Gene Mallinger, chief executive officer of roof edge and ventilation system manufacturer Metal-Era Inc. in Waukesha, says the customer should be the top priority for every employee in the company.
“Great customer service is the backbone of any customer-based business. It lays the groundwork for how your company succeeds from the inside out, and can even have an effect on employee morale. A customer-centric attitude throughout your entire company will result in loyal customers and employees. If you’re looking to improve or build your customer service, keep these tips in mind:
“Change is good. Customer needs are constantly changing, so companies need to be able to quickly adapt to those changes. Making positive changes will reinforce your existing customer relationships and help to attract potential customers to you over your competition. We are constantly innovating and providing new technologies and resources for our customers. We’ve decreased our lead times with enhanced robotic manufacturing, increased the value of our products with new, innovative designs, and created a new information resource with an updated, interactive website. These are just a few of the tools that have made our customers happy and have helped us consistently grow.
“Set goals and stay on track. It’s important to maintain a customer-centric focus, even through busy growth cycles. Remind employees how much customer service impacts their career, and reward them for achieving their customer service goals. Empowering employees to have a direct impact on their success by meeting defined goals creates a culture where everyone works together to achieve a common goal. We have a company-wide goal of 100 percent customer satisfaction, so customer service is part of everyone’s job. Our departments work together to create an environment of on-time deliveries, fast response times, and high-performance product offerings.
“Measure your success. Providing metrics on key performance indicators will keep your employees striving for 100 percent customer satisfaction. To name a few, we measure call answer rates, quotes converted into sales, on-time deliveries and overall customer satisfaction. Keeping these stats accessible and visible to our employees keeps us determined to reach our 100 percent goal. In turn, our growth is fueled by dedication to our customers and their satisfaction with our company as a whole.” n
