July-August 2003
How To:

Providing Great Customer Service

It’s no big marketing secret that attracting a new customer costs more—five to eight times more, according to experts—than getting a current customer to come back. People may frequent a practice facility for many reasons, including proximity and price, but more than likely it’s because they like the way they’re treated.

Quality customer service is the hallmark of successful businesses across all industries, and providing it begins and ends with a hospitable staff. According to human resources consulting firm Sasha Corp. in Cincinnati, a momentary lapse of courtesy can cost a business as much as $100,000 or more, depending on the revenue potential the offended customer possesses over his lifetime. It just goes to show the importance of hiring customer service-minded people who won’t jeopardize range revenues. Often, the difficulty for ranges is attracting job seekers who fit into the wage rate and still possess customer-centric characteristics. One of the best ways to find prospective candidates is to ask high-performing employees if they have friends or family members who want to work at the range. When interviewing applicants, assess their customer service aptitude by asking questions that require them to recount past work experiences or respond to hypothetical situations.

The next step is to educate and train new hires so that they understand the level of customer service they’re expected to provide. More importantly, explain their role in building long-term relationships with customers through constant, consistent and courteous contact. For example, when employees walk the tee line they should engage customers by asking them if there’s anything they need. These tasks shouldn’t be relegated just to junior staff members.

Senior employees, such as the manager on duty, should lead by example as a way to reinforce what’s expected of all employees. It’s also important to observe staff as they interact with customers and to give positive feedback or correct unacceptable behavior.

When it comes to good customer relations, the buck stops with employees. Keep customers coming back by investing in friendly staff, training them to provide good service and regularly monitoring their performance.