Who Doesn’t Like Servicing Their Customer?
As some of you know, I have been working part time in retail for over a year now. If there is one thing that I would have to say has overshadowed everything and taught me about business, it is the importance of customer service. Over the summer, I interned for my company as an Assistant Manger and had to pick a project and test it, and I ended up choosing customer service. I can go in to more detail with you on that, but that isn’t what this post is about.
One of the main philosophies of every company is customer service. It is so important to what we do, and having good customer service along with a great product of service will keep your customers coming back. It’s all about their experience with you right?
There are times when I absolutely dread dealing with customers (a little ranting follows). I could be 5 minutes into an important project that I need to get done, and it almost never fails that I will get continuously interrupted. I’ll be honest, I want to help you, but sometimes things are out of my control. I don’t mind going above what is the minimum, even if that means taking a little extra time to do it. I know you’re important. I want to give you the time you need and deserve, but if I’m already helping someone else give me a few minutes to get to you. I’m sure you would rather talk to someone that knows the department and the product over another employee that might have to step aside and ask that person anyways.
This is why the philosophy of customer service has made a big impact on me since working retail. I now am able to understand what it means and why it is so important. It affects everything else in your business, especially if your customer doesn’t need to come into physical contact with you. If that’s the case, their customer service experience may be the only thing they base their opinion of your business on.
Back to the meat of the post now. Customer service can be affected by numerous factors. I’ve outlined some of the common ones below.
1. Acknowledge your customers.
2. Thank your customers.
3. Have a simple and easy to use website where your customers won’t get frustrated and decide to leave.
4. If a customer doesn’t have a good experience with you, have ways available to them so that they can let you know. You can’t solve your problems without knowing them. Social media has made the process easier, but also more difficult to manage. Customer will talk regardless if you’re there or not, but if you respond to them, it goes a long way.
5. When a customer does reach out to you, be there to listen and respond quickly.
6. Make your employees happy. If they look forward to working every day, it affects everything else they do. They might not mind going a little above and beyond if they know they are appreciated.
7. Empower your employees to solve the situation as best as they can. Trust me, the majority of them know what can be done to help out a customer with a problem, and don’t mind doing it. Sure you might lose a little money in the short run, but chances are that customer will come back, and may tell someone else how you helped them. This also helps with point #6.
8. Give your employees the tools needed to get the job done. If your employees don’t have what is necessary, they won’t be able to do what you ask of them.
9. Sweat the small stuff. Many companies only look at the big picture and measurements of what they are doing and how to make them better. If you give some attention to detail to the small things, they will have an effect on the big picture.
I know that I’ve probably left some things out on what you can do to make your customer service better, but I really think it can be boiled down to two main points: acknowledgement and communication. Acknowledging (greeting and thanking) your customer and knowing who they are makes a hell of an impact, but you have to have the right skills to communicate with them. Know when it is the time for listening and talking. When it’s your turn, be there to respond quickly with a solution. They will appreciate it that much more.
Feel free to offer up your own thoughts or if you have any questions let me know. I triple dog dare you to leave a comment, share this with your friends, or hit me up @chrisjschmidt.
