Excellent Customer Service Tips

| Monday, April 1, 2013
By Lori Buenavista


You've put in plenty of time and a lot of money marketing your small business. Now the people are pouring in. Are you taking good care of them? Besides the simple fact that it's just good business practice to offer great customer service, it's beneficial financially as well. Studies show that it costs less money to retain current consumers (and get referrals from them) than it does to locate new clients. Listed here are 3 ways you can provide fantastic customer support.

Respond to the phone, answer the email.

One of the greatest issues of customers is the absence of importance many companies place on communication. Beth recently desired a new deck for her back garden, but was annoyed when she couldn't locate a company to return her calls, "I called and left messages with four contractors who advertised that they specialized in building decks," she said, "None called me back. Ultimately, after leaving three messages, I located someone, but I was pretty worried that he'd be unreliable, based on his lack of focus to my calls."

Companies often find correspondence with new customers challenging. After all, if they're successful, they're out in the field, carrying a hammer or giving a quote. Hiring a personal secretary to take phone calls and schedule appointments definitely makes the difference: the customer who speaks to a live person on the telephone is a happy client who thinks her needs are now being met.

Check in after the contract.

Just after your transaction with a customer is finished, send him a message, personal note, or supply him with a call. Inquire how he felt about your product, services and over-all experience. Ask that he give you sincere feed-back, even if it's negative.

You might be troubled that asking customers to provide feed-back after you've already finished dealing with them is just inviting grievances. Instead of seeing comments as scary, consider it as a huge possibility to improve (and to impress your past customers)!

Many clients aren't satisfied with a transaction, but they won't complain. Additionally they won't return once again, or give you a recommendation. A client who lets you know he wasn't happy is providing you with the possibility to make it proper. Get out of your way to do so, and you've turned a soured customer into a life-time client.

Look at each and every situation from the customer's viewpoint.

Occasionally customers seem very demanding and irritating. Sometimes, the client is just a strenuous, irritating person. But most of the time, they're acting that way because they're concerned, frightened or stressed.

Try to put yourself in your customer's shoes. If he's getting in touch with you every ten minutes to get an update on his landscape designs, he might just be pressured about the wedding he's hosting for his daughter next month and wants every blossom to be fantastic.

When confronted with particularly difficult customers, don't hesitate to ask, "What do you want from me? What can I do to make this request easy and nice for you?"

Don't ever neglect that your clients are the only rationale you're in business. Offering great customer service keeps them pleased and returning for more.




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