Sterling Miller

Too often in the banking business, we focus on sales instead of relationships. We get hung up on our numbers, and not our service quality. We make things easy operationally, without regard for how it effects our customers. And we want more sales and better retention.

The trick to more sales is closer relationships with our customers and better service, the type of service that people tell others about. People travel far and stay long for exceptional service because that is what they care about the most. Customers that are made to feel special every time they enter the branch or call on the phone will rarely leave for a better rate or the latest checking account offer, and they will open more accounts.

Here is a checklist of how to make your customes feel so special that they will never leave:

• Greet them with a smile.
• Use their name.
• Talk about them, be interested in what they have to say.
• Treat complaints as lessons in how to provide better service; complaints are valuable!
• Listen for clues as to what products and services they would benefit from, and educate the customer about them.
• Take care of their business, and especially their problems quickly, efficiently, with no “red tape”, whether it’s over the phone or face-to-face. This involves your operations department.
• At every interaction, find ways to be exceptional, to differentiate yourself from the competition.
• Always close with a “Thank you, have a great day!” and mean it.