Communicating to Customers That You Care
There’s something about seeing service providers give it their all that makes delays easier to tolerate. That was my reaction during a lunch date when time passed and no one came to take our order. But I could see that the servers were dashing about breathlessly, racing into the kitchen, out of the kitchen, clearly working as fast as they could. Their behavior showed that they cared about their customers.
When a server finally came to our table, she apologized for the lengthy delay and explained that two of her coworkers had called in sick, so the remaining three were doing the work of five people. She took our order, apologized again, and promised she’d bring our lunch as quickly as she could. The way she interacted with us was additional evidence of caring.
Sometimes, evidence of caring is clear-cut, as it was here. So, the question arises: How can you communicate caring to your customers if things don’t proceed according to plan, yet your job doesn’t lend itself to scurrying about and demonstrating in person how hard you’re trying?
Fortunately, showing evidence of caring is not about setting the speed dial to high; it’s about interacting with customers in a way that says you’re listening to them and taking their needs seriously. It’s about letting them know, through what you say and do, that you haven’t flung their concerns into a black hole.
To do this, keep customers informed about the status of matters that are important to them. Reply to customer emails and texts in a reasonable timeframe, even if only to let them know you’re swamped and will get back to them as soon as you can. Even better, let them know when you will get back to them. It’s the not knowing that drives customers crazy.
In addition, notify customers about delays, malfunctions, and crucial changes. And do that before they ask, because if you stall in informing customers about serious problems that will affect them, you’ve damaged their trust in you.
If you have to deliver bad news, do it as promptly as possible, give it to them straight, and try to offer an action plan or solution to resolve the current situation or at least avoid future such occurrences. In general, let customers know what they can reasonably expect from you and when—and also let them know sooner rather than later if the “what” or the “when” has changed.
When and how you communicate can help to build and maintain a strong relationship with customers, even when you face multiple demands, competing priorities, and insufficient resources. Your words, tone of voice, and behavior can make a difference in whether customers believe you really care.
