Do you pride yourself on excellent customer service in your cleaning business? How does it make you feel when you have an unhappy customer who is telling others how displeased they are with your service?
We all know that one unhappy customer can tell just a few people how displeased they are with a vendor and suddenly the word is spreading like wildfire. And when you add social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook into the mix, their dissatisfaction can be multiplied tenfold as they rant about their experience. And unfortunately, only their side of the story is being heard.
Most loyal customers will forgive a mistake if you work quickly to make it right. But if you repeat the mistake or don't respond with urgency, they'll just as quickly take their business elsewhere. Since the cost of gaining a new customer is about ten times the cost of retaining an existing customer, it's more important than ever to keep your customers loyal to you. One way to do that is to make sure all your employees are: 1) trained on cleaning procedures, and 2) trained on your expectations for providing good customer service.
You and your employees need to keep in mind that the customer sees each of you as "ABC Cleaning Company". For them, there is no distinction between owner and employee, and they don't care who solves the problem as long as it's taken care of right away and to their satisfaction. So sending the customer from person to person because "it's not my responsibility" is not acceptable.
Emphasize the type of behavior that keeps your customers loyal, always stressing a smiling, positive attitude. In general, most customers want a staff that is knowledgeable and helpful. This means your employees must not only know cleaning procedures, but they must also know services offered, and your company policies too.Customers also want a cleaning service that is convenient, flexible, and gives help when they need it.
When you train your employees on your customer service expectations, you may soon find loyal customers who tell all their friends about the GREAT customer service you provide. Once you've achieved this milestone, you'll be well on your way to a growing, successful cleaning business!
