Six Basic Needs

I saw an article on www.allbusiness.com about the six basic needs of a client. It was an excerpt from the book “Customer Service for Dummies, 2^nd Edition.” For the record, I don’t like being called a dummy; why don’t they just title it “Customer Service for the Unwashed Masses?” But, I digress.

The article aims to expand your idea of customer service from giving customers what they say they want to also fulfilling six basic, usually unspoken, needs that will differentiate you from others in your industry. Those needs are:

• Friendliness: The most basic of all customer needs, friendliness is usually associated with being greeted politely and courteously.
• Understanding and empathy: The most basic of all customer needs, and it’s usually associated with being greeted politely and courteously.
• Fairness: The need to be treated fairly is high up on most customers’ list of needs.
• Control: Control represents the customers’ need to feel as if they have an impact on the way things turn out.
• Options and alternatives: Customers need to feel that other avenues are available to getting what they want accomplished.
• Information: Customers need to be educated and informed about the products, policies, and procedures they encounter when dealing with your company.

Of course how you deliver on these needs will vary depending on the nature of your business as well as the personality of each client.

Welcoming New Customers

Ten days ago, I joined a new gym. I’ve always been a gym rat and I chose LA Fitness primarily because it has racquetball courts. I used to play all the time, but I didn’t know anywhere around here that had courts. So when I found out the relatively new LA Fitness had them, and saw that their weight training and cardio equipment was pretty nice, I signed up.

Within hours, I received two emails from LA Fitness. One was welcoming me to the Palm Beach Gardens club. It gave a summary of my membership terms, basically here’s your enrollment date, what you paid, what your monthly dues are and when your next billing date is. It also included a couple of guest passes “so a friend or a family member can join you on your next visit.” Of course this is a marketing tactic for them – and a good one – to attract potential new members, but it’s still a nice gesture. The email was signed by the guy who did my paperwork. He was also the manager, so I’m not sure if all the emails for this club have his name on them or if you would receive an email from your particular sales person. The latter would make the most sense.

The second email said “Welcome to L.A. Fitness! As a benefit to our members, we have created a website with your convenience in mind. The ability to view your account, change your billing information and update your profile is at your fingertips. Club openings, amenities, group exercise class schedules, leagues and other useful information is easily found. We have pre-registered you as a member, you just need to click on the link below to complete the registration by inserting your user name: ABC and your activation ID: XYZ once you click on this link:”

When you get to the website, it has all the details about the particular club location I just joined. In contrast to the last gym I belonged to, where I doubt the website had been updated in several years, this is amazing! My new membership also entitled me to one free personal training session. Within five days, I got a call from a trainer to set up an appointment. Then he called me the day before our appointment to confirm! Remarkable!

So far, my experience with LA Fitness and their system for customer service and follow up has been incredibly impressive. How does your system for welcoming a new customer compare?

PS: If you are interested in the Palm Beach Gardens LA Fitness, talk with my friends Chris or JC there.

National Girlfriend’s Day

August 1^st is National Girlfriend’s Day. Who knew there’s a special day for women to celebrate their friendships with other women? A couple of my best friends have been in my life since junior high and high school. One lives in Massachusetts and the other in New Jersey. And as you may know, I’m in South Florida.

Every year we get together for a “girls weekend.” Last year we celebrated our 40 years of life with four and a half days in Grand Cayman at the Ritz Carlton. THAT was special. In years before that, we’ve stayed on the east coast, places like Savannah, Philadelphia and Boston.

Here’s a picture of the three of us on a rainy day of a girls weekend past. That’s me on the left, Deb in the middle and Kath on the right. 

 

They are more long term planners than I am and have already started talking about where to go next year. We’re thinking February and the idea of San Antonio has been thrown up for discussion. Have you ever been there and what did you think? Where would you recommend?