This post may be of interest to those of you who attempt to create customer loyalty and therefore bring your customers back for repeat business. I've found that this is typically done with coupons, frequent airline miles, special offers, etc. What I have noticed is that many companies that do this actually drive their customers away when the original intended purpose was to increase business through customer loyalty. How does this happen? Let me give you an example that happened to me. A sandwich shop gives out punch cards with one punch per sandwich purchased. I came into the store with two cards, 5 punches on each card. The employee refused to give me the free sandwich because the boss trained him that one card had to have ten punches. The employee doesn't understand anything about customer service, only that ten punches on one card equals one free sandwich. What was my response? After arguing my point unsuccessfully, I got mad and told the employee to tell his boss that I wouldn't be coming back until the policy was changed, even though I had been loyal to them because I liked their sandwiches! How should an owner or manager train their employees? To think on their own. I actually would have told my employees to give any customer with a total of nine punches a free sandwich, in this way they make the customer feel really special. Here is how I speak to my employees about handling my customer's needs: There are three items that you need to keep in mind when dealing with our customers; 1) Quality Workmanship 2) Customer Service 3) Profit for the Company You must consider each item equally when dealing with our customers. For instance: Let's say that while you're on the roof, replacing a skylight, you notice that the customer's downspouts are clogged. You temporarily unplug the nearest downspout allowing the gutter to drain, and you let the customer know what you have done and that the downspouts need to be cleaned properly. The customer asks you to do this, and you have a decision to make. Do you just do it? That would be great customer service, but what about the cost to the company? If you clean them quickly that could be considered great Customer Service but what about Quality Workmanship? Considering all three items the employee should be able to make a decision on the spot. "I'd be happy to get your downspouts cleaned properly, however, there will be an additional cost. It won't be much though since I'm already here." It's great customer service. We notified the customer of a problem and we offered to solve that problem properly and efficiently. We're providing Quality Workmanship and Great Customer Service to our client, and we're making a little extra money in the process. To sum up, teach your employee's about customer service, specifically how to avoid driving them away, while increasing profits by giving your customers more, not less, than what they expect. | 
