A useful exercise is to define an ideal, one-sentence response you want from each customer after you’ve performed your service or delivered your product. At the conclusion, what is the first thing you want them to say?
“Thank you,” is an option. But that is a low bar. You could raise it to something like, “That was excellent!” or “I’ll be referring my colleague to you.”
When I worked for a small consulting company, our goal was to develop a high degree of loyal, repeat customers. At the end of one project, a customer said something I couldn’t forget; I realized it was our ideal phrase:
As always, it’s been a pleasure!
It was perhaps the most succinct way of saying we had performed in a way consistent with our values and strategy.
As Always
It’s a customer with previous experience, and therefore a repeat customer. We loved loyal customers. Repeat customers minimized administrative delays and engaged extra projects far more quickly. They operated in a way that helped us deliver our service with excellence to them.
The phrase indicated we were consistent. The client knew what to expect. This builds trust, an important step towards loyalty, and growing existing opportunities. Customers that had previously worked with us spent far less time challenging estimates or productivity. Instead, they focused on working together for the best outcome.
Consistency also builds a brand and makes referrals more effective. This opens the door to new opportunities and reduces the cost of obtaining new business.
It’s Been a Pleasure
We delivered quality because inferior results are never a pleasure. We took care of visibility because a lack of transparency leads to worry, not pleasure. It means we didn’t stay blocked, because having underutilized resources is stressful, not a pleasure.
It does not say everything went perfectly or as planned. With emerging technology, it rarely does. Instead, this represented how we handled all situations, even when the unexpected occurred.
You Got This!
When you’ve completed your service or delivered your product, what is it you want your customers to say to you? Roleplay with your team and capture candidate responses. For the best ones, discuss what your organization must do to elicit such a reaction from your customers.
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