What Do Customers Really, Really Want?

by: Lynne Saarte

A recent study showed that customers are looking for 4 things when they engage in business or avail of any customer service:

1. Customers want prompt and friendly service.

This means having a frontline person who is friendly and who can give them what they need right away. Fast and friendly service is the name of the game. Whether you do it on the phone or person-to-person, the way to generate clients and keep them is to provide them quality service ASAP.

The rule of thumb is to NOT keep your customers waiting. So if you are a poster printing company for example, you would do well to provide fast turnarounds for poster printing if you want to keep your customers coming back to your shop. You better instruct your employees then to give importance to providing prompt and friendly service, which your customers would definitely appreciate.

2. Customers want their problems solved.

It is a cliché really but your customers go to you because they have a problem that needs fixing. They need help. It is a no-brainer that they will not need you if they do not have any problem, right? And trust me, there are millions of problems that they need you to fix for them. They will seek you out if they know that you can provide the solutions to their concerns. And what is the best thing about it? You get paid for your efforts.

3. Customers want flexible policies.

Do not tell them “Sorry, it is company policy,” or “Sorry, we cannot do that.” That is the quickest way to lose your customers. Your clients would want to hear instead that you can be flexible – enough to give them what they need. Flexible enough that you fit their expectations of your company.

Do not make the mistake of driving your customers away by sticking too much to policies that you alienate your customers, and worse, impress on them that you do not want to have anything to do with them. Policies are made for your own advantage, not your customers. We all know that. But for you to really keep your clients, you have to shake your rules a little to accommodate what they need. That is, if you want your clients and customers to come back and tell their friends about you.

4. Customers want you to fix any mistakes you made, and give a little extra in return.

It is not just taking care of your customers when you make a mistake. If you want them to come back, you need to go one step further and do something extra for your customer.

More than the apology and remedy to a problematic situation, you also need to give yourself a chance to go beyond their expectations. This means seeing to it that everything worked out fine for your clients. By giving them a call to check on them, or giving a 10% discount on their next purchase; or even by not charging them for that particular purchase – you are giving yourself a golden opportunity to position yourself as a kind of business that they would want to go back to every time.

Great customer service is not just lip service. It is all about doing something more than a little extra to your loyal clients. More so, that they would keep you at the forefront of their minds every time they need the kind of service you provide. And it is also great for word-of-mouth marketing, by the way.