Thomas Dos is still eating and again watching out the window. I think
I might make him write the next article.
I just read a great article about Customer Reviews. Most businesses just don't think about this aspect of a business and how it can affect you both good and bad. It is so easy today to leave a review. You can leave it on Facebook, Twitter and many other sites like Yelp and Merchant Circle.
I would like you to go into Google and put in your business name and see what comes up. We did that for my master's son and found tons of mistakes. The wrong address, wrong email, wrong website and other information that needs to be corrected. We will be doing this in the coming weeks. So, go to Google and put in your business name. I will take a nap until you return.
Ok, what did you find? Be honest and share the information below. What, there was nothing about your business? This is not a good thing. You want people to find you when they put in the keywords. For example, when people type in "Why does blowouts in Johnstown, CO" we want Lutey's Landscaping to come up. Does it? No! Time to regroup and get it found on Google. I really hope you are not in this situation but if you are it is time to regroup.
There also were no reviews. This is bad. Do you have any reviews? If not, time to ask for some. Both good and bad will do. Bad tells you what you need to correct and good is great!
We also would suggest that you go to Google Alerts and put in the name of your business. That way if anything comes up you will be notified. Again both good and bad.
Customers are your life blood and you need to know what they want and need and then you need to give them those things. You also need to know when they aren't happy, so you can make them happy, happy, happy as they say on Duck Dynasty!
Ok, time to be bad! I am really good at that! Meow and Purrs till tomorrow
Thomas Dos is AOK today. Still eating and drinking and even looking
out the window.
Yesterday my master's went to a new restaurant that just opened. The inside was decorated great and lots of TV's so they could watch the Bronco Game. They had to share a table with another couple but that was ok and they enjoyed their company. You could tell that the only waitress for tons of people was new. I think it was her second day on the job. She was trying but you could tell that she hadn't had proper training. Their POS system wasn't up yet and they could only take cash. The food was OK but will they be back??? Probably not. What is the lesson to learn from this? Many things could have been done differently but they are new and so we will see what the future will bring. So many small businesses forget the small stuff which is really the big stuff to customers. I also listened to a super cool video on customer service and I am going to share some of the tips that were shared.
We all know that good customer service is common sense. We all know what is needed and required to provide that service. However, humans are complex and different and what pleases one person is not good enough for another. That is why we have to get a really understanding of customer service at all levels. You need to read your customers. Some want lots of attention and others not so much. It is like me. I love attention! I could sit on my master's lap for hours but not Buddy. He is happy with about a minute of attention. So, like I said everyone is different and you need to really get to know your customers.
So what is the essence of good service? Is it about friendliness? Is it about consistence? Under promising and over delivering? Wowing the customers? Of course all of these are important but according to experts, what you need to do is make the customer feel better about themselves when they are with you or in your store. How do your customers feel when they deal with you?
Remember, people have many choices and when they leave your store, restaurant or office do they feel great about themselves because of the service that you provided? If they do, they will love you and tell others about you. If they had a great experience or meal, they will tweet it or check in on Facebook. This tells others that they enjoyed yourselves and they would like others to try this place too.
Sometimes we slip up and don't offer what we should. However, they will let that go and remember the good times.
We must be good at looking at their body language to see if they are happy or unhappy. Ask them how everything was. I am very honest about what I think. If the master's give me a new cat food and I don't like it, I just don't eat it. If they buy a new toy, I will try it out but if it isn't any fun, it will end up under the sofa...gone forever. Find out what your customers want and need and then provide it. Ask them again and again. Always be listening to what they are saying. You could also have mystery shoppers, discussions, and surveys.
So before I go take my nap, I want you to think about what was just said and try applying it to your customers. We know this will help to make your business a super success! Meow and Purrs till tomorrow.
Be sure to join our tribe. Just put your email in the box at the top right hand corner to receive your meows each day!
I’ve grown my companies by focusing on great customer service. We didn’t always have the biggest names working at the firm, and we couldn’t always afford the flashiest equipment. However, what we did better than all our competitors was ensure that our customers were thrilled.
In fact, superlative customer service can be your very best (and cheapest!) form of marketing. Customers talk about their experiences, especially if those experiences are unexpectedly good. Sometimes even the most difficult situations can yield satisfied customers, depending on how you and your team handle the problems that arise. Even a failure to meet expectations can offer an opportunity for a great recovery and a happy customer.
Here are four phrases that will help you impress your customers with the service you offer:
1. “I don’t know, but this is what I’m going to do.” You’re not always going to have the answer to every question at your fingertips, and your customers will understand that. What they expect in exchange, though, is honesty and follow-up. The key here is to make a clear commitment like, "I’ll call you by 5 p.m. with the answer,” and then keep that commitment. Even if it’s taking longer to get a problem resolved or to get the answer to your question, follow up with customers to let them know you’re still working on it. Customers want you to be honest and to keep your word. If you promise to call by 5 p.m., then you must call by 5 p.m., or you’ve betrayed your customer’s trust.
2. “I am very sorry.” When you or your company make a mistake, the customer wants to hear you accept responsibility and apologize. Too many customer service reps have been trained not to accept responsibility, in some cases because they fear the legal record of having admitted failure. Realistically, though, the probability of a lawsuit is minimal, while the chance of losing a customer is virtually guaranteed.
It’s important to manage the unhappy customer’s expectations while you apologize, though. Be genuine, and save your apologies for the instances when your company has truly made a mistake, rather than apologizing to every customer displeased by circumstances that are beyond your control. The apology is only a step, albeit an important one, and the goal is to turn the failure into a success by determining what your company can do to make it right.
3. “Yes.” “Yes” is what your customer wants to hear, and your goal should be to say that word whenever possible, especially if you’re working through a problem. Customers want progress.
Imagine two scenarios: Customer 1 calls with a complaint and asks for a 10 percent discount. The customer service rep says no, finally hands the customer off to a manager, and 20 minutes later you have an angry, frustrated customer with a 10 percent discount from the manager. Customer 2 calls with a complaint, and the customer service rep apologizes and offers a 10 percent discount. The cost to the company is 10 percent—that's the same amount of money but call #1 took longer, involved two staff members, and left a customer feeling frustrated, while call #2 resulted in a customer who truly believes that your company cares about his business. Say yes to reasonable requests as soon, and as often, as possible; you'll leave your customers pleasantly surprised at how easily the problem was resolved.
4. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Here’s your perfect wrap-up. Not only does this question give your customers the opportunity to bring up additional concerns, but it also lets them feel as if they're in control. They can ask for additional information or can thank you for your spectacular service. Giving your customers the opportunity to raise additional concerns lets them know you value them enough to spend time ensuring they’re satisfied. Even if the customer called with a problem, if your customer service team can work through a resolution and end on a positive note, you can earn and keep those customers for life.
Great customer service relies first and foremost on authenticity. You and your team must be committed to satisfying your customers, and being trustworthy is the foundation. If your customers trust you to keep your word, you’re more than halfway there. If your customers know they can rely on you, even if there’s a problem, that’s the rest of the journey.
I had a great conversation with a client today. It was all about customer service.
Something I noticed was a common theme that I've seen. My client was
complaining about his customers. At first I thought he had a point. The
more I listened the more I realized that he was the problem. He kept
complaining about how hard his customers are to please. After just a few
minutes, it was very obvious even to him that his customers just want
what they purchased.
My client is the one that has changed his policies over the last few months and customer service has taken a backseat to profitability and payback. The payback is what got me. He has let a few clients take advantage of him in the past and to even things out, he is now charging everyone for services that were once included with their purchase. His customer support has basically gone from one extreme to the other.
This whole conversation got me thinking...
It seems like in this economy (by the way, the economy really isn't that bad... Have you been to the mall or a restaurant lately? The lines in those places tell me a different story) you would want to do everything you can to keep customers and get new ones. But what I have seen is the opposite. A lot of companies are charging for things they never have before and customer service is at an all-time low in many places.
Here's a great example of poor customer service. The other day I took our girls through McDonald's. Now I don't expect much from their support, but this was crazy. We waited a while in the line, but the kicker was when we got to the window. The girl at the window was very rude when she asked, "that soda, did you want ice with that?" My wife and I were both stunned. We were thinking, "is that extra now?" Maybe ice isn't standard anymore? So the girl rolls her eyes and tosses our cup in the trash, shuts the window and walks off. I was quite stunned. The sad thing is that this girl will be stunned if she loses her job for poor performance. What a generation...
I don't know about you, but I'm a pretty simple guy. When I buy something and the box says the product does something, call me CRAZY, but I expect it to do what it says! That isn't expecting a lot if you ask me.
So what's driving this behavior? A lot of things if you ask me. Here are my top 6 things causing this problem.
1. The dot.com boom started it. Simply put, people got lazy when they thought they could just build a website and the business would come. The concept of giving a damn about customers went out the window because millions would line up to buy their services.
2. The "ME" and "Gen X or Y" generation. The concept that "my" needs and feelings are more important than anyone or anything else makes it hard to find employees who really care about anything more than a paycheck.
3. What's in it for me attitude. This one is tied closely to number 2, but shared by a lot of folks. It's a strange attitude being shared by CEO's and business owners these days. A what's in it for me attitude asks, "What would I get out of this and what can you do for me?" instead of; "How can I help you?"
4. Lack of vision. This is a big killer in business. People just don't realize how important vision is. If you don't know where you are going, it makes it tough to get there. Without a vision, no one on your team will know what you are trying to accomplish. A great vision includes phrases like, "we are the best in the world at", "we are global leaders in the market", "and we provide exceptional customer service". A vision defines who you are and where you are going as a company, but more importantly, it acts as a filter for decisions.
5. Poor leadership. Many business owners today are great at the business they do, they just suck as business owners. I know that sounds harsh, but it's a fact. Think about it, the best plumber in the world probably doesn't know jack about marketing and sales if they have never done it. So how can that person lead a team if they have never done it? Being a great leader is part learned behavior from watching great leaders and part educating yourself. But most business leaders are so distracted by their business that they don't take the time to really develop themselves. And one last thing on this, you don't lead by talking to people. You lead by DOing. Set an example by rolling up your sleeves and working in the trenches with your team! As you can see, I'm a bit passionate about this one.
6. Lack of accountability. This is a favorite of mine. One of the best things about being a coach is that I tell my clients right up front that they can't fire me. They are now accountable to me. I also get their credit card on file and authorization to charge them anytime they break my rules. Now, we agree on the rules upfront and they have a chance to add or take away from the rules, but once the rules are locked it, it's GAME ON! A lot of business owners and leaders get lazy in this area and don't make themselves accountable to their team.
Now that we have discussed the reasons why customer service has gotten bad, here are 3 things you can do to change customer service in your organization forever. These are surefire, tried and true methods that will rock your clients' world every time.
1. Get it right -When your customer orders something, start by getting the order right every time. I know this sounds like a no brain-er, but I'm telling you, this will keep them coming back.
TIP: One thing I like to do is repeat an order to a client. It just takes a couple of minutes to go over what they want to make sure you got it right and they have everything they need.
2. Get personal - Find a way to make your clients' experience unique to them. Ask their name. Call them by name once you know it. Ask them where they are from, share a story with them if you have a funny one (if you are funny), comment on a nice necklace or ring or their car. Anything you can do to get the experience on their level.
3. The WOW factor- Do something to make them say WOW! A free upgrade for being so sweet or for being from Nashville or whatever. Walk them out of your business if you have a minute. Remember them... and their name. Introduce THEM to your team and introduce your TEAM to them. Here's a great example, "Hey Jim, come over here and meet our new customer of the month from Nashville. Jenny here grew up just down the street, she loves those white chocolate cookies you brought in today, let's make sure we have some on hand. Jenny is going to be back in a few days and I want to make sure we have her favorite cookies in the store."
That's a great "in-store" example. I'm sure you are thinking, yeah right? That's crazy... Think about this. How would you feel about yourself if someone treated you that way? Would you buy from them again? I bet the answer is yes. Even if they were more expensive than the other guys. Can you say competitive advantage!
Now, suppose your clients are all over and you only talk to them via phone. Here's a quick way to do the same thing.
"Hi Steve, how's it going today in Tampa? I saw the weather forecast there this morning and it looks cold. Are you still planning on taking the kids to Disney next week? Steve, I really didn't need anything today, I just wanted to check in with you to see how you are doing. I was thinking of you when I saw the weather this morning and just felt like checking up on you. You know what, Alex from support just walked by. Do you have a second for me to introduce you? I just want to make sure you know Alex if you ever need anything. Alex, this is Steve, he's an amazing guy and one of our best customers. Please send Steve your contact info when you get back to your desk if he ever needs anything. Hey Steve, I'm going to let you get back to business. Be sure and let me know how Disney goes next week. I hope your boys have a better time than last year."
See what I did there? I made it personal at ever turn I could.
Bonus TIP: BE GENUINE!
When you do this kind of thing, you have to mean it. It has to come from the heart and your clients have to feel it. You can't fake this kind of thing or your clients will know it.
The bonus for you is that you will not only get more business by following these simple steps, you will feel great about your efforts each day.
One last thing to remember. It costs 6 times more to market to new businesses than it does to just keep the ones you have. Work on retention! Work on retention through customer service.
To learn more about this topic, visit http://www.michaellejeune.com
You can also connect with Michael on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_LeJeune
In all of our seminars we refer to everyone who isn't one of a Company's Officers as "Angels." Why? Because from "Angels" come all blessings - especially the blessing of increased revenue for your company.
If you have people working for you and you're honest, your employees do more work in the aggregate than you do on your own to make your company successful. Without your Angels, you're just one person trying to do everything, and no matter how good you are, your limited time and productivity would severely limit revenues.
That being said, even you and your Angels may need some guidance.
Here are six, simple rules that can radically improve the quality of your customer service, decrease customer loss, increase customer referrals, lessen employee turnover and ultimately, make you more money.
Angel Rule #1. When It Comes to Customers, It IS Your Job.
Your business will succeed or fail based on how well your team serves your clients. For example, we can all probably agree that there is little more annoying to a customer than waiting a long time in a line to get served and seeing an employee sitting nearby who doesn't immediately leap to their feet to help. My guess is that helping you at that moment is not in their job description. "Officially" they don't have to help. Wrong! When a customer needs help and isn't getting any, it becomes your job. Everyone's job is to help the customer. Now! You know what else? If someone pitches in to help and there is follow-up, then it's still their job to make sure that what they started gets done till it's done. So, make sure everyone on your team cooperates and supports each other in serving your clients.
Drill: Bring your team together. Have each one explain what they do for the company. Then, have each of them identify three duties where they occasionally find themselves overwhelmed and needing help. Once identified ask everyone to be on the lookout for such instances and pitch in to help their teammates!
Angel Rule #2. Quickly Acknowledge Every Customer.
This is so simple and obvious, but it stuns me how few employees actually do it. Again, who hasn't been in a situation where you enter a business, see an employee who is busy with something else, and they completely ignore you! You stand around for what seems like hours before they finish and finally decide to deal with you. Amazingly, in their book "Managing Your Socks Off Service", authors Bell and Zemke report that 68% of the customers you lose leave because they feel you are "indifferent" about the "gift" of their business and don't appreciate it. Does anything make you feel more unappreciated than becoming seemingly invisible while standing near or next to an employee and them not responding?
To prevent that from happening we suggest using the never-fail "10/5 Rule"- when a customer is within 10 feet of you, regardless of what you're doing, acknowledge their presence with at least a glance, a nod, or a smile (anything to make them feel noticed). And, if they're within 5 feet of you, speak up and greet them verbally and warmly. If you want to keep customers forever, you must start the relationship off on the right foot.
Drill: Many people aren't comfortable making eye contact with others in their work life because they find it embarrassing. This drill helps them overcome that. Suggest that people go out, walk down the street and make eye contact with complete strangers. Make just a glance with eye contact, a nod of the head, or say a simple "Hello". Acknowledging and greeting people on the street will make it easier to do the same at work!
Angel Rule #3. Slow Down, Keep Quiet and Just LISTEN!
This one is tough. Especially if you think you know what the customer is going to say or ask for, or if you are in a hurry. But this is critical.
Legendary customer service is about doing what the customer expects for their money and making darn sure that they walk out feeling appreciated. Ever been in a conversation when someone keeps interrupting or keeps trying to "guess" what you're going to say next. They probably get things wrong and you end up having to repeat yourself over and over, and by the end of it you're exhausted and want to get away. Slow down, concentrate, and really listen. You'll truly hear your customers, and they'll feel it. Plus, this actually saves you and your team time, as you will remember what they need and how to give it to them. You'll start hearing them the first time.
Drill: Practice Paraphrasing: It is critical when listening to make sure that the listener has heard the problem correctly before proceeding to the solution. Ensure everyone's on the same page with this drill. Pair up two people. Have one pretend to be upset with some interaction common to your business. Have that person tell, in detail, why they are angry. Have the other person paraphrase what they think they heard. Have the "customer" confirm whether it was correct or not and if not, why.
Angel Rule #4. Fix It On The Spot
Statistics tell us that if you solve an irate customer's problem immediately, you stand a 95% chance of keeping their business. 95%! That's pretty much everyone. If you merely solve their problem "promptly" that percentage drops all the way down to between 55% and 77%. Solving the problem immediately increases the likelihood that you'll keep them as a customer by 18%-45%. So, be speedy. Do it now! The longer you wait, the less likely you are to keep that customer. (From John Goodman's TARP customer service survey)
One final and critical thought. You must solve a client's problem to their satisfaction. Too often you will be tempted to solve their problem in a way that suits your processes and procedures. And you'll probably fix the problem, but still lose the customer. So ask yourself, what's more important, your rules or keeping the customer? I hope you said customer! If not, call me and let me remind you of the right answer!
Drill: Ask your team to remember times when they had to take a day or two to solve a customer's problem. Make a list. For most companies that shouldn't be too hard. When you have the list, sit down and go over each instance trying to see if there are policies or procedures in place that made it hard to solve those problems immediately. If there are, see if there is another way to do things that will allow you to fix a similar problem the same day. Make these changes so you won't lose another customer the same way.
Angel Rule #5. Find A Way to Say, "Yes".
Want to lose a customer as fast as you can? Just tell a customer "No," or something like: "We don't do that here," or "It's against our regulations," or "Sorry, you missed the sale by a day, we can't give you that price today," or "Sorry we can't serve you now, we just closed."
Fundamental to any business giving great customer service is that everyone's job is to figure out how to say, "Yes" to anything reasonable that a customer asks for. I understand that you have rules and regulations and you think you need them to survive, but I promise you, if you say "No" to your customers often enough, they will say "No" to your company. You'll be left with efficient processes and procedures and no customers.
If you really want to give customers what they want, when they want it, and to sometimes thrill them to the bone, give your employees the trust to "selectively break the rules" in order to make customers happy by giving them what they want. Your people will feel great that you trusted them, thereby eliciting more loyalty and even better service and your customers will feel special and appreciated that you did something they think is "just for them". Try it. They'll both love it.
Drill: Sit down with your employees who deal with customers and ask them what are the most common "rules" that your customers complain about. Take a look at those rules and consider whether or not some of them can be modified to be more in line with customers' desires or even eliminated. Get rid of the ones you can and of the ones you can't, decide which ones you can allow employees to selectively "fudge" and under what circumstances. Make it clear to everyone which rules can be broken (and to what degree) and trust him or her to do it appropriately.
Angel Rule #6. Support Your Teammates
When a business is successful, everyone wins. If a business fails, everyone loses. As we said in "Rule #1" you're a team. But this is only true if your corporate culture is employee-centric. You have to serve your employees first. Then your people will be willing to hear sincere, well-communicated suggestions from anyone on the team about how to better serve customers.
We teach that if your employees are dedicated to a clear, well-defined mission statement that outlines desirable behavior, and if they've been well-trained on a continuing basis to remind and reinforce those values, they'll be delighted to hear anything from anyone of their teammates that shows them what they might have done differently to better serve a customer. If you think this is naïve or impossible, then you have some work ahead of you to redefine your culture to build a team mentality. Do it. I guarantee it'll serve you and your customers well. And, both your customers and employees will thank you.
Drill: Supporting teammates who are strangers aside from work is difficult. Only when employees begin to view each other as unique human beings with real thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears, will they even consider helping each other to grow. To make that empathetic connection, try to find group activities at work, or preferably, outside of work, where people can show who they are aside from their job description. The more of these opportunities you facilitate, the better you'll all work together as a team.
Allowing even one negative presence on a team can upset the delicate dynamic and confuse other employees as to what is "really" expected of them.
So, get rid of the bad apples before they ruin the whole barrel.
That's a lot of critical information to be sure. So, let's take a moment and review it once more.
World-class customer service requires a culture that has very clearly defined mission, vision and values. This culture is headed by "servant leaders" who put employees first and customers second. In such a culture people are clear about the company's mission, vision and goals and adopt them as their own. They have fun at work, are regularly acknowledged in private and public ways, are held to high, consistently measured standards, and work with a highly positive workforce of like-mined individuals.
Nobody said it would be easy, but it is doable and the results will be nothing short of spectacular. I encourage you to go for it!
To learn more about great customer service, visit http://www.fixmycustomerservice.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=F_Lee_Tomlinson
The other day a colleague told me about his
experience in a sub shop he stopped at for lunch with his son. He orders
a small sub and after requesting some toppings and drinks he goes to
the register to pay. While the sub shop employee is ringing up the meal
he takes another look at the menu and realizes he could have gotten a
better deal by getting the footlong, and states this. "Yeah", replies
the employee, "guess you probably should have gone with the footlong."
He chuckles at the rather apathetic tone of the employee and he and his
son take off.
What would you think if you were in this man's shoes? Especially as a business owner, you would probably be annoyed at the lack of customer service. Maybe you would wonder why the owner had apparently not trained their employees very well. And you would probably have a solution, such as training front line employees to offer the better value meal whenever someone is making an order. The point is that front line employees are usually the only contact your customers will have with your business- so you must make sure that the customers are receiving first class service! How do you do that?
Here are a couple ways you can ensure front line employees aren't sabotaging your business:
1. Provide in depth customer service training
Some small businesses such as fast food franchises and restaurants tend to hire workers with very little experience in customer service. You may have some kind of employee handbook that details expectations. But what if employees don't bother to read the handbook? And if you don't have a handbook, how do you train your people to deal with customers? A good way to prepare personnel to deal with the variety of personalities they will have to serve is to provide training that includes role playing, visualizing, and problem solving. This kind of training covers all the different types of learners and will be much more beneficial than simply handing out an employee handbook.
2. Show your front line employees how it is done (or have your management team do this)
If your business is small and your employees answer to you, make sure you are there with them their first couple of days to show them how to give customer service. This way you set expectations and provide a model of behavior.
Talk about what you are doing to give your customers a "wow" experience, for example, engaging them in conversation to get to know who they are and what they do. Tell them why it's important to do this (to make them feel welcome, keep the experience a positive one so they will return) and how it helps them (the store will continue to make a profit and provide them job security). People are by nature self-interested, as the old cliché says tune into their radio station "WIIFM" or "What's In It For Me".
3. Collect customer feedback
Perhaps you are already collecting customer email addresses when they come in to your business, a key way to build your list so that you can provide value to your target market! You can easily send a survey to those who sign up. Use survey monkey or some other type of free survey and send it within 24 hours while the experience in your business is fresh in your mind. This will help you measure the effectiveness of your training program. To increase response rate consider offering a freebie for the customer's next visit to your business. For example in the case of the sub shop from the above, a free cookie or bag of chips with their next purchase of a sandwich would be a good way to not only get them to respond, but possibly even come back if they enjoyed their experience.
To review, the key to ensure front line employees provide excellent customer service, thereby helping you stay in business, is to train them first and then show them what you expect. This is critical because you can't be in your business at every moment, and even if you could you shouldn't need to be anyway. To make your business a business rather than a babysitting job, hire quality workers and set high standards for service, then monitor their service through customer surveys. This will help your business to thrive and set it apart from the competition.
What questions do you have on customer service? Do you have your own system for ensuring employees give customers a positive experience? Visit our Facebook page and join the conversation: https://www.Facebook.com/acceler8
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_DiMaggio
No matter how great your product
or service is, customers will not remain loyal to your business if they
feel that they have not been treated right. As a business, it should be
your goal to develop a unique relationship with each customer and treat
them like they are something special. Developing good customer
relationships may be time consuming, but remember, it is much easier to
keep an existing customer then to cultivate a new one. In fact, it costs
seven times more to get a new customer then it does to satisfy the ones
you already have. Also, it is very important to keep in mind that a
dissatisfied customer has many avenues to share their displeasure with
others. It is a known fact that a typical displeased customer will tell
eight to ten people about their problem and one in five will share it
with twenty. Remember, this is a simple word of mouth rant; however, a
bad review posted on social media can cause these numbers to explode.
So how do you personalize your customer service?
Know Your Customers
It is very important for businesses to know their customers. Learn their names and engage in small talk when you have the chance in order to better understand them. You must determine their wants, needs, preferences, and price points. By knowing your customers, you can tailor your products and services to satisfy their needs. This type of value-added service will keep customers coming back for more.
Say Thank You
In business, actually thanking your customers for their patronage is such a small courtesy, but it is often overlooked. With so many options for consumers to spend their hard-earned money, they want to know that their business is actually appreciated by the companies they select. A few spoken words of gratitude would be fine, but a handwritten, personalized note could really make an impression and help you stand out in our digital world.
Keep in Touch
Your customers want to feel like they are important to you. Invite them to a new product launch, send them free samples of your latest wares, or just pick up the telephone to say hello. Although these gestures take time out of your busy schedule, they go a long way towards building customer loyalty.
Cultivate Honesty and Dependability
Your customers want to know that if something goes wrong that you will be there to handle the problem. They need to know that you are reliable and quick to follow through with your promises. It is essential that you or your staffs are easy to get in touch with and that you have a rapid response time. Developing a reputation as an honest, dependable business will have customers returning for more.
If you want to retain your customers in today's world, you need to start taking care of them. Businesses that focus on providing excellent customer service are much more likely to succeed because they foster customer loyalty. In addition, as we all know, a happy customer is a repeat customer that tends to spread the word about their great experience. Overall, taking good care of your customers takes some effort but the actual cost is very low, and the benefits can be immeasurable.
The Internet provides us with research, speed and convenience, however, when it comes to customer retention, the old ways are the best ways. For more information on this and other articles, please contact me, or visit our site; [email protected], http://www.thecoteriegroup.com, thanks.
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