I always admire great customer service, and really, who doesn’t? When you experience great customer service, it makes your day, and when you don’t…well we all have those stories. But this story isn’t about bad customer service, it’s about investing in good customer service and the ROI for your business.
We are fortunate enough to have a backyard pool. We are able to enjoy it all summer – for exercise, cooling off and socializing with friends and family. We are also fortunate enough to have our pool maintained by the same company for over 2 decades. ABC Pools has looked after us for all these years and they could teach many businesses a thing or two about exceptional customer service. ABC is a family-owned business – Angeline runs the office and John is in the field with his staff.
When you call the office, Angeline is always friendly and helpful. She listens attentively to the customers and acts quickly to ensure

that what needs to be done, gets done. She follows up to confirm appointments, and once the job is complete, she reaches out again to ensure the customer was satisfied and happy with the service.
When their staff show up to do their weekly thing, they have t-shirts with the company logo and their names on them, and they always have a smile and engage in conversation if we happen to be around. I know this is not rocket science, but over the years, we have experienced really bad customer service. It is certainly unpleasant for the customer and can cost the company big time, because as we all know, if you are happy with a company, you will tell a couple of people, but if you are unhappy, you will tell EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
ABC’s outstanding customer service is something I am sure John and Angeline work on daily. Good customer service is vital to a successful company’s culture and is an integral part of how you want the customer to feel and experience your organization.
In our business, our company culture and award-winning customer service are both something we work on daily as well. The ROI on this is huge. This starts with the first call a client makes into our office and carries through to the final congratulatory handshake when they pass their road test. Because of this care and attention we offer clients, we get more business from referrals than from any other form of advertising or marketing. By living our mottos, “Our Core Value is People” and “Quality, Service & Reputation”, our team creates an environment where clients will happily come and take our training.
We all operate on tight budgets and slim margins. Paying attention to offering outstanding customer service at a reasonable, competitive price will get you all the referral business you can handle.
I hope the summer has been treating you well.

Time for a dip in the pool.

About the Author
Kim Richardson is a husband, proud dad, friend, loves Caledonia, and is involved in a couple of businesses, KRTS, Transrep, The Rear View Mirror. Currently the Chairman of the Board OTA Allied Trade Division. Executive Director, PTDI and TTSAO. Anyone who knows Kim knows he has been in the industry and transportation runs in his blood. Kim can be reached through his business websites at KRTS Inc, and Transrep Inc, Kim Richardson on Linkedln, krichardson@krway.com