An important time to listen to your customers

One of my favorite and reliable blog sites by Bill Caskey featured a very interesting commentary about customer service, including this cartoon.  In today’s economic environment, customer service is viewed by business owners as an expense and by customers as that extra value that makes a difference.  When you cut back on service, what does that do to your customer relationship?

Now is the time to connect with your clients and listen to what they are saying about you, your business, and their perception of the value you bring to the market.  According to Caskey, “if your market is saying your price is too high, then you’re doing a lousy job of communicating your value. You’d better change.”  Right on point.

Take this one step further.  Sometimes the value we think we are providing is different than what the customer actually values.  Not only is it important to communicate our value, it is essential that we understand that value from the customer’s perspective.  That is why it is so critical in these highly challenged times to know what your customers value in your business relationship with them.  This is the time to connect and learn by getting in front of your customers and listen to what they are saying.

Before you cut back on that service and benefit that you think you can quietly eliminate, you had better make sure you know how your customer feels about it.   Cutting expenses through layoffs and the elimination of services may result in  lost customers.  When your revenue drops even further, what is your next course of action?  It is better to connect with and listen to your customers’ perception of value and your organization’s effectiveness in providing it before you eliminate the one thing that they really value.