In enterprise management, there is an important concept that "the customer is God". There is a simple reason. Market economy, you can only make money if customers buy your account! However, it is easier to put "God" in your mouth than in your heart. Ogilvy & Mather Advertising Company of the United States put forward the viewpoint of customer service first and profit second.
1955, the later commercial retail giant Wal-Mart was still unknown. By 1979, Wal-Mart's annual sales reached $65,438 billion for the first time. But by 1993, its weekly sales reached this figure, 200 1, which was completed in one day. By selling cheap retail department stores, Wal-Mart has been invincible for 40 years. Wal-Mart's success benefits from its long-term customer service strategy.
The core of the strategy is to make small profits for customers and serve customer satisfaction.
No matter where you walk into the Wal-Mart supermarket, "low price every day" is the most eye-catching sign. In order to achieve low prices, Wal-Mart has tried every means, one of which is to save money, bypass middlemen and purchase goods directly from factories. After the uniformly ordered goods are sent to the distribution center, the distribution center will screen and repackage the goods on the spot according to the needs of each branch. This "zero inventory" approach, similar to online retailers, enables Wal-Mart to save millions of dollars in storage costs every year and realize small profits but quick turnover. More importantly, it saves money for customers and brings benefits.
Besides the low price, another notable feature of Wal-Mart is its good service. From 1962 to 1992, sam walton led the company to develop rapidly for 30 years, with special emphasis on providing "the best possible service". In order to achieve this, Walton compiled a set of management rules. He once asked the staff to make a guarantee: "When the customer comes within 0/0 feet of you/kloc-0, you should look the customer in the eye gently, say hello to him and ask if you need help." This famous "ten-foot attitude" is still the norm that Wal-Mart employees regard as the standard. In addition, the principles of "the sun goes down" and "exceeding customers' expectations"
These are all magic weapons for Wal-Mart to attract customers.
Different from Wal-Mart, krogh Company, another American retail company, pursues a service interaction with customers. Joseph Hall, the former president of the company, believes that customers have the most say in what products the company develops, what services it adds and what sales methods it adopts. On this basis, Clough Company set up a "customer ballot box" next to all cash registers, where customers can put forward their opinions and suggestions on Clough Company, such as what kind of goods are needed, what kind of goods need to be improved and what kind of services are needed. At the same time, krogh will leave the customer's name and contact information on each proposal. Once the customer's suggestion is adopted by the company, the company will inform the customer to enjoy the service or goods for free and give away various discount cards.
As soon as the ballot box was established, it was warmly welcomed by customers. According to customers' suggestions, krogh Company constantly improves its products and services, making each service or product very popular as soon as it is released, and the company's business coverage has also expanded to several States in the United States. On the basis of the "ballot box" strategy, James Herring, the successor president, put forward such a resounding slogan: If you want to survive better, you can only satisfy your customers like your lover! Naturally, Clough Company achieved better results.
The American General Electric Company used to be the largest industrial enterprise in the world, but it never neglected its service to customers. Now, 80% of the company's profits come from services. Now, for the locomotive production department of General Electric Company, it is as simple as turning on the light switch to change the concept from input to output and from product to solution. As soon as the light came on, General Electric Company immediately put forward a set of services, such as computer-aided dispatching system, which can help railway companies manage more effectively. Because of the equipment installed on the locomotive, both the railway company and the General Electric Company can know the location of the locomotive anytime and anywhere. Now, if the locomotive breaks down, the railway company doesn't need to call for help, and the maintenance personnel of General Electric Company can go directly to the scene of the accident to troubleshoot.
Because manufactured products have become more and more common and less precious to customers, General Electric Company is not the only company that finds that it can get more wealth from the related services of products than the products themselves. Think about it. When you buy a new TV set or computer, when you get the financial guarantee from the agent who rents and sells cars, you can get a service contract to ensure the quality of the products you buy. What customers don't want to face such service?