To Serve and Survive
With the economy making for tough business times, printers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competition in order to stay above water. Sadly, some are cutting prices to unhealthy levels. Others are cutting staff or reducing costs. Some are cutting back on marketing, which really is something they should be increasing. However, the one area of differentiation that doesn’t require a great deal of expenditure is service.
Good customer service has become such a rare commodity that when you receive it, you are usually a bit surprised. The basics aren’t that hard. Be nice. Be polite. Be responsive. Do what you say you are going to do. Help find solutions to problems. Resolve complaints, etc.
Is it really that important? Well, over the years studies have shown that the number one reason people stop doing business with a company is that they don’t like the way they were treated. I’ll bet everyone reading this has walked away from a business because they were treated badly.
However, you can’t just demand that your employees be customer service oriented. You have to instill that from the top. Other surveys have proven that employees treat customers the way their employer treats them.
Many years ago when Lee Iacocca was running Chrysler, he was quoted in an ad saying “There’s no great mystery to satisfying your customer. Build them a quality product and treat them with respect. It’s that simple.”
Well, Iacocca is gone from Chrysler, and Chrysler itself is on the verge of being gone. I have to believe that part of the reason for Chrysler’s troubles is that it forgot what Iacocca said those many years ago.
Dear Bob, just i was trying to find what is your openion on using a Heidelberg-anicolor press for ever growing short run folding carton jobs usually dominated by PMS colors?
I am not very familiar with the folding carton market since most of our readers don’t do that type of work. I think you might ask Heidelberg to give you a few anicolor users you can talk to about its capabilities on short-run folding carton jobs.