Interesting follow up to a recent blog posting regarding Yelp, the online customer-driven rating/feedback Website where people go to praise (rarely) or complain (mostly) about a store or service or garage or...
A few months ago, I had my teeth cleaned. The hygienist who did the work was new to the office and seemed nice enough. My teeth being nearly 50 years old and still intact, I have enough chair time in to know the routine: visual check, spit, tartar extraction, spit, fluoride application, spit, dentist fly by, rinse, spit, spit, spit, wipe, have a nice day, see you in 6 months.
As the cleaning was progressing, I became increasingly aware that she was erratic at best and absentminded at worst. She missed teeth, jumped around, and did a sloppy job. I was due for an X-ray (I found out later), but she decided to skip it since she was behind. I left the office—of a dentist that I’d gone to for 20 years—unhappy for the first time.
The next time I was in the building, I walked into the dentist office and asked to have a word with the office manager. I told Roxie about my experience and she was, naturally, horrified.
Fast forward two weeks.
Returning to my dentist with a daughter, Roxie pulled me aside and thanked me profusely for the heads up. After she spoke to me, she made some phone calls to other longtime customers and it seemed I was not alone in my discontent. The hygienist was subsequently let go.
A few weeks ago when I first wrote about Yelp, my suggestion was that you need to monitor such potentially damaging public Websites. Now, I want to take that advice a step higher and tell you to actively pursue feedback in order to be more than certain that there isn’t unspoken dissatisfaction out there. That kind of upset has the potential to be FAR more damaging than some flake who disses you online.
When is the last time you called a client to check in on your rep? How about the deliver person? CSR? Anyone who comes in contact with the customer must be held accountable for the impression he/she leaves. Being blindsided by a nasty comment is forgivable. But assuming that things are OK just because you haven’t heard anything to the contrary? That’s a misstep of potentially huge proportion.
Former New York Mayor Ed Koch used to start his rallies, “How’m I doin?” That would be a good question for us all to ask.
Check out Bill’s Webinars On Demand at www.GetPrintSales.com or email him at bill@aspirefor.com
You Want Yelp. You NEED Yelp!
Interesting follow up to a recent blog posting regarding Yelp, the online customer-driven rating/feedback Website where people go to praise (rarely) or complain (mostly) about a store or service or garage or...
A few months ago, I had my teeth cleaned. The hygienist who did the work was new to the office and seemed nice enough. My teeth being nearly 50 years old and still intact, I have enough chair time in to know the routine: visual check, spit, tartar extraction, spit, fluoride application, spit, dentist fly by, rinse, spit, spit, spit, wipe, have a nice day, see you in 6 months.
As the cleaning was progressing, I became increasingly aware that she was erratic at best and absentminded at worst. She missed teeth, jumped around, and did a sloppy job. I was due for an X-ray (I found out later), but she decided to skip it since she was behind. I left the office—of a dentist that I’d gone to for 20 years—unhappy for the first time.
The next time I was in the building, I walked into the dentist office and asked to have a word with the office manager. I told Roxie about my experience and she was, naturally, horrified.
Fast forward two weeks.
Returning to my dentist with a daughter, Roxie pulled me aside and thanked me profusely for the heads up. After she spoke to me, she made some phone calls to other longtime customers and it seemed I was not alone in my discontent. The hygienist was subsequently let go.
A few weeks ago when I first wrote about Yelp, my suggestion was that you need to monitor such potentially damaging public Websites. Now, I want to take that advice a step higher and tell you to actively pursue feedback in order to be more than certain that there isn’t unspoken dissatisfaction out there. That kind of upset has the potential to be FAR more damaging than some flake who disses you online.
When is the last time you called a client to check in on your rep? How about the deliver person? CSR? Anyone who comes in contact with the customer must be held accountable for the impression he/she leaves. Being blindsided by a nasty comment is forgivable. But assuming that things are OK just because you haven’t heard anything to the contrary? That’s a misstep of potentially huge proportion.
Former New York Mayor Ed Koch used to start his rallies, “How’m I doin?” That would be a good question for us all to ask.
Check out Bill’s Webinars On Demand at www.GetPrintSales.com or email him at bill@aspirefor.com
Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.