Are YOU On Demand?, Part 3
In this installment of Are YOU On Demand? we will focus on the promptness. As you recall, we've been looking at how we have moved into the On Demand era, and how our consumers are demanding it from not just devices, but from everyONE they deal with. Not only are they looking for someone who makes it simple to do business with, they also want those people to be prompt and engaging.
The newest laptops on the market have solid state hard drives, whose main purpose is to create an "Instant On" experience, one touting a 2 second boot up! Compare that to your laptop! Why do I bring this up? well, again, your consumer's iphone, iPad, and now laptop starts as quickly as their cars have for years (although even those now have Push button starts now!) How does this translate? If a customer leaves some question in your lap, they kind of expect it answered....quickly. This is best seen online, where customers who used to survey that they were happy with a response within 3 days now expect it within 30 minutes or less. Truly in the world of the internet the early bird gets the worm! Whether answering questions on the internet, or responding to a customer you've met in person, make sure you can answer "YES" to this question:
Are you more prompt than your competition?
Then, you have to master juggling! How do you handle in-person customers AND e-leads coming in? Logically, the person in front of you deserves your attention, but the e-lead may be important, too. So, take the curse off by responding "your email is important to me. I am with another client, and will respond within XX hours (or minutes)." That way they aren't wondering if you got the message, and you don't have to worry about them losing interest.
Now, what else does this mean? Thanks to Apple's "Siri" and other similar functions on smartphones, I can find the elevation of Mount Everest, Babe Ruth's batting average, and the name of the world's fastest diesel powered car - all within seconds. So, how prompt are you at responding? Here's the good news - most of your customers will put a premium on ACCURACY over SPEED, but they typically get BOTH from their smartphone. If you don't know how to respond to a question or issue, I recommend you gather these questions, commit to a response time, then beat it. If you don't, your competition might! So, phase II of your new "On Demand" upgrade - create a plan for promptness!
The newest laptops on the market have solid state hard drives, whose main purpose is to create an "Instant On" experience, one touting a 2 second boot up! Compare that to your laptop! Why do I bring this up? well, again, your consumer's iphone, iPad, and now laptop starts as quickly as their cars have for years (although even those now have Push button starts now!) How does this translate? If a customer leaves some question in your lap, they kind of expect it answered....quickly. This is best seen online, where customers who used to survey that they were happy with a response within 3 days now expect it within 30 minutes or less. Truly in the world of the internet the early bird gets the worm! Whether answering questions on the internet, or responding to a customer you've met in person, make sure you can answer "YES" to this question:
Are you more prompt than your competition?
Then, you have to master juggling! How do you handle in-person customers AND e-leads coming in? Logically, the person in front of you deserves your attention, but the e-lead may be important, too. So, take the curse off by responding "your email is important to me. I am with another client, and will respond within XX hours (or minutes)." That way they aren't wondering if you got the message, and you don't have to worry about them losing interest.
Now, what else does this mean? Thanks to Apple's "Siri" and other similar functions on smartphones, I can find the elevation of Mount Everest, Babe Ruth's batting average, and the name of the world's fastest diesel powered car - all within seconds. So, how prompt are you at responding? Here's the good news - most of your customers will put a premium on ACCURACY over SPEED, but they typically get BOTH from their smartphone. If you don't know how to respond to a question or issue, I recommend you gather these questions, commit to a response time, then beat it. If you don't, your competition might! So, phase II of your new "On Demand" upgrade - create a plan for promptness!
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