The title of this post sounds like something pretty obvious doesn’t it. Good customer service is a vital piece of the puzzle when trying to secure an order. But at the weekend, we had a clear sign that companies still haven’t woken up to the idea of first class customer service.

On Saturday I signed up two house fulls of new windows and doors. Both reported to me that our attention to detail and the way they were treated played a big part in their decision to go with us. Obviously I was pleased with that feedback, I knew that what we were doing and how we were dealing with our clients was totally spot on. However it did get me to wondering how companies can still think they can afford to ignore this vital part of their business.

For example. One of the clients I signed up on Saturday explained to me that they went to visit another showroom after they saw ours and were never dealt with the whole time they were in there! They didn’t even get so much as a “hello can I help?” I can understand that sometimes a customer only wants to have a look round before they ask to see someone, but without that opening offer of assistance made at the beginning of the visit, the company looked unapproachable straight away.

The other thing to consider is that the customer may want to be shown around the showroom. A customer’s knowledge of windows and doors may not be that good so will need filling in on what they need to know.

We have a small plaque in our office, it says: ” The 3 rules to success in business: 1. Take care of the customer 2. Take care of the customer 3. Take care of the customer.” We try and stick to those rules as rigidly as possible. It still astounds me when in a period where profit margins are becoming ever more difficult to maintain and harder to justify, customer service still seems like it’s not at the top of other businesses’ agendas.

Well, long may our competitors continue to ignore their poor customer service! We’ll stick with our high level of service and keep stealing house fulls from you! ;)