In our last blog, we returned to the ever-important topic of providing excellent customer service. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. It doesn’t matter what types of products and services you offer. It doesn’t matter where your business is located. If you don’t provide the best possible customer service you can, you’re not bound to secure a loyal customer base.
In today’s blog, we’ll continue offering some of our top suggestions for how to be an excellent customer service provider. Read on!
Be patient.
Stay calm and collected. This is an especially important trait during times when customers are irate. In addition, there are bound to be times when customers display difficultly in understanding you. Again, it’s important to be patient with customers so that their experiences are always good ones. Good customer experiences are the keys to securing repeat business.
Writes Gregory Ciotti on HelpScout.com: “Not only is patience important to customers, who often reach out to support when they are confused and frustrated, but it’s also important to the business at large: we’ve shown you before that great service beats fast service every single time. Yet patience shouldn’t be used as an excuse for slothful service either!”
Be receptive.
Remember that there is no one better than your customers to let you know how good or bad a job you’re doing. If they’re happy, you’re doing great. If they’re unhappy, changes need to be made. Never be above taking feedback. Listening to complaints, expressing your apologies and appreciation and then implementing changes based on the feedback makes for an excellent way to grow customer satisfaction.
“Feedback: Giving the customer the opportunity to tell you what they think in many ways at different stages the transaction,” says Forbes.com, “Follow the Three Times Rule—if you hear something about your business three times, whether you like it or not, pay serious attention. It is probably true. Take action.”
Be clear.
Sorry? What was that? I don’t get it. These are just three of the many confused phrases you don’t want your customers to utter. Being clear means understanding the person you’re speaking to. For example, if English is not the first language of the customer, it would be wise to speak a little bit slower than normal. Being clear also entails you being concise. Give only as much information as necessary so that your customer service style isn’t regarded as slow.
“Make sure you’re getting to the problem at hand quickly; customers don’t need your life story or to hear about how your day is going,” instructs Ciotti, “More importantly, you need to be cautious about how some of your communication habits translate to customers, and it’s best to err on the side of caution whenever you find yourself questioning a situation.”
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