Customer Service: Which Retail Banks are Most Responsive on Twitter – Brandwatch study
May 17, 2012
You don’t retain your customers by ignoring them
May 25, 2012
This is the sixth of a series of interviews with CEOs that were included in a book I wrote in late 2010 called RARE Business. It was a collection of thoughts, ideas and strategies to help businesses ‘build better relationships with their customers and their people’. You can pick up an electronic copy of the book for free by clicking on the SECOND button down in the left hand column or by clicking here.
The interviews were included to supplement my own thoughts and experience and add richness, depth and context. In the interviews, I asked them what they have done to drive their business’ success, customer focus and how they have built their employee and customer engagement.
The last interview in the series was with Jim Prior, CEO of The Partners and is featured in Focusing on customer loyalty has allowed us to fundamentally change our business model.
This time round it is the turn of David Chapple of Bostock and Pollitt to share his insights.
Bostock and Pollitt founded in 1987, is a branding, design and digital agency that specialises in B2B communications. With around 30 employees, they provide brand strategy and identity, reporting (financial and corporate responsibility), graphics and on-line (primarily design of corporate websites, intranets, interactive presentations etc) services for a wide range of clients ranging from BT and Macmillan through to Shire Pharmaceuticals and World Gold Council.
David Chapple, Bostock and Pollitt’s CEO, shared some insights about what has made his business so successful in retaining customers, building a great team and driving repeat business and growth.
David also shared some insights on what he believes they do that has helped them build a truly customer-focused business and team. Here are some of his insights:
- Business is often personal. Often move business relationships onto a semi-personal footing
- Delight and over deliver at all times. Endeavour to delight all the time and over-deliver when we can.
- The RoI of developing trust. Personal engagement develops loyalty and trust. Clients are also more willing to share the real issues and accept an offer of help, leading to additional work.
- Be careful of over dependency. Client dependency. It has led to an over-dependency on an individual or Client company which has backfired. It is important to spread relationships outside of one or two key individuals and keep asking yourself ‘what if this company was taken over or went bust?’
- The relationship is more than the project. We operate in a project based industry and so an important way of growing is to work to ensure clients keep returning when they have another project. Over time we have managed to develop a number of key clients who spend regularly and keep coming back.
This is another great example of an established business that is leading its industry, empowering its team and delivering value for its customers.
Can you learn anything from their approach?
Thanks to cambodia4kidsorg for the image.
7 Comments
Hello Adrian
Business is a domain of life, life is personal. Amazing how we don’t get this and go about business as if we are dealing with non humans. This is Descartian thinking run rampant, into a domain of life where it does not belong. So it is great that someone who is willing to make business personal whilst being mindful of generating dependency.
Maz
Hi Maz,
Like you, I am continually surprised at how many firms and people treat their fellow man in some non-human or very impersonal way. It does cause me to question if we are operating under widely different definitions of what is is to be personal or to be human.
Adrian
Employee engagement is vital for the company to grow. If an employee isn’t engaged you should be asking why. Is it something that the business can change i.e. better employee benefits and rewards or is it just the relationship between the business and employee has run its course (it happens)?
If it’s something that you can address through a better employee rewards package or better communication this may help to improve your relationship across the board and increase productivity and growth.
Hi Pat,
You are right that employee engagement is a key element in a firms growth puzzle. It is also key in engaging with clients. An engaged employee is more likely to be able to engage a client, I believe.
Adrian
Hi Adrian, I think it all comes down to trust
Imagine walking into a corner shop for a pint of milk. The milk is locked in a fridge. The shop owner unlocks it, then there is a strange shall I shan’t I paying ritual because the customer won’t hand over the money until he has the milk in his hand.
Now imagine trying to get a mortgage
Trust is everything in business.
Liked the post
James
Hi James,
I agree. Trouble is some people still believe that trust can be bought rather than earned.
Adrian
Business operates within the realm of life, inherently personal. It’s intriguing how we often overlook this aspect and approach business as if it involves non-human entities. This pervasive Cartesian mindset has infiltrated a sphere of life where it’s out of place. Hence, it’s commendable that there are individuals who endeavor to infuse a personal touch into business while remaining cautious about fostering excessive dependency.