GPI 200 – Do your customers get their questions answered? Ask them and correct the problem.

Ask your sales representatives when they speak with a buyer to ask if that customer is satisfied when he calls in and gets to speak with our internal employees?  Does he get to speak with the firm as much as he wants?  Ask your outside sales people to ask their customers how well your company answers telephone calls and how well you handle communications in general.  If the questions do nothing else, they clearly tell the buyers we care about him and his company’s concerns so ask regardless whether you think there are problems or not.  You may be sadly disappointed with the surprisingly blunt answer you get about your flaws, but be happy. You will then be better informed to do something now about something of which you knew nothing until now.

Questions to ask our customers’ buyers:

  1. How do we handle your calls?  Do you get through when you need to?
  2. Are we friendly on the telephone?  Tell me about our emails?  Do they completely answer your questions or create more?  Are they confusing?
  3. Do we act like we are listening on the telephone?  Are we attentive?  Do we normally get it right or wrong too many times?
  4. Are you able to get your questions answered?  If not on the call, do our people find out answers and call you back quickly?  When you tell them to email you, do they do it quickly and to your satisfaction?
  5. Do our people ask if there is anything else that our company can do for you either on a telephone call or in an email?
  6. Do you get emails when you would prefer a telephone call?  Does the opposite occur which bothers you?  Have you asked for the sender to change his method?
  7. Are we keeping you informed as you wish?
  8. If there is one thing we can change that you would like, tell me what it is?  What are we not doing that we can correct?
  9. Please take a minute to think of and tell us about something another of your vendors does that you wish we would do or try to do.  Please tell us because all customers are different and have different needs.  If we can do it, we will certainly try.  If we cannot, we will tell you the truth.  Ask us.