CONTROL FACTORS:
"I can't control 'the economy' or 'who is in office,' but there are very specific things I can control, and the customer experience is the most important part of success, and the way I treat my employees is equally important," says Bill Atkins, owner of
Red Bank Limo in New Jersey and a 2010 LCT Operator of the Year. Atkins outlines some customer service principles:
1: Figure out what your customers really want. Although they may be asking "the price," they really want to be treated really well.
2: Figure out who your customer is, then market not "to everyone" but rather to your specific niche.
3: Track results every day. Then set a goal and go after increases by a certain amount. Share your goals with all your employees as they see your customers face to face more then you do. You can't know how you are doing if you don't know your numbers each and every day.
"I see a lot of arrogance in the way many businesses treat their customers," Atkins says. "It's too bad more operators don't get that it is easy to differentiate yourselves from others. "I have Black Town Cars, so do other limo companies, but the real difference is the experience."
-- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
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Print | posted on Friday, April 13, 2012 2:02 PM