Ensuring Excellent Customer Service
Is your company’s service performing well? Did you know that the average person will tell 11 people if he or she had a great customer service experience but will tell 15 if it was bad? Combine that with the fact that 33 percent will go to a new company after a bad experience and it’s easy to see why providing excellent service is so important. Check out these tips for ensuring you do just that.
Paying Attention
It might seem silly to mention, but you would be surprised how many people have trouble truly paying attention to what customers are saying to them, and not just in person. Yes, listening to what someone needs while he or she is in your store is important, but so is paying attention to feedback you receive after the shopping experience. Remember, not everybody is direct with their needs. If you sell clothing and someone submits a feedback survey that says, “I loved this top, but I wish you’d had more color options,” purchase more colors next time. After all, even if that customer never comes back, someone who likes color is bound to.
Being Knowledgeable
Train your employees and do it well. Each person who works on your sales floor or with your customers directly needs to understand what you’re selling, why you’re selling it and how it’s going to benefit your customers. While they don’t need to be able to re-create the product from scratch, they should be able to answer basic questions without needing to find you or another superior. It is also a good idea to create a help desk or backup manual so that employees can find their own information if they do come across a question they can’t answer from memory.
Thinking (and Speaking) Positively
We’ve all seen the customer service memes on Facebook, but even if your employees (or you!) feel like running away on the inside, you need to present a positive demeanor on the outside. Use a light speaking voice, smile, make eye contact and tailor your language to be positive. Never tell a customer you don’t have something outright. If it’s something you can get soon, start your sentence with when you can get it and offer to order it right away. If you truly cannot offer the product someone needs, be prepared to recommend a business that can. It shows that you care about your customers’ needs more than beating out the competition.
No matter how well you prepare, you will never make everybody happy 100 percent of the time. If you do come across a customer who feels they are having or had a bad experience, do what you can to fix the situation. If he or she still isn’t satisfied, don’t worry. Consider it a learning experience and try to do better the next time you provide customer service.
