Customer service isn’t a one-person job. So while Laura K.T. Schriver pushes a culture of customer engagement, she includes herself in the equation.
Schriver, president and CEO of Language Services Associates Inc., contacts all new clients with information on how they can reach her personally and an outline of intentions for both parties.
“Customer service is the line of the future,” Schriver says. “If you sell widgets, several manufacturers can make widgets and they’re all the same. What’s going to make the difference in the client buying from you versus somebody else? It’s going to be that personal relationship, that attention to their needs, and I think if you don’t have customer service in whatever industry you’re in, you’re at a loss.”
To survive today you must stay connected with customers and on top of their needs, which means thorough communication. Schriver stresses the importance of engagement to her 140 employees at the foreign language communication solutions provider.
Smart Business spoke with the LSA founder about how to connect with customers throughout the relationship.
Engage customers. That starts in the selling process.
When you’re selling the client, you’re really gathering all of the information that you’re going to need from the client. Then maintaining from the installation part — sometimes we have to go to a hospital for instance and install all of the systems for them, you really get to know what they’re doing, so you (develop) somewhat more of a personal relationship with a client.
Selling yourself first is more important than selling the product. They have to believe in you and trust you before they can really buy your product. Showing a true interest in what they do and showing that you really care and know about what they do makes them a better client, a better customer, and they trust you more.
Be involved. Once the client has a contract or an agreement with the sales team, I send them a welcome letter. I tell them how they can reach me directly, to please let us know of everything that is happening in their company, to please let us know of all new initiatives that they have, and let us make suggestions so that we’re not just a vendor to them, so that we’re actually a partner with them. So that they feel that whatever input we have and the knowledge that we have … we will share that information with them.
Of course, I welcome them to the group of clients and assure them that everything will be resolved. That’s what I do. And every time that there is an issue, I get the comment on it, and I get a copy of the complaint. If I feel that more direct contact from me is necessary, I will do that.
That’s what makes the difference in a company that is just a job for somebody and the difference between a personal interest of the CEO or president or owner of a company to be involved — you’re going to care more. I want to make sure that all of my folks are in fact instilled in the same caring process that I feel for my clients.
