Photo byKetut Subiyanto
“In today’s competitive landscape, companies need to keep their promises to ensure they retain the trust of their customers”- Ernan Roman
It would be safe to say that keeping promises to customers should underlie everything that a company does. It should be at the core of customer service excellence. Customers understand that there would be service lapses and problems. They can be forgiving if they know a company tried its best and would do anything to make amends. Clients must perceive effort and commitment from the company in keeping its promises to them.
Breaking promises to customers is a sure-shot way of driving them away, and ensuring that they never come back. We know that customers become profitable and loyal to companies that they like and trust. These feelings come about when a company is able to do everything it said it would do at the start of the association. One of the ways to attract more customers is by delivering the right information. With tools likeInteractive decision trees, you can improve customer satisfaction or create surveys to learn more about your customers.
Keep Customer Promises to Increase loyalty
In order to achieve customer loyalty, keeping promises to customers is a business necessity today. In today’s competitive business scenario, customers have a huge number of choices. They are unlikely to stay with a company that is unable to inspire confidence and trust. When beginning an association with a new customer, a company should set clear expectations. It’s essential to ensure that the sales staff do not overpromise and narrate half-truths when making their sales pitch to customers.
In addition, it is vital that customers are kept informed in case of inadvertent delays. As a result, customers are not kept waiting and guessing. Customers hate to wait, especially if a company may have promised certain deadlines and service level standards. To remain consistently successful in keeping promises to customers, companies must promise only as much as they can deliver. In fact, one of the top business mantras is to underpromise and over-deliver for customer satisfaction – not vice versa.
Deliver on Time
While a company may have one broad service level agreement for all customers, there could be specific commitments and promises for some. It’s important for a company to keep a written note of these commitments, and inform particular customers about them too. Things like due dates, some additional offers, and other such specifics must be written and not entrusted to memory. It would be better to use technological tools that provide updates and reminders to ensure prompt deliveries and keep promises to customers. In addition, everyone in the company must be aware of and understand the promises the company has made to its customers. Keeping promises to customers must be a norm and culture in the company. Everyone should pull their weight to ensure that the company delivers on these promises consistently.
Promises cannot hold if they do not have a due date attached to them. This ensures that the customers know what they can expect, and when they can expect to get what they want. Ambiguity creeps into promises that do not come with a date. As soon as possible is not a due date, but rather it reeks of doubt and a lack of commitment. In order to keep customers at ease, it would be better for a company to let customers know. Removing ambiguity inspires trust and confidence in customers, which over time leads to loyalty. In today’s competitive environment, gaining customer loyalty is a major achievement for any company.
It Creates Connections
Part of keeping promises to customers is by connecting with them when promoting a company and branding. Creating emotional experiences for customers would change their perception of a company. They believe that the company would not only keep promises but also ensure customers receive the best service and products. While promotions show customers the benefits of associating with the company, they should also display the company’s commitment to its customer’s feelings and emotions. In turn, it draws customers close and encourages them to interact and engage with the company for a long time.
It Helps Companies Deliver Their Promises
Keeping promises to customers is about ensuring that a company promises only what it knows it can sustainably deliver. Companies should get customers to think only about their brand. A company is able to create a sense of belonging and oneness with its brand. We know that today’s business market is extremely crowded. It would be very easy for a company to become over-shadowed and lost in the melee. However, companies that are consistently able to keep promises to customers differentiate themselves, stand out from the crowd, and attract more customers. They also ensure that the customers they are able to attract and retain, become long-term loyal customers.
Such Companies Are Reliable
Often, companies that succeed in keeping promises to their customers gain a reputation for being reliable and trustworthy. It enhances the reputation and reach of a company since existing customers tend to share their great experiences with others. This ‘ripple effect’ radiates in several directions. It reaches markets and customers that a company may not even know existed. As a result, it increases the chances of a company gaining new clients. However, the same is also true for companies that fail at keeping promises to customers. Customers dissatisfied with the company are likely to let others know of their unsatisfactory experiences. This creates an unhealthy ripple effect that would go against the company. A company’s ability to keep its promises to customers is tied to its reputation and brand image. The inability to come true on promises damages both.
Companies Are Transparent and Open
It is essential for a company to remain open and transparent in its dealings with customers. The customers of today are smart and intelligent and know how to use the information at their disposal. Hence, they can easily see through lies or a false image that a company may try to portray. By trying to imitate or be something it’s not, a company would not be keeping its promises of sincerity, integrity, and trust.
Hence, customers are unlikely to stick to such companies. Breaking promises is disrespectful to customers and goes against business ethics. Such companies cannot sustain themselves for too long. It is important to treat customers as individuals, people with feelings, emotions, and the right to be treated courteously. Not keeping promises to customers is similar to treating them as objects or a sales number. In doing so, a company may gain short-term clients. However, in the long haul, it would not be able to sustain itself and retain its customers.
It Shows That You Value Your Customers
Creating a brand and building its image is all about showing value to customers. Value comes from keeping promises – the ones in the service level agreements and those the brand may subtly imply. As mentioned, keeping promises to customers is not only the responsibility of the leadership or the customer service teams. Rather, it must be part of the culture and values of the company. It ensures that everyone in the company works towards building an impactful and lasting positive brand image. How does your company fare in keeping promises to customers?
