Is customer service at the top of your list? If not, you better start thinking about moving it up there. I am hoping we all have learned at some point that it is much more costly to acquire a new customer compared to retaining an existing one. Think about all of the marketing efforts that your company does to get those new “hot leads.” Trade shows, advertising, sales presentations, speaking engagements, RFPs, etc. Granted some of these play into retaining existing customers, most of the effort is focused on getting the interest of a new prospect. So once you have that customer signed, doesn’t it make sense to put THEIR success at the top of your list?
Since getting into the workforce I have had some great experiences with vendors (agencies) and some really poor ones. The ones that have been really horrible with meeting my needs and not making me successful, I will never go back to. But the vendors that are working as hard as I am, and are putting in the extra time and effort I will go back to in a heartbeat.
A company-vendor relationship should be considered by both as a partnership, and if it isn’t you obviously haven’t put your customer service experience at the top of your priority list. You spend so much time and money to get new customers, now it is your duty as a vendor (agency) to keep them happy and make THEM successful in meeting their business goals.
PRSA Young Pros 