There are two words those of us in the Creative Department hate to hear when we’re talking to a client about a promotion: Customer Service.

Oh, we give our clients great service. Certainly. And we appreciate any company that gives us great service either in our professional or private lives.

What bothers us, like nails scraping on the chalkboard, is when we talk to a client about the promotion’s offer and we’re told it centers on or includes “our great customer service.”

So?

How many companies stay in business if they don’t offer good customer service? It’s a given. Customers expect it. They may not say anything, but if your service is bad, incompetent, or not up to the standards they expect, the customers simply don’t do business with you any longer.

Our marketing strategy has said for years that a main reason customers leave financial institutions is because of poor customer service. Surveys prove it.

But customer service is NOT part of your offer. It’s part of the standard way you operate.

Customer service is important. Our ACTON training staff teach it. But when it comes to an offer that drives people to your lobbies, we’re talking about a special interest rate, a free gift, a step-up promotion, a new benefit, a guarantee. We can promote those factors for you.

Your outstanding customer service doesn’t show up on paper. It appears when the prospect becomes a customer and has some contact with your business.

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Read “Huge Attrition Statistic,” published September 1, to see why many customers close accounts.