The Silent Killer of Any Business

I went to an interesting evening last night held by a local bank which included a guy presenting on the importance of cashflow!! But more importantly, some great conversation later with a local retailer in a popular mall … we talked about the importance of good customer service.
It’s funny how that Law of Attraction works, cos this morning going through my emails, I came across an article in the Australian Women in Business newsletter titled “The Silent Killer of Any Business” and guess what that killer is? Good old customer service!
It was quite a good read, pointing out the obvious – that poor customer service adversely impacts customer expectations and your ability to retain their custom, but then went on to say, that it also has a spiral effect on stress in the workplace, staff attitude, retention, loyalty and morale, not to mention the loss to your bottom line.
As I shared with this guy I met, one basic strategy around good customer service is to SMILE! and a friend of mine had a succinct way of summing it up: “If you’re happy, tell your face!” Love it 
Without quoting the article ad infinitum, a number of ways were identified for improving profits & most of them (as per usual) aren’t rocket science …
• training of staff (which has improved their reputation)
• defining service excellence (through effective staff training and input)
• improved and consistent customer/client contact
• better marketing to target markets
• reduced inefficiencies (once again through training)
Says a lot … when we all know that many businesses chose to reduce their investment in staff training in recent months. It may come back to bite!
Would love to hear your thoughts. In the meantime, enjoy your day and talk to you soon...Gaylene