Word of mouth advertising, Expectations and the Basics of Customer Satisfaction

Today I’m going to touch on something that concerns every business. Customer Service and Satisfaction. Why? Because I feel like it. Writing is like Art, you have to do it when inspired, take advantage of a sudden burst of inspiration, which is what I’m doing right now.

Every business, regardless of what trade they are in relies on their customers. Happy customers are returning customers, which are, the most valuable of all kinds. Not only do they return, but they tell their friends, coworkers and family of this amazing thing they discovered because they want to share the opportunity to enjoy a great thing. Most of you will already know that word of mouth advertising is, without a doubt, the most valuable of all kinds. Why? Because they are true, trusted advertising. We can pay a newspaper or create a television commercial to say anything we want them to say, but it’s word of mouth advertising, that is always true and can not be influenced (well, not usually, anyway…). That is what makes it valuable, not the fact that it is free, the fact that it is true. We trust our friends and family and can trust them when they tell us about great things, just like they trust us, when we share our experiences with them.

That being said, did you know that negative word of mouth is 8 times more likely to be shared than positive one? Again, the fact that word of mouth advertising is the most trusted one, you can imagine the kind of damage negative feedback can inflict on our business and reputation. No business wants an unhappy customer. Unfortunately, sometimes, when a business grows too quickly or in managed badly (ie understaffing, as mentioned in the Golden Rule post), those in charge lose their overview and too many things happen for them to follow-up on; however, it really isn’t difficult to ensure customer satisfaction. So how do you do it? Very simple, by ensuring they are happy with the product/service that can be achieved with 4 simple rules:

  1. Advertise honestly
    Only advertise your product as it is. That way customers expectations will be realistic and able to be fulfilled.

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  2. Make only promises you can keep
    Don’t promise the sky, moon and stars if you can’t keep it.
  3. Keep your promises
    If you’re going to promise the sky, moon and stars, you better make sure you can keep it.
  4. Fulfill expectations
    If you’ve advertised your product for what it is worth, this really shouldn’t be a problem.

True customer satisfaction comes from fulfilling a customer’s expectations. They come to you with something in mind, an expectation and expect it to be fulfilled. If you fail in this, it is only natural that they will leave unhappy. Honestly I shouldn’t really have to be posting this, it should be common sense. To give people what they pay for is, in the business world, as normal as starting your day with a coffee. Hotels should offer a nice, clean room and big, comfy bed. Restaurants should offer warm, tasty food. A Beer should be cool and bubbly, a printer should print (I used this example because my printer was driving me insane the other day and it was so frustrating to have a piece of equipment not be able to do what it was made for… grrr!!!) and you should offer the service/product you are able to offer. Even though it may be considered common sense, sometimes it still is necessary to be reminded of the basics, just because with all the other things going on around us, I guess it’s easy to forget the most fundamental of all rules, I’ve seen it happen and am just here to give you that gentle reminder. ;D

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