Customer service is what keeps business alive. Excellent customer
service leads to customer satisfaction with your business. Failure to
provide the best customer service possible will lead to agitated
customers. It only takes one unhappy customer to spread a negative
word about your business, resulting in many lost customers.
The
most important element in customer service is putting the customer
first. Honesty is the best policy, and do not make promises to your
customers you cannot keep.
Develop a policy that customers will receive the best possible service, because your employees are able to make this happen. This is not to say that you should be lenient with your policies, but they should have a degree of flexibility. Here are a few ways to improve your customer service:
- Add employees who are outgoing and friendly and tend to be nice to customers and empathetic concerning their problems. Intelligence and problem solving skills are a plus, too.
- Offer ongoing customer service training programs to encourage customer-oriented behaviors and practices.
- Give employees the authority to make some difficult decisions without you. Well defined customer service guidelines will provide a basis for this authority. When employees make good decisions you can congratulate them and, in turn, encourage further customer-oriented decision making.
- Surprise your customers with a discount or special give-a-way along with a thank you note. This simple step will give your customers a good experience and encourage future purchases.
- Allow customers to give feedback. Call customers or issue surveys to get their opinions. Your customers will usually be glad to share this information. Be sure to act on any feedback that can show you how to improve customer service.
