Posted May 17th, 2010 | No Comments
Authorized Access has been shortlisted for the Bolton and Bury Business Awards in the Customer Excellence category.
So what!
It’s a lot of work, time and effort to put together a convincing application, time that could really have been spent ‘working’, doing the things I’m supposed to do to make my business successful; you know, sales, marketing, networking, all those things that conventional businesses do.
Well actually, by taking the time to scrutinize what we actually do in our business that makes us think we are worthy of winning such an award allows us the opportunity to apply a different type of thinking, viewing our business the way a customer might view us, thinking about the things that as a customer would give us confidence to invite a company to deliver a service.
The process of evaluation and scrutiny of ones own business from the perspective of a customer is something that any business owner should undertake on a regular basis but I am willing to bet it’s something rarely done.
Whether we win the award or not, having undergone the process has given me a renewed understanding of just why we do certain things and provided the opportunity to remind my staff why I expect them to gain qualifications in relevant areas, wear clean identifiable uniform with clear identity badges, answer the phone with confidence within a certain number of rings and treat each and every customer, regardless of spend, with a friendly respect, along with all the other unmentioned things. Having done so, I am certain; we will have improved the experience each customer enjoys when they do business with Authorized Access.
Every business has customers, so if you own or work in a business, consider this:
What Is A Customer?
- A CUSTOMER is the most important person in any business.
- A CUSTOMER is not dependant on us. We are dependent on him.
- A CUSTOMER is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it.
- A CUSTOMER does us a favour when he comes in. We aren’t doing him a favour by serving him.
- A CUSTOMER is a part of our business, not an outsider. A customer is not just money in the cash register. He is a human being with feelings and deserves to be treated with respect.
- A CUSTOMER is a person who comes to us with his needs and his wants. It is our job to fill them.
A CUSTOMER deserves the most courteous attention we can give him. He is the life blood of this and every business.
Tags: Bolton and Bury Business Awards, Business Awards, Business excellence, Customer, customer award, Customer Excellence, customer expectations, Customer service, customer standards, customer training, Improve customer service | Posted in Authorized Access News! |
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Posted April 12th, 2010 | No Comments
1st April 1989, so full of anticipation and expectation. New van, new uniform and new customers. This was going to be easy; I was going to single handedly secure the whole of Bury and beyond.
1st April 2010, 21years later, still here (phew). Many lessons learned, not quite so ‘gung ho’ and needing to conquer the world. Some of those people from way back then, still loyal customers and many many new ones along the way. Realised early on that giving my customers the great service they deserved was the only way, forget that and your customers will let you know one way or another.
Ok, now for a giggle, do you remember when…
Mobile phones were rare in business and those that did have them needed a back pack to carry them round. I considered myself cutting edge though having a pager, available 24/7 to all who needed me. Hilarious to think that when this little gadget ‘went off’ all you got was a name, telephone number and a cryptic message, you then had to hot foot it to a working pay phone with your 2p and try and contact the person. Nothing like spontaneity and availability!
Communication…well you have heard of snail mail and it truly was! Not just a slur on Royal Mail’s performance, it was everything from typing the perfect letter (Oh and don’t forget the carbon so you can keep a copy!) with no spell or grammar check, to waiting for returned telephone calls or written orders to be received. Everything took so long! I remember my huge deliberation over whether the business actually needed a fax machine, it seemed so unnecessary.
Cash Is King… I smile when I receive letters stating that companies will no longer be accepting cheques as payment. How long will it be before we no longer accept cash in the same way? People always carried cash and a cheque book; hey you even had a lovely leather bound holder to stop your cheque book from creasing! Credit cards were for the rich and famous, you really knew you were dealing with someone of substance if they produced an American Express Card and you would run to get your manual swiper, rummage around to find the dockets and try to remember how it all worked!
In current times we have a world of instant communication. Mobile phones strapped to our ears, e-mails delivered in ways which I still don’t understand and no matter how much money is taken on credit card, if there is little cash in the till, I struggle to see it as a good day. Don’t get me wrong I am no dinosaur and at Authorized Access we have systems coming out of our ears to make business life more effective. But…..old habits DO die hard!
Were we any better off when the pace of business life was slower? I am not so sure and wouldn’t like to give up my modern goodies and go back to the old ways, even though I sometimes curse the intrusion of my mobile phone. I bet I am not alone having taken a business call on the beach.
Where will business be in another 21years!
Tags: Business, Business Life, Communications, Customer service, Locksmith Bury, Loyal Customers, Master Locksmith | Posted in Authorized Access News! |
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Posted February 25th, 2010 | No Comments
Authorized Access!! A local business, employing local people, serving local people for over 20 years…
Information taken from the ‘Federation Of Small Businesses’ Website suggests that the House Of Commons All-Party Small Shops Group estimates that there will be no independent retailers by 2015!
Apparently for the past three years small independent shops have been closing at a rate of 5000 per year, in the UK. This has risen alarmingly in 2009, when 25,000 small shops, which represents 10% of the total, closed in the first nine months of the year and there are another 50,000 shops teetering on the brink of extinction.
Is it the recession that’s responsible for this phenomenon, or is there a more sinister explanation? Is it inevitable in modern times that price will be the prime consideration when making a buying decision?
Small independent local businesses will never be able to compete on price with large national companies who take advantage of economies of scale or internet based micro businesses whose overheads are so much lower than those borne on the high street.
Service is the key to retaining customers and while small local businesses ignore that fact they give more power to the anonymous ‘big boys’ to drive nails into their coffins. Promise to look after your customer, whatever it takes and you stand a chance of postponing what too many people seem to believe to be the inevitable.
We at Authorized Access know that we do our very best for our customers, we don’t always get it right but we always aim to put it right if things don’t initially go to plan. Our staff are all highly trained, with a recognised qualification in Customer Service, as well as being qualified in their field of expertise.
WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR?
KEEP BUSINESS LOCAL!
Tags: about local businesses, Bury Businesses, Business, business strategy, Customer service, Good business, Good customer service, keep business local, Local business, local businesses, retaining customers, running business | Posted in Authorized Access News! |
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