10 Tips for Good Customer Service: Is the Customer Always Right?
Importance of Customer Service
It is no exaggeration to say that all your business efforts will simply come to naught if your customer is not kept happy. This is because the customer is the reason for the existence of any business and they are also the means to generate the revenue flows that keep the business profitable. Hence, the reason for the following tips for good customer service .
Tips for Good Customer Service
1) Know Your Customer
Having a cordial relationship with one or two of your regular customers does not make you an authority on knowing your customer. You may think you know your customers, but you can only really appreciate who they are and where they come from if you have done a bit of market research to figure out your demographic.
2) Be a Great Listener
Your customers may want to tell you something about your service, but you have to be ready to listen to really benefit from what they have to say. Maybe they have ideas on what else you can offer, or maybe they have a suggestion on what you can do differently, but to get this information you have to be open to it because it may come in the form of a question or a concern.
3) Make Sure Your Customer Understands Your Business
If your customer has misunderstood what they should expect from your business, you must accept the blame for not articulating things clearly. A customer can become disappointed even if they made incorrect assumptions about what your business would do for them, so it is important to make every attempt to educate your customer.
4) Know When and How to Say You’re Sorry
Sometimes you simply need to apologize. Even if you or your business is not directly responsible, accepting the blame for a bad experience can go a long way to making a good impression in the mind of your customer.
5) Always Be Available
If a customer wants to reach you, you need to be available. This does not have to be in a physical sense, but at least provide a way for customers to contact you during and after hours. An email contact, a submission form on your website or a voice mail system can all appease a customer that needs to get in touch with your business for one reason or another.
6) Offer Solutions Instead of Excuses
Customers really detest excuses. Anything that sounds like an excuse should be stricken from your vocabulary and also from the vocabulary of your staff. Train yourself and others to think of how you can help instead of responding with an explanation of why this is the case.
7) Don’t Disappear After a Sale
One of the most aggravating things a customer can experience is the disappearance of a sales representative. If your company actively pursues clients to buy a product or service it is especially important to have supportive after-sales service, but all businesses can benefit from this tip.
8) Make Good Use of Technology to Keep Up With Your Customer
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can help to collect and categorize information about your customers to make it useful. You may be able to send your customers birthday wishes or impress them with other unexpected details if you have the technology to do it.
9) Treat Your Staff Well
If you have employees you must remember that they represent you and their relationship with your customers can affect your business. It is very difficult for people who are not motivated or remotely satisfied to be pleasant at work and this can have a negative impact on your customer service.
10) Always Ask for Feedback
Finally, if customer service is important to you, make it your business to ask if your customers are satisfied and solicit suggestions and ideas from them directly. This is one of the easiest ways to measure your customer service.
Image: Andy Newson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
