How to do great customer service
The best strategy to build sales in a tough economy is not to lower prices—it’s loyal customers. Smart business owners support strong customer relationships by concentrating on providing exceptional customer service. The most important rule is: treat customers the way you want to be treated.
Here are five ways to strengthen your customer service and keep your business strong:
1. Educate your team
Good customer service is a team effort. One weak link in the chain can have damaging effects. Educate your staff by setting a set of simple rules, such as be courteous or prepared to say “yes” rather than “no.” And remember, always teach by example, treat your staff well, they’ll be more likely to treat your customers well, in turn. No amount of CRM software can compensate for shortcomings in this area. The skills should you be looking for are: empathy, patience and consistency, adaptability, clear communication, work ethic and knowledge.
2. Say “Thank you”
The key to customer is based on two simple words: Thank you. Nothing else sets the tone for your relationship with your clients better. Fundamentally, every time you say “thank you” it sends a message across, “I appreciate your business” and is extremely powerful whether it’s delivered in person or on paper, invoice, e-mail… all opportunities to let your customers know how important they are to you will do it`s magic.
3. Admit mistakes and make them right
Remember - nobody’s perfect. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it, simply apologize and then swiftly correct it. Every opportunity is good to improve your business. Let customers know what actions you took to prevent the mistake from happening again. We all feel more comfortable doing business with someone we see that took the problem seriously after all.
4. Treat your best customers better
It is a commonly known fact, that all customers deserve to receive courtesy and respect, but your long-term and loyal customers deserve treatment that goes above and beyond. Loyalty programs or special offers can help give your best customers something extra. Far from separating new customers, these programs demonstrate that loyalty has its rewards.
5. Seek opinions from your customers
After all nobody knows more about your business than your customers (apart from you and your employees obviously). They can be your harshest critics or your biggest fans. Simply ask them how you’re doing, what they don’t like and what they like about your business. Remember, this isn’t about collecting compliments, negative feedback can be more helpful than you think, though it can be a little uncomfortable. It`s all down to making sure you are fully meeting your customers’ needs and making your customers happy before they come to you with problems.
