Reprints Online

One thing that I think all of us in business lose sight of at times is that customers, no matter how hard nosed they may consider themselves, react first as human beings and second as business people. If you really want to give excellent after care service you need to keep that in mind. You are human and have been a customer; think about what would impress you in terms of after sales service.

First of all and this may sound simple, thank them for choosing your business to deal with. A quick letter sent to them expressing your delight that they have chosen you to buy from is not too difficult to organise. I always think, however, that these have a tendency to sound like a cynical marketing device if you just churn the same one out time after time. It does not take much to personalise a thank you. Try to remember one personal detail from your time dealing with the customer and include that in with your usual standard format. I know I respond to something like this more warmly if I actually think the business involved remembers me.

The most important thing of all in after customer care though, in my opinion, is to make it easy for the customer to complain to you. Think about the last time you were upset with a service provided to you. Did you just quietly take it on the chin? I bet you didn't.

It is human nature to complain when we feel aggrieved. Your aim is to make sure that you are the one hearing those complaints and not potential future customers. When you send out your thank you letter invite your customer to report back to you with anything at all they were not satisfied with. And make sure you respond to any client complaints personally and promptly. Try not to make that response full of excuses either, own up to any errors on your part and assure the customer that you appreciate their feedback and it will be used to further improve your business. Clearly, offer some form of compensation if you think it is appropriate.

The last thing I want to mention is surveys. A lot of experts swear by them and who am I to contradict them? I can say though that as a customer and a human being I have a tendency to groan a little when one pops up on my screen or arrives in the mail. I acknowledge that they can be a useful tool in evaluating your customer's level of satisfaction with your product but try to keep in mind what I said before; no busy person is going to like you for wasting their valuable time. My advice then is to use them sparingly and keep them very focused on the information you need to know.

Your established customers actually save you money because they prevent you having to pursue so many new customers. They are also your best source of free advertising. Personal recommendations carry more weight for most people than any amount of paid advertising.