A Customer Contact Plan To Impress

• Entice - to prospect new customer via telemarketing, advertising and outside calling activities.
• Impress - to prepare effective introductory messages for all first-contact opportunities.
• Produce - to sell, cross-sell, and gain ongoing referral business.
• Cement - to maintain customer loyalty and maximize customer retention.

Business owners and department managers must realize the number one rule in developing a successful customer contact.

Leaders must understand that a business isn’t simply selling widgets – it’s selling an overall customer experience.

The quality of the customer experience, in part, will be determined based on the quality of your customer contact plan.

A key question for every organizational leader is, “What experience are you selling?” Intentional or not, when your customer walks away – how do they feel? When they talk to their friends about your organization, what are they saying? Do you know?

Additional questions for leaders to consider when developing a quality customer contact plan include:

1. When a customer walks to your place of business, in what way do your reach out to the customer? Are they quickly greeted with a smile and offered assistance?
2. When a customer calls your place of business are they introduced properly? If your customer service representative needs to transfer a call to another department, does he warmly make a personal introduction and explain the issue on behalf of the customer – or is the customer left to explain their request again from the beginning?
3. When a customer emails a question to your organization, is the customer given the option to be called back directly via phone? Is the question answered within 24 hours? Does the service representative provide their direct phone number as a convenient way for the customer to ask a follow-up question?

In addition to learning how to properly respond to customers who are seeking assistance, a meaningful customer contact plan must also provide a blueprint on an organization’s “outreach” activities.

Great organizations are careful to “conduct” the customer experience. For instance, Starbucks isn’t just selling coffee they’re selling an experience. Border’s isn’t simply selling books, they’re selling an experience. Gap, and Old Navy are not only selling clothes, they’re selling an experience – from the time you walk in the door to the time you walk out.

Gather your team and create a solid customer contact plan that your customers will not only appreciate and remember, but an experience they will look forward to experiencing over and over again.

» How To Get Employees To Take Ownership!
Employees who take ownership, experience a higher degree of personal pride. This makes for happier employees, which equates to more satisfied customers.

» Discovering The High Value Resume
Being strong in sales production is simply not enough in today's competitive environment.

» Employees Determined To Delight Their Customers
Good customer service is not something great businesses just "happen" to provide. Great businesses are "driven to delight" their customers at every interaction.

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