A business is nothing without great
customer service, so how does your reputation with clients and customers stack
up? If you want to improve your business and keep your customers happy, a few
small changes could have a huge impact on your success. From avoiding
automation tools to taking advantage of your email list, here are five simple
ways to give your customer service a boost.
Keep
automation to a minimum
Something that can be frustrating
for customers is dealing with automated services, especially when they're
trying to make a phone call to your business. Today's technology makes it
easier for businesses, but if your setup is making things more difficult for
your customers, you may need to make some changes. Just because the technology
exists, doesn't mean you should be using it, said Leon Rbibo, president of The Pearl
Source, a Los Angeles-based jewelry business.
"We implement live chat
features and have a very complex system for tracking and flagging customer
service issues," Rbibo said. "Yet we keep phone automation to a
minimum when a customer dials The Pearl Source. We recognize
that automation is a major pain point for consumers, so why put them
through the ringer each time they call?"
Rbibo said that in many cases, it
can actually cost businesses less to have live people on the phone dealing
with customers.
"This keeps
customers happy, and happy customers are customers who continue to do
business with you," Rbibo said.
Listen
carefully
You can't offer good customer
service if you're not a good listener, so if you want happy clients, you'll
need to work on your active listening skills. Don't just wait for the customer
to stop talking so you can say your part — really listen, and find a way to
make customers have a great experience.
"Open communication is key for
every kind of relationship, and business interactions are no different,"
said John Kinskey, founder and president of AccessDirect,
a virtual phone systems provider. "If a customer has a request, it's
important to get all of the details correct the first time. This will instill
confidence in you on their part, and they will feel more comfortable coming to
you in the future."
And if you're dealing with a
customer's complaints, it's important to stay calm and do your best — even if
you think or know your business didn't do anything wrong.
"When a customer is angry or
frustrated, try to take the emotion out of the situation and really hear what
the issue is," Kinskey said. "This will both calm them down and also
help you get the situation resolved more quickly. It's so simple, but it's
so important — just listen." [6 Social Media Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid
]
Give
your employees some power
If you or the managers of your
business are the only ones with the ability to make important decisions or
changes, it can be frustrating for customers in need of assistance. That's why
you should trust your team with some level of power and train them to use it
wisely, said Aisha Martin, founder of A. Martin Group, a PR and business consulting
agency.
"Give your
team, especially those who have direct contact with your customers, the
ability to [handle] a situation," Martin said. "For example,
everything shouldn't have to go to upper management. When your staff knows
they have the power, based on the circumstance, to make a customer's
experience better, it's a win-win for all."
Martin said that in order for this
to be successful, you need to train your staff properly and form important
boundaries. But if done right, giving your employees that little bit of power
will work out better in the end, Martin said.
Stay
in touch
Don't just offer your services or
make a sale and let that be that. Checking in with your clients, even if you
don't think they need anything from you, is a good idea, said Harry Ein, owner
of Perfection
Promo, a promotional products company.
"Make sure [customers or
clients] are happy with the product or service you have provided them, and
make sure they know you are available," Ein said. "I prefer
checking in by phone, but be sure to respect your customers' time and
their preferred method of communication."
Ein said that staying in touch shows
your dedication and commitment to them as a customer, and it keeps you on
their radar so that the next time they need a product or service that you
provide, they will think of you first.
Take
advantage of your POS system
If you're not using your POS (point
of sale) system beyond ringing up customers and printing receipts, you could be
missing out on a great customer service opportunity — using email to keep in
touch.
"Many new point-of-sale
terminals and mobile payment apps have a feature that lets you email a receipt
to an in-store customer," said Stephen Sheinbaum, founder of Bizfi, an
alternative financing company. "When you ask, 'Can I email you your
receipt?' the customer gets a digital record of the purchase and you get
another name for your mailing list."
Taking advantage of features like
this can help you stay in touch with customers and potentially even make more
future sales.
"This can help build your
marketing down the road," Sheinbaum said.
Article By
Brittney Helmrich, Business News Daily Staff Writer
A
business is nothing without great customer service, so how does your
reputation with clients and customers stack up? If you want to improve
your business and keep your customers happy, a few small changes could
have a huge impact on your success. From avoiding automation tools to
taking advantage of your email list, here are five simple ways to give
your customer service a boost.
"We implement live chat features and have a very complex system for tracking and flagging customer service issues," Rbibo said. "Yet we keep phone automation to a minimum when a customer dials The Pearl Source. We recognize that automation is a major pain point for consumers, so why put them through the ringer each time they call?"
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8574-customer-service-fixes.html#sthash.RqzLUfyG.dpuf
Keep automation to a minimum
Something that can be frustrating for customers is dealing with automated services, especially when they're trying to make a phone call to your business. Today's technology makes it easier for businesses, but if your setup is making things more difficult for your customers, you may need to make some changes. Just because the technology exists, doesn't mean you should be using it, said Leon Rbibo, president of The Pearl Source, a Los Angeles-based jewelry business."We implement live chat features and have a very complex system for tracking and flagging customer service issues," Rbibo said. "Yet we keep phone automation to a minimum when a customer dials The Pearl Source. We recognize that automation is a major pain point for consumers, so why put them through the ringer each time they call?"
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8574-customer-service-fixes.html#sthash.RqzLUfyG.dpuf
No comments:
Post a Comment