In order to keep customers coming back and doing work with your company, you must have quality customer service. It’s a powerful marketing tool to create an environment where clients feel appreciated and heard.
It was reported by Microsoft that 96% of clients stated that customer service plays an important factor in who they choose to be loyal to when shopping. If that doesn’t make you want to improve your level of service, we don’t know what will.
We’re going to go over some ways you can upgrade what you offer to your customers.
Listen to What Your Customers Want
When you take the time to use voice of customer techniques and then make changes to your business, they’ll appreciate it. Allowing your clients to express their wants and needs will make your business better for all.
There could be problems that you don’t even notice or don’t think are a bother to your clients. Their comments could open up your eyes and allow you to improve.
Respond Quickly
People are impatient when it comes to getting an answer or a problem solved. It was stated by NPR that we’ve become “the Impatient Nation” with our fast food, speed dating, and self check out. It’s probably because of technology making getting answers so easy and fast.
This is important to know for customer service because response time plays a significant role in how good your company is at solving problems for clients. You should be in the office as much as possible. If not, have your phone on loud, and check your email regularly to ensure you’re getting back to people quickly and efficiently.
Understand Customers Needs
When there’s a problem that happened in the past, and it’s hard to fix now that the client has brought it to your attention, it’s important to remember not to brush it off. You should take some form of action to avoid it from happening again.
To make the customer happier about the situation, you can always offer a discount on a further purchase, a refund, or something that will accommodate their needs. They’ll feel like you care about them and work to please them.
Stay True to Your Values
When a business shares similar values to a customer, people will be more likely to shop with you. Maybe you only carry organic products, donate to a charity annually, or you have cultural values. Whatever your thing is, stick with it and don’t take shortcuts!
If you create a mission statement of some sort for your company, be sure to highlight what makes you unique and also how you value your customers. Then, show these values to your clients when they come to your store.
Invest in Training Employees
The owner can’t be the only one who knows how to talk to customers or solve problems; all of your employees represent your company. Taking time out of their typical workday to do training sessions on customer service can create a positive rippling effect.
Making sure your employees are respectful, informative, and happy when dealing with customers will not only make your life easier, but you’ll gain the reputation that your company cares about its clients.
Provide Service Outside of Business Hours
If your office is only open nine to five, that doesn’t mean your client service has to clock out as well. When you allow assistance outside your regular business hours, your customers will understand that this company genuinely matters to you.
One way you could do this is by creating social media pages that you can access while at home. Another way is by providing a 24-hour telephone number for problems that happen after 5 pm. You could also create a frequently asked questions page on your website that they can refer to for information.
The Bottom Line
Customer service is an essential part of a business and can really make or break you. Clients want to feel appreciated and feel good supporting your company.
Some ways you can improve is by using the voice of customer methods, being responsive, accommodating clients, staying true to your values, training employees, and having a 24/7 customer service system.
This might seem like a lot, but choose one or two things to focus on, and then add more as you master a skill. You’ll likely see an increase in loyal customers when you invest in improving your service skills.
