Friday, 13 June 2008
Responding to customer needs
| Last week we upgraded to the latest version of Quickbooks for 08/09. Unremarkable you may think. Well - Quickbooks has done a great job on "pimping" the look and feel of their program for better usability. The one thing they still haven't done after all these years is work out the documentation side of things. You have the help file which is average at best ... but if you really want to learn the package you either need to pay to attend training or go and buy a book. I decided on the Quickbooks for Dummies series - doing my research on the net as to what was available and which was the Australian edition that matched the latest Quickbooks software. Then it REALLY got interesting. I wanted the book yesterday so thought I would just pop down to the local store to get it. My thinking was ... end of financial year, with all the people wanting to ensure they were doing the right thing financially bookstores would be swimming in the top selling guide for one of the two major financial pieces of software. Wrong! 4 major shopping centres and countless bookstores later ... Some major booksellers couldn't find anything to do with the Dummies series (even to order it in - what planet are they living on). Others could order the US edition but not the Australian edition. I finally tracked down a copy of the essential manual in time for the start of the new financial year in an obscure book-store miles away from home (but it was still cheaper and faster than ordering on line). The good news was the Quickbooks QB for Dummies Australian Edition manual was great - I learnt lots of tips and tricks I had not heard of before and now have everything just about in readiness for the end of financial year. The lesson for me was how unfocused were all of the major booksellers on what else was happening in the world. End of financial year happens each year. Each year people will want to get ready for tax time, improve their financial knowledge and generally get organised. And yet not one store had a display table or promo with end of financial year books and office supplies. They didn't have any stock of the top selling books (even MYOB books had disappeared in most bookstores). This is a major lost opportunity for the booksellers. They are missing a peak selling opportunity by not creating a promotion that matches the main calendar events. For your business - what have you done to reflect this time of year? Do you have any special promotions or services that tie into the end of financial year? If not ... why not? Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words |
Sunday, 4 May 2008
Managing Customer Expectations - Lessons from a festival
| Every year for the past 7 years I have taken my kids into the annual Buddha's Birthday celebrations at South Bank in Brisbane. This was our favourite festival in Brisbane, with great cultural displays, exhibits, fabulous vegetarian food and a strong experience of the Buddhist faith. Every year the kids made wishes, took part in candle offerings and bathed baby Buddha to help them experience and understand different faiths. Each year the festival grew in size - with a greater range of experiences on offer to match the increasing numbers of people through the festival. This year we noticed something different from the moment we walked in - only a fraction of the usual glowing orange lanterns decorated South Bank and the main entry arch was missing. The cultural aspects were down to a few token sections with very limited interaction (and the fireworks moved nights without announcement from a Saturday to a Sunday night). The festival felt flat - not just for us but for other festival goers. Most people who attend go every year and have expectations on what the festival is all about. We still have no idea what happened this year to cause it to shrink by half. This is similar to any business. Customers are happy when their expectations are exceeded, but when there are sudden changes without warning, and a decreased level of service then you lose your regular customers. Some things you can do if you have to cut back on your service, product range or other offering is to communicate these changes clearly and openly to your customers. As long as you explain "why" people will generally accept the changes. It is only when there is silence there is a problem. We will still check out the festival next year, but with much lower enthusiasm on the part of the kids. Until next time Ingrid Cliff Heart Harmony Putting your business into words Labels: customer expectations, customer service |