1. Recognize and deal with customer turnoffs

2. Customer Turnoffs
As a customer, client, patient, etc…what are some of your turnoffs?
According to statistics very common customer turnoffs may be;
Being ignored, receiving rude or indifferent service
Having to wait too long
Poor-quality work (especially on repair jobs) or shoddy products
Sale items that are not in stock
Merchandise prices not marked, forcing a price check at cashier
Dirty restaurants or restrooms
Phone calls put on hold forcing you to select from a long menu of choices
Employees lacking product knowledge (who may also try to bluff customers)
High-pressure sales tactics

3. Getting to know your customer
It is in the best interest of an organization to Get to KNOW their customers. The easiest way to understand a customer is to recognize a customer’s satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction.
At the end of the day…what do your customers like or dislike?
What are several methods that may be used to pinpoint customer satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction?
Customer Surveys
Customer Feedback Questionnaires
Customer Focus Groups
Customer Interviews
Customer Advisory groups

4. Categorizing Customer Turnoffs
Through extensive research customer turnoffs can be categorized into three distinct categories
VALUE Turnoffs
SYSTEM Turnoffs
PEOPLE Turnoffs

5. Value Turnoffs
In short, value turnoffs can be described as not getting the value of what you have paid for.
Example: You receive a 30 minute massage from the massage therapist in your chiropractors office, it is terrible. You feel like you have just been run over by a lawnmower, not to mention that the office has just raised the fees for a massage by 50%.
Value can be defined as: quality relative to price
Examples of value turnoffs:
Poor guarantee or failure to back up products
Quality not good as expected
Price too high for value received

6. Where do value decisions originate from?
Value decisions usually come from management or the head of an organization. In a medical or dental facility value decisions may be regulated by a medical or dental board
The head of an organization will define what is called the;
value proposition—what the company intends to exchange with its customers.

7. System Turnoffs
System turnoffs arise from the way a company DELIVERS ITS PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.
A system is—any process, procedure, or policy used to ‘DELIVER’ the product or service to the customer. Systems are the processes that we use to get value to the customer.
Systems include things such as:
Company location, layout, parking facilities, phone lines
Employee training and staffing
Record keeping (including computer systems for handling customer transactions)
Policies regarding guarantees and product returns
Delivery or pickup services
Merchandise displays
Customer follow-up procedures
Billing and accounting processes

8. Where do system decisions originate from?
The responsibility for minimizing system turnoffs lies with managers, and owners,. System changes often require spending organizational resources which are usually authorized by managers or the head of an organization.
 A companies decision to add personnel, provide additional training, change locations or implement new delivery methods, will require management approval.
This does not mean that non-management employees should not be involved in suggesting system changes. Customers may also indirectly be involved in system changes through customer feedback question, surveys etc…about company systems.
Examples of system turnoffs:
Slow service
Long lines
Untrained employees
Poor signage
When transactions are unnecessarily complicated or inefficient (example: complicated form forms)

9. System Turnoffs in a healthcare facility
Can you think of a system turnoff in a healthcare facility?
employees who lack the knowledge to answer customer questions
Telephone menus that are unnecessarily complicated
poor location
cluttered workplace
Lack of adequate seating
Dirty facilities
clumsy or repetitious paperwork requirements
lack of parking
Long periods of waiting
What do you think is the number one system turnoff according to customer research?
Slow service and/or having to wait

10. People Turnoffs
Employees that fail to communicate properly with words or nonverbally without words will almost always lead to people turnoffs.
Employees at all levels may create people turnoffs unconsciously. This usually happens because people fail to understand how they are perceived by others…how can this be remedied…Chapter 2: Use behaviours that engage customers and be aware of how and what you are communicating to a customer.
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR REDUCING PEOPLE TURNOFFS LIES WITH THE EMPLOYEE

11. Examples of People Turnoffs
Employees who fail to greet or even smile at a customer
People who give inaccurate information or convey a lack of knowledge
Employees chatting amongst themselves or allowing telephone interruptions while ignoring a customer
Behaviours that project a rude or uncaring attitude
Work locations that appear dirty or sloppy
Employees who are dressed inappropriately or have poor grooming
Any communicated message that causes the customer to feel uncomfortable

12. Creating Loyal Customers
A satisfied customer may not necessarily be a loyal, motivated or repeat customer.
A bad service experience may push the customer over the edge and lean them towards becoming a DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER.

13. How to Create Loyal Customers
Reduce or eliminate value, systems and people turnoffs
Exceed customer expectations to create, positive awareness
Loyalty comes from customers awareness that SERVICE IS YOUR BUSINESS
It is only when organizations realize that SERVICE is the foundation of any business that they will begin to serve customers effectively.
Companies have to acknowledge that without their customers they would not exist.
Service only becomes meaningful when it becomes and internal dynamic within an organization. 
Customers’ quickly see the depth of a company’s commitment to service.

14. The payoff to recovering a potentially lost customer…increasing customer loyalty
Studies have shown that: a customer who encounters a problem with a company and that problem is addressed promptly and effectively— this customer will be more likely to remain loyal that a customer who never had a problem.
Even in cases where the customers problem was not resolved 100 percent in their favour, the loyalty still increases.
Just the fact that the problem was acknowledged and addressed seems to be the key variable in strengthening the customer relationship