Commitment to Customers - A Time to Rebuild Trust

Do your customers still trust you in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic? Will it be "business as usual" in the coming months and years? Is your level of commitment to your customer diminished as you try to figure out what direction and adjustments your own company will be making in the coming months or years? Are you able to maintain your capacity to service their now changing needs?

You have spent years, perhaps decades, serving your customers and cultivating loyalty to your brand. Your customers have come to trust you because you consistently deliver on your promise to put their interests and satisfaction at the forefront of every engagement and interaction. There are never any surprises. Your staff calls them by name, welcomes them like guests in their own home, knows their likes and dislikes, and bends over backwards to accommodate them and create unique and memorable experiences. You strive to ensure that doing business with your company will consistently be the best thing that happens to them all day. Their choice to do business with you has become second nature. It's an easy choice made without scrutiny. The relationship has flourished. In the disruption of COVID-19, that hard-earned trust could be on shaky ground. Comfort zones have shifted and skepticism is elevated. Now what?

Regaining trust today requires a different level of engagement with customers. While product and service quality remain significant factors, they may just take a back seat moving forward as personal health and safety are becoming paramount drivers of choice. This is especially true for businesses that require frequent face-to-face interaction. It is critical to remember that it is exceptional customer experiences that lie at the center of Service Culture Excellence and creating those experiences just became more challenging. Perhaps it is time to re-think your value proposition - the promise made to your customers. How is that accomplished?

Your company's value proposition should be the product of a well-thought out and crafted Mission Statement. This is your "purpose statement" that identifies the reason for the existence of your company. When working with companies to develop mission statements, I tend to channel Simone Sinek, TED presenter and best-selling author of "Start With Why", and prompt them to tell me why their organization exists. As Sinek points out, most companies know what they do and how they do it but so many never get to their "Why". Once companies understand why they exist - their purpose - it paves the way forward for them to articulate how they do it, describe what they do and inspire others to do business with them.

The current environment dictates a critical paradigm shift necessary to re-establishing trust. I have listed the three (3) things you should do today to ensure positive outcomes tomorrow. They are:

1. Re-think your "purpose" or your "why" - have a roundtable discussion with your leadership team and delve into the history of your company. Why was is started in the first place? What purpose does it serve? Do your customers know why you are in business? Do they appreciate the uniqueness and singularity of your offering and of your service culture?
2. Re-engage your customers - humanize your relationship with customers by making "Love Calls" to express appreciation for their business and for the trust established over the years. Assure them that their safety and security is at the top of your concerns and that you and your team are doing everything to ensure that it will never be compromised.
3. Rebuild your brand - Create a new mission statement and value proposition to be shared with the public. Conduct a SWOT Analysis to enable you to capitalize on the strengths of your team and your offering while seizing the new opportunities that emerge in this new economy and promptly tackle the threats that would jeopardize your success.

It is clear that the way of doing business has been forever changed. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Will you watch the parade go by or will you lead it? Are you ready to accept the changes and take action to adapt to this new opportunity being presented to you? Are you ready to begin rebuilding trust and customer loyalty today?

When you decide this is what you should do, contact me to schedule a complimentary call to discover how I can help you accelerate the process. I can be reached at [email protected] or you may call my cell - 337.278.0835.