Prince William, VA, August 27, 2009:
Chamber Workshop Sparks Ideas for Great Service
Tips for Growing Loyalty & Sales
Each year, the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce holds a half-day management workshop that allows its members to delve into practical topics can help them to strengthen their businesses. The sessions provide a much-needed break in routine, allowing business owners and staff to reenergize and develop new ideas. The Chamber’s recent “Creating Customer WOW” workshop, held at the Prince William Association of Realtors building was no exception.
"Create Customer Wow sparked a brainstorming session about aspects of our business, and had us coming up with creative solutions that will strengthen our customer service focus,” said Rebecca Barnes of Bargain Boxes Moving & Storage, event Corporate Sponsor.
Speaker Gianna Clark of Dominion Virginia Power led a dynamic session on how to increase customer satisfaction by giving customers “What they need, On time, With value.” The motivation for doing so is strong—she noted that great service is a predictor of sales growth, cash flow and market sales.
Clark said that in challenging economic times, people seek to get greater value for their money. As a result, customers have higher expectations for service than ever. Luckily, great service is not about throwing money at problems, but rather about handling them differently. Training staff to put the customer first is a cost-effective way to build loyalty and brand strength.
“If you don’t create your brand, your customers will,” cautioned Clark, as she encouraged businesses to define their objectives and identify strategic initiatives to make them happen. Then, it is time to build a “WOW Machine,” with passion, planning, processes and people. “Nobody accomplishes anything without passion. What does WOW look like, feel like?” said Clark.
She also discussed the importance of gathering customer feedback—it necessary to know what they want to give it to them. Ideas for collecting input included market research, focus groups and website surveys. Clark said that regular surveys should be incorporated in the WOW process, both to ensure that the changes are working and to tweak the process in response to changing customer needs. “A process map is a living document,” said Clark.
Employees are another key link in the WOW process. It is important to get them excited about delivering WOW, and to give them the tools and training they need to succeed. “Nothing can be accomplished without passion,” said Clark.
Bob Fischer of Save-a-File who attended the session agreed, “When you can be WOW, you can make an impact. Delivering WOW should be required for anyone dealing with customers on any level.”
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