In our last newsletter, we spoke about "customer service" versus "customer experience." We need to be outstanding at both.
Today I thought we'd start with customer service. It is sometimes difficult to step outside our zone and have a clear vision of our operations. Do we provide as good customer service as we think we do? Probably not. If we take an in-depth look at all the areas in which we touch our customers, some might need a bit of "tweaking".
What are the touch points with our customers?
In the radio business, we have two sets of customers: our listeners and our advertisers. Each has its own set of touch points to interact with us.
Listeners: What they hear daily on our airwaves.
Any social media posts made by our staff.
Face-to-face interactions at events, remotes, promotions.
Direct calls to our on-air lines or our front desk.
You'll probably want to add to the list. This is a great exercise to do with your staff. What are the touch points?
Advertisers: Our first call to them, in person, on the phone, by email.
Our needs analysis meetings
Our presentations
Our copy and production
Airing their schedules and ads correctly
Sending correct invoices
Timely responses to their inquiries
Anticipating their marketing needs
Being on time for meetings
Again, you can add to the list. The point is to identify each touch point we have with advertisers.
Now that you have your list, put an emoji by each. Which touch points get a smiley face? Which get a frown? Which get a "bored stiff"? Be honest. Figure out which points of customer service need to be improved, then develop a strategy to do so.
Great customer service should be a minimum requirement to doing business. Once we have our great customer service in place, then it's time to move to the next level: the customer experience. We'll save that for another time.
Happy Selling!
|