Hello? Customer Service, Please?

“Hello? Customer service, please?”

Do you ever feel helpless calling a company and trying to work your way through an automated phone tree to speak to an actual person that can help solve your problem? This frustration is one I feel on a daily basis when dealing with people in the equine industry. There’s a huge need in our industry that’s not being met—customer service.

No, I don’t mean a department call center you can phone up to vent when your horse is lame the day of the show, or you have spent an hour trying to catch him in the heat of the day, or to ask what type of duct tape holds up best during abscess season. (Though, that would be nice—maybe that’s my million dollar idea?!) As great as that would be, I’m talking about a general lack of support for clients and customers within the industry.

Most equine professionals don’t enter the industry because of a love for clients. They do it because of their passion for horses. And while creating a career around pursuing your passion is admirable, the failure to treat these careers like actual businesses leaves them doomed to never be anything more than an expensive hobby.

Because, like it or not, professional horsemen are entrepreneurs and we need to start thinking and acting like them.

In other industries, businesses are created when entrepreneurs see a need and enter the industry with a solution or innovate to make things better. But in the equine service industry, the need business owners are filling is mainly for that of horses in their lives. Yet, one can build the nicest barn and fill it with happy, well-kept horses, but if there are no clients around to pay the bills, the business will never get off the ground. So, we need to start focusing on the needs of our customers, alongside the needs of our horses.

According to a customer experience report by Oracle, 86% of customers stop doing business with a company because of a bad experience.¹ Time and time again, I’ve seen good riders and horse owners get burned out because of the way they’re treated—by trainers, barn managers, and even other clients. The gossip, negativity and general disregard for people that is so rampant in the equine industry will be our downfall. It’s about time we work to create an environment that allows people, not just horses, to thrive—that lifts horse owners up and cherishes clients.

Just as clean stalls, fresh water and quality hay are commonplace requirements in a well-run barn, so too should be customer service. The difference between struggling to pay the bills and finding success in the equine service industry will come from the ability to not only find clients—but to keep them.

So rather than making your clients feel like they’re speaking to an automated phone tree, try actually listening to them. Better yet, fully communicate. Ask questions about how they’re feeling and work to make the barn a happier place to be. If you have students, be invested in their goals. Show up with a positive attitude and be thankful for your customers and clients.

Because just as happy horses perform their best, happy clients don’t leave. And barns full of clients are the only ones that are successful.