Delivering Great Customer Service - 10 Tips

Title:Delivering Great Customer Service - 10 TipsWord Count:1428Summary:One of the key components of an effectiveretention strategy is exceptional customerservice. Not just good service, but memorableservice. Today, consumers?expectations arehigher than ever and companies that fail todeliver, risk losing market share. Here are 10

Tips for Delivering Good Customer Service.Keywords:customer, service, retention, sustain, business,loyalty, client, memorable, exceptional, mistake,employee, help, strategy, front-line,satisfaction, company representative,auto-attendant, listening, feedback, sustainingArticle Body:It almost goes without saying that good customerservice is essential to sustaining any business.No matter how wonderful a job you do of attractingnew customers, you wonot be profitable for longunless you have a solid customer retentionstrategy in place ?and in action. It is theactions that count ?not what you say you will do,or what the policy says. People will rememberwhat you or your employees have done ?or not done.

One of the key components of an effectiveretention strategy is exceptional customerservice. Not just good service, but memorableservice. Today, consumers?expectations arehigher than ever and companies that fail todeliver, risk losing market share.10 Tips for Delivering Good Customer Service.1) Treat me like a somebody. It has been yearssince that Midas muffler commercial aired, butthe a somebody?phrase can still be heard fromtime to time. Why? Because regular customersexpect (and deserve) to be remembered. As onewoman summed it up, ou donot need to remember myname, or what I order, but do acknowledge that Ihave been there before.?One of the best examples I have ever seen of thisis at my local coffee shop. One day I noticedthat the young man behind the counter greeted somepeople by name and, even if he didnot know their

name, he knew what they usually ordered. As Iwaited for my tea (he already placed my wo milkon the side?on the counter without me having saida word), I asked him why he said, see you later?tosome customers, see you tomorrow?to others, yetalways said, have a good week?to me. The smiling,friendly reply? because you only come in onMondays and Fridays? As I thanked him, I thoughtto myself, how. He wonot be here long?Unfortunately, I was right.2) Be polite! Too frequently companyrepresentatives ask customers for fileinformation without saying lease?or even beingpolite. It is not acceptable for a service repto simply bark out, account number??And it isnever acceptable for a service rep to insult aclient.Six weeks ago there was a problem with my homeinternet account ?which is with a phone carrierI have used my entire life (and, as you know, this

kind of loyalty to a phone company is almostunheard of these days). In all that time, I havenever been late with a bill payment to them.There is a long and ugly story here, but the shortversion is that a) the problem was on their endand b) before they realized where things had gonewrong, their rep was extremely rude. When Iasked him to please change the way in which he wasaddressing me, he snarled, well whadya expect?If you pay your bills on time you wouldnot havethis problem.?I couldnot believe what I was hearing. In fact,if I 抎 just read this account (instead of beingon the receiving end), I wouldnot have believedthe story. What worse is that although thecompany later apologized, their seniormanagement seemed to feel that this was not anisolated incident.A 2005 survey conducted by Schulich School ofBusiness MBAs suggests that this kind of problem

exists in over 30% of companies, and costs themhundreds of millions of dollars in lost customers(and revenues) each and every year. Donot letyour company end up one of these statistics.3) Thank your customers ?like you mean it. Whenyour employees conclude a transaction, theyshould thank the customer with a smile and asincere thank you for ?completed by whatever isappropriate for your business? Too often,customers received a rushed and barely civilthanks-Have-a-nice-day-Next? With largepurchases, the verbal greeting should be followedup with a hand-written card ?not just because itleads to increased referrals (which is does), butbecause it is the correct thing to do.Oh, and by the way, the word sure?is no way torespond when a customer thanks you. To manypeople in many parts of the world, this isdismissive and suggests you donot care. Thecorrect phrase is you have welcome?

4) Appearances do count! According got twoindependent pieces or research, nearly 90% ofcustomers form an impression about how competentand reputable your company is based on what theysee when they walk trough your doors.Preserve me from auto-attendant hell. Customersare becoming increasingly annoyed and frustratedwith having to sift through a multitude of optionsand press numerous buttons ?only to be told thatthe desired service can only be obtained throughthe company website. Worse is when theauto-attendant uses voice recognition ?butdoesnot ecognize?your voice. People want toconnect with human beings; they donot want tolisten to a long list of prompts. For hints onhow to use auto-attendants effectively, pleaseread the top 5 new things people expect for goodcustomer service?on our ReallyGreatInfo.comwebiste.

5) Do what you say you will... when you say youwill. The expressionnder promise, overdeliver?may have become somewhat hackneyedthrough over use, but is still germane. One ofthe quickest ways to lose customer confidence isto not follow-through, or to be late deliveringa service or product, without notifying thecustomer in advance, determining whether or notthe delay will impact the customer and providingan alternate solution in the interim ifnecessary.One of the best examples I ever experienced of acompany doing it well happened with Toyota.There was a problem with my RAV4 and Toyotacouldnot repair it easily. I was driving aloaner, but had planned to go camping with my kids.It was our summer holiday and it had been plannedfor months. When Toyota couldnot repair myvehicle in time, they rented an SUV for us touse ?without me having to ask. I have sincepurchased another vehicle from this dealership

and recommended it to 6 others who have purchasedfrom them. Coincidence? I think not.6) Surprise the customer from the time to time.When it is possible to provide an extra level ofservice, do so. Whether it an unexpectedcomplimentary dessert in a restaurant, or anupgrade that has not been requested, thesespecial gestures go a long way towardsengendering customer loyalty and to winning younew customers. It has long been known that onaverage, a dissatisfied customer will tell 10 -16 others, but people who have had an unexpectedlygood experience also recount their stories.7) Provide ull?service. When Successories sendsout its framed prints, it includes the hooks anda small levelling device. There a remote controltoy vendor near me who includes the batteries.y?gas station dispenses free coffee with gas onweekday mornings. A drive-through drycleaner innorthern Ontario opens early and hands you the

morning paper with your order. Small things, yes.Greatly appreciated? No question.I spoke to each of my local retailers and learnedthat in each case, their sales ?and profits ?haveenjoyed double digits increases since theyintroduced more comprehensive service. Thinkabout what you can add to help make things easierfor your customers. In some cases, by looking atwhat else it makes sense to sell, you can even adda new revenue stream while improving theperceived level of customer service provided.8) Mea Culpa. When you have made a mistake, admitit and set things straight. When customers havea complaint ?listen, truly listen. Thenapologize and take corrective action. In manyinstances, the very act of listening (withoutinterrupting) can be enough to diffuse thesituation and make the person feel worthy as acustomer. Then ask the customer how they wouldlike you to resolve the situation. In most

instances, your client will come up withsomething reasonable ?and often less costly thana solution you might have proposed.9) Listen to your customers. Conduct your ownsurveys and get feedback on what they like anddonot like - and take corrective action asrequired. Let customers know that theirbusiness is appreciated and that their opinionsare important to you.None of these suggestions takes a lot of time ormoney to implement, yet they can pay dividends inincreased customer satisfaction and retention.The key, though, is to ensuring that employeesunderstand the importance of their front-linerole and get good training and supervision.