Customer is king

Hannah-Farah Abdulla

You will spend money, when you walk into a store and a smiling assistant is willing to help you as much as possible, advise you on what is best for you, carry your bags and generally be pleasant to talk to.

And you’ll come back time and again, because this one person has made your shopping experience memorable. A miserable assistant, who only does the bare minimum - scanning and bagging - will put you off shopping at this store, no matter how convenient. Eventually, you’ll be driven elsewhere to look for better.

Facilities management is no different. Yes, the primary aim of a facilities management service provider is to provide a service. But, in order to gain repeat custom, your service has to have that extra something that stands out among the rest.

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The concierge, the maintenance, the security teams are all the face of an FM company. Their badges and uniforms represent the company. Poor customer service received from just one of them is enough to scar an organisation for life, particularly in this region, where most business dealings are based on word of mouth.

This is an industry in which price wars are rife. People want to see they are getting the most for their money. Offering the basic service outlined in the contract is simply not enough anymore and customer interaction has never been more important.

In Dubai and Abu Dhabi where jointly owned property law is now coming into play, owners’ associations are looking for a fully rounded service. They want their fellow owners and tenants to be happy with the service so they continue to rent and let apartments in a tower, and the tower remains to function at maximum capacity.

OAs will not risk losing custom for the lack of effort made by an FM company’s staff to be polite and demonstrate it is glad to serve its customer base.

Environment is irrelevant. Many FM companies have said staff need to be trained according to their environments; more focus on the ‘customer service’ aspect if they are working in a customer oriented environment, but less emphasis in a warehouse.

At a time when the industry is growing, FM companies need to be able to present a diverse workforce to compete with the rest; a security guard that can provide a high level of service, with the same smile on his face and pleasant attitude, whether placed in a hotel, a residential tower, or a warehouse.

There are a basic set of rules surrounding good customer service, key if your end goal is customer retention.

A customer’s problem always needs to be solved. Listening is an essential part of that
process. There is nothing more infuriating than spending time explaining a problem, only to find the person you are speaking to hasn’t been paying attention and needs to have it explained again.

Let the customer talk and ensure he/she is being listened to by demonstrating the appropriate responses, and suggesting how to solve the problem.

When a customer does approach a member of staff, over 50% of the time, it will be to complain. No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, “you can’t please all the people all the time.”

I complained I could smell gas when I moved into my apartment, only to hear there were ‘no technicians available until tomorrow.’ My outrage ensured a technician was promptly sent to my room. But should I have had to stamp my feet to get my way considering the seriousness of my complaint? Give the complaint your full attention.

You’ll please this customer this one time - and position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service.

“Customer comes first’ - something heard every day. But it’s something that needs to remain at the forefront of everything we do. Staff must be trained to be helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. Do it yourself or hire someone to train them.

Talk about good customer service – what it is and isn’t - regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so they never have to say, “I don’t know, but so-and-so will be back at...”

Finally, the ‘extra step’ – however big or small will speak volumes. People notice when an extra effort is made and will tell other people. And remind staff to smile. It costs nothing but demonstrates a willingness to help and will guarantee the customer continues to come back for more and will tell his/her friends to come to you too.

Bio
Hannah-Farah Abdulla is the editor of Facilities Management Middle East magazine