Attracting FTSE 100 companies as clients can be difficult for tech companies, particularly if your audience is the directors of those companies.
They’re a tough group to please: demanding, working long hours across different time zones, and with the highest expectations of delivery.
Of course, the technology has to be up to the job, but to this group, the single thing that sells one tech company over another is top-notch customer service.
STRUCTURE YOUR BUSINESS TO DELIVER GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
Most organisations will create customer service systems that fit in with their own company (9-5, Monday to Friday) rather than creating the right structure to deliver the level of service that fits their customers’ requirements.
In the case of a FTSE 100 company, that requirement is likely to span 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If you can’t deliver support to meet it, you could lose out on the contract.
Being able to respond to customers round the clock means having a team available who can answer and resolve queries and issues at any time.
A ‘follow the sun’ principle is useful here, with service teams across several time zones; as is an excellent CRM system to ensure that your helpdesk team understand the history of a relationship with a customer, and how previous queries have been resolved.
There’s nothing more frustrating than calling a dedicated helpdesk number and having your call answered by an automatic system, or by someone who can’t answer your question (or find someone who can, quickly).
That means investing in a top-quality team of people who know your product or service inside out, and who are prepared (and qualified) to answer questions that are not directly related to your service.
For example, we often end up answering questions about an iPad that a customer is using to access our application, rather than about the service itself.
Seeing the bigger picture – and going the extra mile – is extremely important.
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP BASED ON TRUST
All listed companies operate within the constraints of regulatory and compliance requirements.
Developing a long-term relationship with a FTSE 100 company means it must trust that your technology, your people and your service will all perform to the standard the market requires.
It’s pretty hard to build a relationship of trust with a faceless company.
You don’t build trust with a technology, you build it between people.
Putting senior, dedicated account managers onto your client accounts gives your customers’ a named person to deal with day-to-day.
They’ll get to know each other, and your team will understand the nuances of your customers’ business, which means they can add value to the relationship, providing consultancy and additional support as needed.
THINK LIKE YOUR CUSTOMERS
Above all, the culture of your company and the attitude of your team should reflect those of your customers.
Think about what a FTSE 100 company wants from you, beyond simply your technology. And then do everything in your power to deliver it.
Charlie Horrell is Managing Director EMEA, Diligent Boardbooks Limited – www.boardbooks.com
Image Credit: Metro Centric, Flickr