMER SERVICE A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. ~Mahatma Gandhi ~
YOUR CUSTOMERS! Loving your customers is about service, not sales. Most people hate to be sold to, but if you serve your customers better than the shop down the street does, they will come back to see you again and again. Patrons will even pay more for the same product or service because you make them feel valued. Loved, even.
OPEX & OPEX REFRESHER TRAINING DATES
Here are six ways to get your customers to love you and your facility/program.
21 FEB - OPEX 0730-1630 AMCC 23 FEB - OPEX Refresher 0800-1130 or 1300-1630 AMCC
Smile - even when you’re on the phone A smile can be “felt and heard” even through e-mail or phone lines. Placing a smile on your face before you face a customer or pick up the phone, will make a huge difference! All employees who have face time or phone time with your customers must be happy.
27 MAR - OPEX 0730-1630 AMCC 29 MAR - OPEX Refresher 0800-1130 or 1300-1630 AMCC
Ask your clients what they want Then give it to them, if it’s in your power to do so. Marketing becomes easy when you care enough to ask how you can serve people. Do surveys, hold contests, simply ask and pay very close attention to the responses you receive.
Remember space is limited to 28 per session so please get your staff registered now. The Refresher is for front line staff. Anyone who is a rater is to attend the Sustaining the Covenant Management Workshop – date TBD.
Customer Service isn’t a department, it’s an attitude!
If someone wants their money back, return it cheerfully Then ask if you can do anything else to make it right. One refund done well could produce 10 or more positive referrals. How many times have you been disappointed with a product, but happy with the customer service you received when you sought a return or refund? If you make it easy for unhappy customers to be satisfied, chances are, they’ll be back. Take customer loyalty seriously Do unexpected “nice” things for your loyal customers. Follow up on purchases, send a personalized email (or card) inviting them back to another event, and make your customers feel special.
Thank your customers for their business Make sure they know that you value their business. Don’t take it for granted. Train your staff to always thank your customers for doing business with you. Build community with your clients Make them feel as though they have joined a family that cares enough to give them excellent service. Keep them involved with your business, and your business “top of mind” with e-mail messages, postcards and announcements, all as a way of saying, “we appreciate you.” One of the biggest paybacks of loving your customer is how it affects our team as a whole, our organization mission and how it sets us apart in a marketplace where far too many businesses focus only on the sale and not on the happiness of the consumer. Love your customers. It makes all the difference in the world.
“Our number one priority will always be to ensure we continue to provide excellence in customer service, a welcoming environment and programs that enrich their stay at Fort Leonard Wood. We will always respect our customer and do our best to provide excellent service to each person who walks through our doors.” Mr. Wayne Bardell Director, FMWR Fort Leonard Wood
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