English for Small Business Management. В. В. Мороз

      Here are some other findings of the study:

      1 Over one-third of the respondents said the biggest customer service mistake was failing to make customers feel important.

      2 Almost one-fourth of the respondents indicated that clerks are rude to the customers and management dismisses customer complaints.

      3 Nearly one-half of the respondents said that in the past year they had ceased doing business with three or more businesses because of poor customer service.

      What is the special significance of these statistics for small businesses? The answer is that small firms are potentially in a much better position to achieve customer satisfaction than are big businesses. Why? Ask yourself if the problems identified by the survey are more solvable within firms having fewer employees. For example, with fewer employees, a small firm can vest authority for dealing with complaints in each employee. On the other hand, a large business will usually charge a single individual or department with that responsibility.

      Consider the following two firms' success with customer service tactics. Sewell Village Cadillac, a car dealer in Dallas, Texas, is famous for its customer service. Its owner, Carl Sewell, began the service journey in 1967 when Sewell Village was in third place among the three Dallas Cadillac dealers. Sewell "realized that most people didn't like doing business with car dealers. They looked forward to seeing us about as much as they did going to the dentist," he says. Therefore, he simply began asking customers what they didn't like about car dealers. Three points of major dissatisfaction were identified – service hours, being without a car during service, and repair done incorrectly. By responding to these concerns, Sewell Village Cadillac increased its customer satisfaction rating.

      Another firm reaping the benefits of providing superior customer satisfaction is the Phelps Country Bank, headquartered in Rolla, Missouri. This little bank has prospered at the expense of its big competitors because of its chief executive Emma Lou Brent, who has developed a different kind of banking environment. The following are among the customer service strategies implemented by the bank's 55 employees:

      – The lobby opens five minutes before 9:00 A.M. and closes five minutes after 3:00 P.M.—there are no disgruntled customers peering in and looking angrily at their watches.

      – [A customer] is upset because he lost track of his checkbook balance and now doesn't want to pay the overdraft charge? A rep.. might refund the amount if she thinks it was an honest mistake. Or she might propose splitting it with him.

      – Employees do not keep customers waiting while they finish paperwork.

      – The bank's newspaper ads carry lending officers' home phone numbers, as do the officers ' business cards. Customers are encouraged to call nights or weekends on urgent matters. High levels of customer service do not come cheaply. There are definite costs associated with offering superior service before, during, and after a sale. However, many customers are willing to pay for good service. These costs can be reflected in a product's or service's price, or they can sometimes be scheduled separately, based on the amount of service requested. For example, David and Linda West, owners of San Luis Sourdough Co. in San Luis Obispo, California, price according to how much service their clients (supermarkets and specialty food stores) require. "If a supermarket is happy to have the bread dropped off at the back door, the wholesale price is $0.97. If the store wants to be able to return day-old bread for full credit, the cost is $1.02 a loaf." The Wests figure the price covers the cost of the service.

      Because