“Broken Windows, Broken Business”: A Book to Improve Your Customer Service

I recently picked up a great book called “Broken Windows, Broken Business”. It helped me improve my business practices, and it can help you, too.

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Each and every month, I have a goal to read two books, usually about growth, personal development, and leadership. 

This month, I read a great book titled “Broken Windows, Broken Business” by Michael Levine. It’s a great book that every business owner should know about. It spells out all the different factors in business that could have major short-term and long-term impacts if not handled properly.

It opened my eyes to some of the “broken windows” my own company has—things that we need to check up on in order to make sure they’re corrected right away.

He gave some examples of broken windows you might find in various businesses, like uncleanliness in restaurants. What does the kitchen look like? Is the food fresh? If a person leaves that restaurant because of dirty conditions, they’ll likely tell other people about it, which would damage that establishment’s reputation, and ultimately harm their business.

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Customer service is the No. 1 broken window in business.

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One of my main takeaways from the book was that customer service is the No.1 broken window in business. If you have someone in your company who isn’t giving great customer service, they shouldn’t be with your company. It reflects not only on the owner, but on the entire organization.

The author gave a few ways that you can use to find what broken windows your business may have.

1. Mystery shop your business. Using real estate as an example, you could go online and create a fake lead to see how long it takes for your company to follow up with you.
2. Call the office directly to see how long it takes for them to answer. What’s the agent’s tone like? It works a lot like curb appeal for a home; if you come to a home with garbage all over the place, it tends to push people away. Customer service, similarly, needs to be good from the first encounter in order to keep clients coming back.
3. Walk-ins. Have someone physically come into the business and see how they’re treated from beginning to end.

In the end, you need a way to determine what you’re doing wrong, what you’re doing well, as well as if you’re hiring the right people to give the level of service you can be proud of. I know that I’ll be going back to talk to my staff about our broken windows, and it might be a good idea for you to do the same.

If you have any questions for me about books for business owners, or about real estate in general, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be glad to talk with you.