How to survive the ups and downs that every organisation and SME will face…
Ok, so it’s Fistral’s 21st anniversary today – but how has the company lasted, and continued to thrive, over the past 21 years? …And, where did Fistral come from and how did the company start up?
Well, as part of our 21st celebration Top Tips series, Pauline has interviewed the Directors for their opinions on this and a variety of related topics.
For the first set of Top Tips, we asked:
“What do you need to know to keep a company running well over 21 years?”
Fistral’s 5 key things to remember:
- The customer is ALWAYS right, even when you think they are wrong
- If the issue is important to the customer and they are upset by something in the service provided, then it’s important to you. And more importantly, it’s your job to resolve it.
- Your job is to make the customer’s job easier
- Each opportunity to work with a customer is a partnership, based on trust and mutual respect. Both parties aim for the same outcome: a more efficient and effective team, product or service. So put yourself in the customers’ shoes, and keep in mind their needs at each stage of the process.
- Focus on delivering value to customers
- Make sure you deliver on what is needed – not what is wanted: it is your responsibility to find that out. Don’t gold-plate a service, but NEVER EVER cut corners, try to hide something from the customer, or deliver a low quality product. And deliver what you say you will – when you say you will.
- Be flexible and open to change
- Customers are the people who keep you in business so be attentive to their needs and remember that they are delivering to their own (sometimes internal) “customer”. The need to change is often no one person’s fault; you just need to adapt and respond appropriately and professionally. Identify risks and prepare for change as much as you can from the start.
- Constantly try to improve your core strengths
- Never get complacent. Focus on – and keep central in your mind – the core elements of your business and what makes it successful. Develop these areas to their full potential and hold them sacred. Don’t get distracted by the latest or newest ideas or products at the cost of your core business.