The automation that keeps order processes rolling and allows consumers to login to an account and find the status of anything at any hour is a convenience without which we’d all likely find ourselves lost!
Websites providing the answers to frequently asked questions offer the types of information people like our pool financing clients seek when they begin the process of installing a backyard pool.
Certainly, having the ability to report problems online or by going through an automated phone menu allows customers to sometimes get their needs met without speaking to a live person.
Although none of us actually feel we are making a human connection with those digitized recordings now designed to stammer a little so they sound more “real” when they are telling you: “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t get that”. When all you were actually doing was repeating the word “Representative!” five or six times!
In general, most businesses do their best to make it easy for their clients to find the facts they need. But what about when the answers to their queries are not cut and dry? When multiple factors combine requiring much more than a pat response?
On top of that, in a world that is becoming increasingly casual and technologically distant, how it is possible to still make clients feel valued?
Most companies take great pains to show a professional face to the world. They create compelling marketing materials, optimize their website while making it easy to navigate, and they reach across the divides of social media platforms.
Do we fall short though when an existing or potential client does pick up the phone? When someone talks to a representative of your business, does the reality match the hype? Or is there a mismatch?
No matter whom you are speaking with on the phone, good manners must prevail. Being polite to a customer shows them you respect their time and are a resource who will do everything possible to assist. Even if you are the most knowledgeable employee in the office, an inability to convey that insight without any semblance of grace will irritate an already irate customer and perpetuate the “perception is everything” adage.
At Lyon Financial, besides maintaining excellent professional relationships with our providers and contractors, we spend our time honing and demonstrating our customer relationship skills.
And the other thing? We do pick up the phone. Yes, we are in fact handling the sensitive financial information of our clients and they need to be able to discuss options with us, but the foundation of the consistent success of our business and the happiness of our clients stems from literally being there for them. We don’t let them just try to figure out their options, or plug figures into an online form. The same pool doesn’t suit everyone, and neither does the same pool financing alternative.
We have had the same crew working here at Lyon for years and years. The client relationships we have cultivated keep us plugged in and enthusiastic about the services we provide. Good manners don’t take much effort, but they will get you far.
If “90% of life is just showing up” according to Woody Allen, then the other 10% is the extra mile you travel to show clients you are there to genuinely support them.
