Frustrated Customers? Try this

Question – how are supply chain issues, price hikes, and staff shortages impacting your customer relationships? The obvious answer might be, “Customers are not happy with all the bad news, so customer relationships are increasingly under strain.”

Maybe. But what if the opposite was possible?

I mean, yes if customers are merely told what they want to hear about timelines, prices, and service, then they’ll be frustrated and angry when their expectations aren’t met. But what if your team members were trained to change the way they grow customer relationships?

What if, rather than assuming strong customer relationships are built around friendliness, instead your team focused primarily on building customer trust. As I share in my seminars, that would mean:

• Instead of reacting to customer concerns, team members would proactively communicate about upcoming issues.
• Instead of agreeing to unreasonable customer demands, team members would be assertive at the outset about realistic delivery expectations.
• Instead of hoping customers will forgive the ‘bad news’, employees explore creative ways with customers to overcome obstacles.

This covid-coaster supply chain perfect storm is a unique opportunity to differentiate your service. By proactively working with customers through difficult periods, you are seen – not as a supplier, service provider, or vendor – but instead as a strategic partner. Adjusting your team’s communications means your customer relationships won’t be strained – they’ll be strengthened.