It’s the Customer, Stupid!

Forcing customers to wait on hold for unreasonable periods of time. Making assumptions about a client or buyer’s needs. Creating a complicated process for getting in touch with a business. These are all practices that companies, many of which claim to have superior customer service, actually have in place!

Speaker, columnist, full-time businessman and World Champion of Public Speaking for Toastmasters International, Michael A. Aun's new book, It’s the Customer, Stupid! 34 Wake-Up Calls to Help You Stay Client-Focused clears the slate on what great customer service truly is. The book explores the myths and truths about customer satisfaction – and why many businesses and organizations, despite their claims of being customer-centric, really haven’t got a clue. 

To aid businesses and salespeople looking to improve their customers’ experiences, or those looking to learn few new tips to keep their customers satisfied, Aun touches on sensitive subjects such as taking responsibility, advocacy, time management, speed of response and bad news.

It's the Customer, Stupid! discusses multiple sales-boosting tips salespeople and businesses can apply right away, including:

• Dissatisfied customers tell an average of 10 people about their bad experience. 12 percent tell up to 20 people. Happy customers will tell an average of five people about their positive experience.
• Blaming the customer is easy, but taking responsibility is harder, but believe it or not, it’s safer and more rewarding for both the business and the customer.
• If a company needs to fix something, don't make the customer work for it
• Somebody has to take out the trash. Translation: If a company makes a mistake, it may have to fire the person who caused the problem later, but for now, step in and make the customer happy again. Fix the problem, not the blame!
• Find out what others are doing and do something different
• Become a mentor to a client; coach and council
• Six Rules of service-driven leadership
• Five rules that drive customer achievement and success
• Ten rules that drive client decisions and loyalty

It’s the Customer, Stupid! not only aids businesses and salespeople in improving the customer service tactics they have in place now, but it shows readers that they can woo their disgruntled customers back, keep them and even grow sales.