……………………………………………..Are you transparent?
Do you lead your tribe?
Have you unlocked the talent latent in your customer base?

These are 3 questions asked by John Sviokla at Harvard Business. These questions are essential to building a strong customer service relationship.

Think about all the ‘hidden’ aspects to your business model that customers may benefit from. If you’ve ever had the joy of a difficult experience moving – you know how much you wish you might have had access to see exactly where the moving truck was with all your stuff – especially if they’re running late. What benefit is there in hiding it?

Transparency also reinforces credibility through honesty. By opening up, it forces companies to sometimes acknowledge mistakes – but also gives them an opportunity to win customers over by rectifying them.

Most of all though, constantly engage in the act of listening to customers. We all know the customer is not always right, but a customer who knows their feedback is welcome, is the same one who will give you the priceless word of mouth marketing needed to convert new customers.