As dramatic as this may seem, you can have the best products on the market with the most competitive prices but if you have a lousy customer service you are destined to fail.
Customer service is the spinal cord to all businesses and if your company is weak in this sector of your enterprise then you really must consider working hard at improving this area if you want to survive on today’s competitive market.
The golden rule for a good approach towards an effective customer service is to approach your client correctly and form a relationship that is an individual one.
This will convince your clients that they like the way you treat them and they will choose your company as opposed to another that is not as dedicated.
Customers will judge you by what you do, whether you promise them great deals and service; they will want to see that you practice what you preach. Providing customer service is actually easy, as long as you keep to a few basic and essential rules:
– Do not promise products or services you cannot vouch for. Your customers must feel they can rely on you and the customer service you provide. Never promise delivery or appointments on specific dates if you are not one hundred percent you can be there.
– Always answer phone calls and call back customers that have left messages. If you need to hire a specific person to answer the phone do it, people do not want to hear recorded voices, they expect real people to answer.
– Listen to what clients have to say. Nobody likes it when after having explained their problem they find out the other person has not been paying attention. It is very exasperating and rude. Make sure your customer has your full attention and suggest a way to solve a problem, which is directly related to the issue.
– Always deal with problems. Although not all problems can always be solved, you must not consider this a regular issue. Sometimes if you pay extra attention to your clients request you may be able to solve his or her problem just this once.
– Show your clients that you can be helpful even though you are not gaining from doing so. It will show them that you consider them as individuals and not as a possible sale.
– The three magic words are helpful, courteous and knowledgeable. Always keep in mind that this is how you have to be with your clients. If you have any staff members, train them to pay special attention to these three factors and do so regularly.
– Go a little further. This means that if someone asks you for something specifically you do not just answer it is over there or you can find it on so and so page on the website. Take your customers to where the product is or send them the exact link to the page on the online catalog via e-mail so all they have to do is click on it.
