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Find out how your sales people talk to your customers. Emails are fine, but the sales people must actually speak with the customers in order to develop necessary client loyalties. Talking with customers will make your company stand out from those who are less personal. You want to show your company’s real differentiation.
Insist employees physically speak with customers. Start the practice in your company of insisting employees actually speak with customers, especially on important issues. Tell them to call customers when the subject warrants them paying respect with a live voice on the phone. When they tell you they talked with the customer, ask if they actually spoke on the telephone or used email.
Speaking does not mean trading emails with a customer; you can never service them completely. Teach them never to say they spoke with someone, when in fact, they only replied with an email. What your employees never know is that the customer cannot get all of his questions answered in an email so he gives up frustrated. You think everything is fine and he is looking for another vendor who he can actually talk to.
Suggestions for communicating with customers
- Call first when in doubt. Call first and speak on the telephone for important matters. Your employees need to learn what is important and what is not important so you, and must practice with them. Teach them business etiquette. Acknowledge large purchase orders with a phone call and a thank you.
- Follow up and acknowledge emails. Follow up with emails to formalize agreements or understandings. They can follow up with the employees in writing with their emails which is fine, but emails do not substitute for a conversation.
- Practice with employees and train them when in doubt. Practice with your employees to understand the difference to make your company unique. Review your employees’ decisions whether to call the customer or not. Do this every day to make your company stand out.
- Call versus email customers. Do not allow employees to email a customer and insinuate to you that they ‘spoke’ with the customer. Ask the employee specifically if they talked on the telephone with the customer or not? Insist they get on the telephone to follow up so the customer hears a human voice and can react to any questions. Teach them the difference. Tell them the company’s unique edge in the marketplace depends upon them talking to customers. This great ability will make them better employees, so it is in their interest to do this and do it well every day for themselves and for the company.
- Teach how to speak with customers. Practice with the employee how to speak with the customer and how to be helpful. Practice with your employees if they are unsure or nervous. Teach them respect for the customer, and to ask if there are any outstanding issues that the customer has for our company to investigate. Teach your employees how to be attentive, gracious and extremely courteous. Your business depends upon it.
- Ask employees questions about speaking with customers. Ask employees questions to review and suggest improvements about their conversations with your customers. Follow up with your employees to review what they said and how they helped the customer on their telephone call. Do not assume a young new employee knows everything about talking with your buyers.
Review and practice ‘customer’ conversations with new employees. Review conversations with new hires and young employees to give them practice. Help him or her out and ask them about the conversation and make recommendations about the conversation. Speak to the new hire as a customer and ask hard questions. Practice with the new hire so he will realize what is coming.
Give pointers to yield better discussions. Tell your new guy what else he can do the next time, and what other questions he can ask of the buyer or other items he might offer or do for the buyer. Do this often and encourage your employees to speak with you about the conversations to sharpen their skills.
