Tag: customer service

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Instantly differentiate your business in the minds of your customers

‘Standing out is easier said than done. It’s about delivering a level of service that goes way beyond what your customers are expecting,’ says Sprint Couriers MD, Michelle Gebrial.

‘We work in a highly competitive industry, against internationally recognised brands and a host of new start-ups who emerge all the time,’ she begins.

The danger, in an environment like this, is falling into the commodity trap.

You may see your business as unique. And to you, it is. 

But if your customers do not perceive (or value) these points of difference, you can easily find yourself in a position where price becomes the only differentiator between you and the rest of the market.

You’ll become embroiled in:

  • Never-ending price wars
  • Constantly worrying about losing your most important clients.

Gebrial and her team have combatted this problem very effectively, allowing them to become the country’s largest privately-owned courier and logistics business in the process.

‘It’s essential that our customers get a level of service from us that they cannot find anywhere else,’ she emphasises.

‘It comes from a deep, three-dimensional understanding of their businesses. This applies especially to our corporate clients, who need a courier and logistics solution which is designed around their needs, goals and pain points.’

She expands.

‘Our job is to make your business run smoother and better. To add resilience to your operations in challenging times. To provide the logistical backbone that allows you to fully explore and execute the vision you have for your business.’

‘We work side-by-side with our clients in a way that improves their businesses as a whole. This is how we transcend the conventional relationship that many service providers have with their clients,’ concludes Gebrial.

Beating the commodity trap is essential for SMEs in Botswana today. 

To effectively differentiate your brand, show your clients that you are designing your company around their needs, even to the point of obsession. 

The pay-offs are immense: immediately positioning your brand as a leader, avoiding price wars, enjoying smoother sales, building loyal relationships – and growing sustainably.

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Win customer loyalty by managing their expectations

‘Under-promise, over-deliver’: a case study in growth and retention from Sprint Couriers.

There is a line between a bold promise… and over-promising.

‘In 2022, customer expectations are higher than ever before,’ begins Sprint Couriers co-Founder, Michelle Gebrial.

‘In our industry, it seems like new competitors enter the market every day. For us, this underlines the importance of retaining every customer who comes our way,’ she continues. 

In 2006, Gebrial founded the business with close friend Pinkie Setlalekgosi and a core team of 16 employees. Today, they oversee a countrywide operation and over 350 full time staff, the country’s largest citizen-owned delivery and logistics provider. 

Read more about their growth story here. 

‘When it comes to long-term customer retention, we are open about sharing our strategy,’ she smiles.

‘We under-promise, and then we over-deliver.’ 

Gebrial proceeds to lay out a perfect example of how this works.

‘Our Budget service offers what we believe to be the best balance between speed and value. Anything the customer brings to us by 7pm will arrive at its destination before 5pm the next business day. We offer this service within a 500km radius of the drop-off point, and in any direction.’ 

‘The 5pm deadline is one we know we can meet comfortably, given the size of our fleet and the experience of our team,’ she explains.

‘Because we give ourselves a deadline that is within our capacity, we often wow the customer. They’re expecting a 5pm delivery, but often find their packages arriving in the morning, or just after lunch.’

This is what Gebrial calls ‘under-promising’.

Managing the customer’s expectations in this way then sets the stage to shine – and win lifetime customer loyalty.

‘If you hand out bold promises and then fall short, you will experience increased complaints, a reduction in repeat business and even social media fallout,’ she explains.

‘That is why we go the opposite way: we only make guarantees that we know we can sustainably keep. This is a key driver of our retention strategy and overall growth,’ concludes Gebrial.

There is a line between a bold promise… and over-promising.
Train your team not to cross that line.