 Connect
to Your Customers Through Your Customers
We all live and work
in a constellation of relationships based on service.
You can see this with the customers you serve and the
suppliers who serve you. But this is also true with
colleagues, employees, managers, family, friends, government
agencies and community members.
When you improve service in every direction of your
life, you’ll find new ways to connect to your
customers, through your customers.
Paul in South Africa explains:
‘Passing on supplier benefits to our customers’
employees creates a deep-rooted loyalty that is hard
to break. We supply fuel to a company with a large fleet
of trucks on commercial contract. But we also give the
truck drivers a special deal on fuel for their personal
cars and on any purchases they make at our convenience
stores. This creates brand familiarity and appreciation
that are part of their daily lives.’
What a positive and productive idea. But how many suppliers
are doing this? Are yours? Are you?
Here’s another example:
Sandy and Savvy enjoy
vacations at The Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada.
The hotel knows they adore their friendly dog, Tess,
and bring her along whenever they visit. Two weeks before
a recent vacation, the dog received this letter:
Dear Tess,
It was good to learn
you will be bringing your parents to the Wickaninnish
Inn. Upon arrival at the Inn there will be some paperwork
for one of your parents to complete regarding responsibility
for you while at the Inn. Once that is complete and
you are settled in your room, the 1.5 mile long Chesterman
Beach awaits, and there are many sticks for you to
choose from!
Do remember not to chase the birds, as many of them
use the beach as a resting and feeding area on their
migration route. There is a washing station and towel
storage as you leave the beach, where you can rinse
off salt water or sandy paws and dry off.
Please be aware that
the District of Tofino requires all dogs to be on
a leash at all times. This bylaw does include all
public beaches including Chesterman Beach. Remind
your parents to bring your leash!
A few final points
to remember are that we ask you to wear your leash
at all times in the common areas of the Inn, and that
you never be left unattended in the room unless you
have brought your portable house. We do have a couple
of houses available at the Inn. Lastly, your parents
are paying an additional $20.00 per night for your
stay, so treat them kindly and do not make off with
their slippers.
We look forward to
seeing you at the Inn.
Sincerely,
Crystal @ The Wickaninnish
Inn
What a smart letter!
The Wickaninnish Inn serves the ‘paying’
customer by writing to the ‘pawing’ customer
with all the rules and regulations. Everything is clearly
stated, but no one takes offense. In fact, I’ll
bet Tess’s tail is wagging (Sandy’s and
Savvy’s, too).
Here’s another powerful example: The Prisons Department
in Singapore says: ‘Our mission in life is to
get criminals out of prison.
’To help prisoners
rehab, renew, restart and not return,
the department manages a holistic program of in-care
and after-care service. The Prisons Department connects
to each ex-offender by connecting through the
police, courts, family members, friends, neighbors,
volunteers, employers and society at large.
Question: Who is the customer?
Answer: Everyone.
Key Learning
Point
Connecting with your
customers can include much more than just direct contact.
The people in your customers’ lives could be people
you serve, too.
Action
Steps
Draw a bicycle wheel
with your customers in the center. Put key people (and
pets!) in your customers’ lives on each of the connecting
spokes.
Now find new ways to serve those ‘connected people’
better. Ask them what you might do to help, add value
or simply make things easier. Check with your customers,
too. Remember, each time you connect through
your customers, you also connect to your customers.
Next Article in Customer Service Contact >>
Is the Customer Really King?
First Article in Customer Service Culture >>
Top Ten Tips To Build a Superior Service Culture
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Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed customer service training educator for quality service.
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