BEST OF CUSTOMER SERVICE ARTICLES
When it comes to management training or leadership training for your staff, one area is of vital importance. Customer service may seem straightforward but in actual fact the skills needed here are not ones that should be ignored.
Good customer service will keep people coming back. Bad customer service will ensure they never come back and probably spread the word around like wildfire.
Exemplary customer service will get return business more often, bring in new business constantly, and get the best result from existing customers.
Take customer service seriously and ensure those on the front line are properly trained and that good systems are in place. If you are involved in customer service here are 10 ways to do better and improve sales, and customer loyalty:
First Impressions Count
This cannot be emphasized enough. As the saying goes you only get one chance to make a first impression and that impression can last a long time with people. That's not to say you can't improve a bad first impression but it is a lot more costly to make up for things than to make the effort in the first place.
Proper training of staff is needed in all areas to succeed in a good first impression. This may be telephone skills, cleanliness, attitude or all of the above. Don't let this important component of your business suffer.
Be Helpful and Friendly, but Professional
If you've ever been on the receiving end of an over-friendly shop assistant you'll understand why this is bad for business. But then, no attention from a shop attendant is likely to lose as many sales. So finding the perfect balance between being helpful enough to get a sale and giving them enough space to make a decision is something not everyone is born with.
Effective sales and service training in this area should be one of the main priorities of any business. Those who deal with customer service need to learn how to assist a person and make a sale, and how to remain professional and personable without seeming cold and aloof.
Go the Extra Mile Where Possible
Under-promise and over-deliver is a catchphrase that often comes up in marketing terminology. This means that going the extra mile can really solidify customer loyalty and trust. How your business does this will vary from customer to customer and from service to service but make sure your staff aware of what they can and can't do as far as service 'extra's go.
This may be as simple as carrying parcels to a vehicle, a return phone call to check on progress or satisfaction, or a freebie thrown in now and again. Making the experience personal tells customers you care about their business and that they are important to you.
Keeping the Right Attitude
Attitude is vital for employees and for business owners. No one wakes up everyday feeling on top of the world. Everyone has personal problems and bad days. Proper management training for attitude not only helps your business but it helps to separate work from everyday life.
Ensure that your customers are always treated the same no matter what may have happened outside of, or during, work hours. This is important for work colleagues as well. It can put everyone in a negative mood if one person is angry or upset while at work.
People love to buy but hate being 'sold' - success lies in taking the customer's perspective
Good training will see your staff understand the process through the eyes of the customer. This is the very reason people dislike the 'used car salesman' stereotype. We love to buy, it makes us feel good, but even a slight sniff of 'being sold' will turn most people away. If people get the feeling that making the sale is more important than their needs they may beat a hasty retreat out the door.
Train staff to read their customers signals and needs and react accordingly.
Don't Bring Bad Moods or Negative Emotions To Work
This builds on having the right attitude at work. All of us may be looking for that perfect job where we get paid the full amount and get to kick around all day doming whatever we want. In reality this job doesn't exist but for workers, morale is an important aspect of any job. Customers are not the only ones who need to see a consistent positive attitude. Take care of your staff with proper supportive training and team building to keep morale high.
Happy workers who are confident in their skills will always perform better and consistently give better customer service. Leadership training can also help the management in developing a positive and productive work environment.
Try To Help but Don't Smother
Although this has been touched on already it is worth mentioning again. This can be applied to customer service and staff training. Good management will know just how much help and support to apply to staff and when leave them to make decisions alone. Micro-managing every aspect of a business is not only tiring but it makes staff feel as though they aren't trusted or aren't capable.
Good leadership training can make all the difference and happy staff will convey that positivity to customers.
Appearances Do Convey Messages
As with first impressions, a consistent and pleasant appearance is essential to getting repeat business. Staff should not only look neat and clean, but the premises must be the same way. People notice many things when looking to make a purchase of goods or services. They'll notice a gravy stain on a tie, a spider in the corner, or smudges on a window a lot more often than they would when visiting friends or in their own home.
We all have certain expectations when paying for something and if they aren't met then a competitor will get the next sale.
Telephone and Internet Etiquette Should Be Used At All Times
Not all customer service is done face to face. In fact, much of it is done via the telephone and internet today. In many ways this is more important to get right. Proper etiquette and attention to details are very important. Good training will ensure that the tone, delivery, and attitude are correct for phone calls and that internet 'rules' are observed and applied correctly.
Try To Resolve Conflict or Potential Conflict Fast
The customer is always right is a saying long heralded by not only consumers, but by management training professionals. How staff handle customer conflict or potential conflict is most important. A conflict that gets out of hand can easily cost the company a whole lot more down the track and it can also give a business a bad reputation. Staff need to know that it isn't about who is right and wrong and not to enter into that type of arguments with customers.
Train your staff to be well versed in conflict resolution and that they have a set process in place. Knowing what is okay as a peace offering also helps.
Good customer service is an area that all businesses need to work on regularly. Remembering that all staff, no matter what they do, are linked in some way to customer service will see your business go strides ahead of the competition.
Thank you and best regards,
HOW DO YOU DELIVER GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE?
- Smile on the phone. This simple act will set the tone for the entire conversation. How may I assist you? You're asking their permission to assist them.
- Use a proper salutation when talking to a customer unless permission is given otherwise, i.e. Mrs., Mr., Ms., Sir, etc. Listen to their concerns. No one likes to be ignored. Everyone wants to know that not only are they being heard but that they're being understood as well.
- Repeat back to the customer what it is you heard them say.
- Be genuine. A lack of sincerity comes across easier than you think.
- Care for your customer. If you think your customer needs you, you won't be in business long. This means what it says – too many times I've been in meetings where this was paid lip service and its
importance downplayed.
- Put yourself in your customers shoes – What are their concerns? Are they legitimate concerns? Do you have a plan to assist them? Customers are looking to you to help them put to rest any fears, doubts, or apprehension they may have regarding a recommended repair, service, etc., do you posses the knowledge or skill to assist them? Often time people will try to guess at an answer rather than appear less knowledgeable when in all actuality the customer would prefer honesty.
- Be honest and sincere in your deliberations with a customer. This one simple act will be welcomed like a breath of fresh air. You have got to know that by the time a customer has reached you they are upset and feel that they've been getting the run-around or have been lied to.
- Never promise the customer anything you can't deliver. That goes equally for a follow up phone call. If you tell your customer you will call – do it! Even if it's to tell them you have nothing to report. I don't have enough fingers to count the number of times a customer was surprised to get a return phone call.
- Never forget what it's like to be a customer! We are all customers in one way or another and deserve the same respect we demand from others.
HOW TO CALM AND RETAIN ANGRY CUSTOMERS
1. Listen
Turn on your ears, and turn off your lips. People who are upset tend to blame everything on the first person they talk to. Take full responsibility and say nothing. Never get defensive or interrupt the customer with your version of what happened, as this will only upset them further. It's critical that you remain silent and listen to everything they have to say.
2. Remain Silent
Once the customer is finished their version of what happened, remain quiet for a moment. At this point, the customer might ask whether you are still there.
This is a calming technique. Pregnant pauses are very powerful when it comes to angry people. You have accomplished an important goal with your silence. That goal is to get them from their temporary psychotic episode, back to acting like a normal human being - so you are able to communicate with them.
3. Make Them Feel Understood
Reconfirm what they have said. Tell them "Let me make sure I understand this correctly." Then paraphrase back to them what you have heard them say.
It helps if you were writing down this information while they were speaking to you. Writing down what they tell you makes the customer feel important. In addition, it's another calming technique for customers who are swearing.
When you ask them to please slow down because you are taking notes, they quickly understand that you are writing everything they say. Anything you can possible do to slow the rate of the conversation to between 100-120 words per minute will have a calming effect, not only on you but on the customer as well.
Although you might think you completely understood what the customer is complaining about, take a few minutes to paraphrase what you think you heard. The reason why is because it increases the likelihood of having a more rational exchange of information. While you paraphrase, ask several times if you are correct in your understanding. Tip: Use closed questions so their response will always be "yes." The word "yes" calms people.
4. Apologize
Even if you know the situation was n ot your fault, it is crucial that you accept full responsibility for the situation. You don't have to say it was your fault, but you do need to apologize for the fact that they feel upset or inconvenienced.
Apologize for what has happened, and let the customer know you will help them.
As I stated earlier, customers get angry when they feel afraid and out of control. They attempt to gain control with yelling, swearing and threats.
5. Fix it
Let the customer know what you are going to do to resolve the problem. Tip - the faster you can resolve it the better.
Despite popular belief, 75% of customers prefer staying with a business that resolves their complaint quickly, and would rather not have to look for somewhere else to take their business. Businesses that treat them with respect and honesty will be rewarded with their loyalty.
HOW TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
1. Step1
Avoid making the customer feel WRONG. Never ever ever EVER tell your customer they were stupid/wrong to call/email for assistance.
This is a surefire way to make an anti-customer. The one who will give you 1,000 times your publicity in negativity.
2. Step2
Be Patient. A customer whose having to deal with their new product (or warrantied product) getting fixed is going to not be on their best behavior. Understand this before you answer that call and you're ahead of the game. Know that it's not person - it's stress and anxiety. This is not really the normal person it's the reactionary part of the psyche.
3. Step3
Be Empathic no Emphatic. Being Emphatic (I'm RIGHT I TELL YOU) is confrontational. You've been in their spot. Remember your last BAD customer service experience. That person telling you "well sheesh, just your tough luck I guess". Yep, you feel the hackles go up. Remember your last GOOD experience. That person telling you "I'm so very sorry that I can't fix this for you, but I will try to help by ____________________ if I can". So being Empathetic means you'd like to help, you understand their position/opinion. It doesn't mean you have to agree with it. Just hear them.
4. Step4
Take TIME and really LISTEN. It takes time to win a customer -- even if you don't make the sale. It takes mear seconds to Unmake both a sale and a customer.
Even if you do not agree with their statements, be willing to LISTEN. This is more than being in their general area. It means MAKING EYE CONTACT, Nodding, verbalize "Uh hu, Okay" . Making eye contact confirms for them that they have your attention. If you are busy (store, phones, other customers) be willing to say "I REALLY wish that I had more time with you on this, But I need to ______________". If it requires a manager take them to one and explain briefly the issue. You have then successfully conveyed to them that you care and are trying to help by escalating and getting managment involved FOR them instead of making THEM go "Find the Dragon in their Lair".
5. Step5
It is okay to say "Take a breath for me" (with a smile in your voice) when a customer is talking so quickly you are having trouble following. This normally will help THEM break the stress and they'll normally give a small laugh here. This helps you to begin to help them. You've already reduced their stress by HALF - you are now a godsend. Don't mess it up. :)
Remember: When you tell THEM to take a breath - take one yourself. This brings you both to the same point.
6. Step6
It's OKAY to say I do not know. BUT you have to follow it up with "but I will find out for you". Then FOLLOW THROUGH. Follow-up with the customer. Even if you say "I'm sorry but we can't do this/that". You carried your promise through. Their respect for you and your business has just going up 50%. You've created a layer of Trust in the business relationship with the customer.
7. Step7
Talk on level with the customer. Don't talk UP .. You do NOT look or sound smart trying to talk over your own real knowledge. Don't talk DOWN .. you do NOT make friends or customers by talking to them like 2 year olds. You may need to slow down. Rethink how you are explaining. If they don't under stand your "Go to the 3rd floor" try "Take the elevator located at "that" side of the building up to the 3rd floor". Sometimes it's all in the small changes where the light goes on for them.
8. Step8
Never Ever EVER Lie. It will, I guarantee you, come back to bite you!
9. Step9
Never Ever EVER Lie. It will, I guarantee you, come back to bite you! It's OKAY to say I do not know. BUT you have to follow it up with "but I will find out for you".
Then FOLLOW THROUGH. Follow-up with the customer. Even if you say "I'm sorry but we can't do this/that". You carried your promise through. Their respect for you and your business has just going up 50%. You've created a layer of Trust in the business relationship with the customer.
10. Step10
Be positive - a real Smile really does go a long way! And make sure it's a smile that your eyes accompany. No one enjoys a dead pan "see my teeth" smile where your eyes say "I really wish I wasn't here". Practice in a mirror. See what the difference is!! If you are having FUN with your job / position / company, it's okay to be UP with your customers. That you are having fun and taking care of them again does a company image re-enforcements. If you're having a bad day -- hide it. It's not after all, hopefully the customers bad day. And you may find that by making it a good day / experience for them, makes it a great day for yourself as well!
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