Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won't be profitable for long.
Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy - happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback.
If you're a good salesperson, you can sell anything to anyone once. But it will be your approach to customer service that determines whether or not you’ll ever be able to sell that person anything else. The essence of good customer service is forming a relationship with customers – a relationship that that individual customer feels that he would like to pursue.
1. Build trust and they will come back;
If your company is answering a phone by the first ring, is straight forward with all buying information, and is giving customers a personalized experience when they need it, then you are building much-needed trust. Your product or service will attract them initially, maybe even bring them back a second time, but what consistently entices customers to return is trust that they're going to have a good, barrier-less customer experience. If you can provide the customers what they're looking for, when they need and expect it, then that trust built between your company and the customer will evolve into invaluable customer loyalty.
2. Don’t make your customers wait;
Patience is a virtue, but don’t depend on it when interacting with customers. In one survey conducted, 69% of those interviewed defined good customer service as receiving a quick resolution to a reported problem. On the other hand, 72% of respondents blamed their frustrations on having to address an issue to multiple employees at different times. If you've ever had a similar experience, then you know how aggravating it can be to call back or be transferred only to re-explain your problem over again (and again), while seemingly never actually getting any closer to a solution. Failure to respond properly to customers can negatively impact a business’ bottom line for years to come. According to the same survey, only a quarter of respondents said they would continue to seek out a vendor two years or longer after a bad experience, while 39% said they would avoid vendors for longer than two years. To avoid damaging lulls in service, make sure that the employees who will be working most closely with your customers actually have the authorization and training to offer solutions when issues arise.
3. Don’t make promises unless you will keep them;
This may well be the most important of all of these rules for good customer service. Don’t plan to keep the promises you wont keep. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say to a customer, “Your purchase will be delivered on Tuesday”, make sure it is delivered on Tuesday. Otherwise, don't say it. The same rule applies to client appointments, deadlines, etc. Think before you give any promise - because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.
4. Be helpful even you’re not getting an immediate profit;
Take an example, a guy popped into a local watch shop because he had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When he explained the problem, the propertier said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to the guy’s watch band – and charged him nothing! Where do you think he'll go when he needs a new watch band or even a new watch? And how many people do you think he has told this story to? The shopkeeper made nothing during their exchange in his store. But the customer will certainly be taking his business to him in the future and who knows how many other customers will be visiting him because he has told them how well he treated him? To provide good customer service, keep your eye on the customer, not on the profit.
5. Listen to your customers;
Is there anything more annoying than telling someone what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasn't been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? If you're truly interested in providing the best customer service, let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.
6. Throw in something extra;
Whether it's a discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. And don’t think that a gesture has to be large to be effective. A local art framer attaches a package of picture hangers to every picture he frames. A small thing, but so appreciated.
7. Take an extra step;
For instance, if someone walks into your store and asks you to help them find something, don't just say, "It's in the back shelves". Lead the customer to the item. Better yet, wait and see if he has questions about it, or further needs. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people. And that good word of mouth will win you more customers.
8. Deal with complaints;
No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, "You can't please all the people all the time". Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time - and position your business to get the benefits of good customer service. Properly dealt with, complaints can become opportunities.
9. Train your staff;
Train your staff (if you have any) to be always helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. Do it yourself or hire someone to train them. Talk to them about good customer service and what it is (and isn't) regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, "I don't know, but so-and-so will be back at..."
10. Have transparency in transaction;
In stores, good customer service leans on signs or posters and verbal communication. The last thing you want is for a customer to make incorrect assumptions while in your store. If you’ve adopted a no-return policy for certain items, for example, this should be made clear to customers before they purchase. Also, don’t expect customers to read fine print; any important data should be shared upfront -- if there's transparency throughout the transaction, you'll minimize surprises on both ends.
By Sheba Joy
Intern
Kyusa
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