Don’t let the simple stuff ruin your supply chain performance
Never make it difficult for customers to do business with your business!
I call this Cynthia’s 1st Rule of Business
It’s amazing how many businesses refuse to follow it.
Case in point: last night there was an event by two non-profits that I paid to attend. I had plans to talk with several people I need to coordinate business with as well as to support the entities. Here’s where the problems began:
- The address for the event was incorrect, so it took a while and much asking to find out what the correct address was and where the building was located.
- After driving 2 hours to the event, I spent an hour driving around looking for parking and the building. I never found parking, so I had to turn around and drive 2 hours back.
As seemingly insignificant as you may think these things were, they took 5 valuable hours way from my business work – and herein lies the main problem you may have with your customers (make sure you aren’t making the same type of mistakes).
A little advanced planning would have secured parking areas (I’m ok with paying) and a little verification would have shown that the publicized address was incorrect (I wasn’t the only one looking for this place).
Instead, I wasted 5 very valuable hours that I need for my business.
5 hours I was happy to donate if – if – the entities would have done their part.
They did not.
Your potential and existing customers think the same.
Don’t waste their time.
Don’t waste their good will.
Don’t waste your ability to do business with them.
Don’t skip the easy stuff and make those who are willing to pay you money become so irritated that they abandon your business.
Don’t assume that people have time to do the work you should have done.
Don’t assume people will forgive you.
About 69% of customers are looking to jump ship to your competitor. The world is oversupplied with product and services. Customers will jump and will never look back.
Do the simple stuff. Make customers happy to do business with you.
Earn your customer’s loyalty every day.
It’s not difficult.
It takes some time and effort.
Like Niké says: Just do it
Key words and concepts: customers, customer relationship, customer relationship management, business, business strategy, strategic execution, chapter strategy
About the author: Cynthia Kalina-Kaminsky with Process & Strategy consults with and provides training for organizations eager to increase their competitive value by helping enable growth, align performance, make and move product (even when the product is electrons). She is teaching SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference model) in Baton Rouge this October. SCOR is the framework Fortune 500 companies use to increase their performance.
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