No matter how big or small the company, no matter how long it’s been around, no matter what the industry, focusing on exceptional customer service is something that every business owner can understand and appreciate. Some days play out smoothly and easily, with little to no issues standing in the way of customer satisfaction; others, not so much, the phone ringing every minute, a disgruntled client or customer on the other side, ready to lash out with a fresh problem, complaint or threat to switch companies.It’s all part of owning a business, and there are countless strategies that are suggested by countless people who have been there before on how to deliver great customer service that’s sure to satisfy. We found an article from one of our favorite online business resources, Business 2 Community, that offers some simple, straightforward and necessary tips for keeping your customers happy and coming back. It’s entitled 6 Characteristics of Great Customer Service; keeping the tips short, sweet and informative, forcing business owners to ask themselves whether or not they’re doing everything they can to ensure maximum satisfaction amongst their customer base. Here’s a look:
“Responsiveness – When customers enter your brick and mortar location, call on the phone, email or initiate a web chat, how long does it take for someone to acknowledge their presence? One of the most dreaded customer experiences is waiting to be serviced or even just to be acknowledged! How long are your customers waiting for service? When issues arise, how long before the situation is addressed and a resolution provided to the customer? The responsiveness clock is ticking in your customer’s head while waiting to be serviced or to receive a reply to inquiry.”
Keeping a customer waiting, whether it’s to answer a quick question in person or return a phone call to have a long and complex discussion about a number of different issues, will always mean testing their patience. If you don’t have a plan of action for responding to any questions, problems or complaints that are brought to your business, you need to conceive one as soon as possible. Put yourself on the other side of the phone, desk, or screen for a second and think about all the times you’ve had to contact a company for an issue you were having, forced to wait until someone had the time to answer your question. Nobody likes to be put through this, and doing it to your customers means running the risk of having them turn away and going somewhere else to have their problems addressed.
Every business owner like has some sort of strategy for handling customer service, but as it’s such a broad and commonly discussed subject, it’s always good to research different approaches and opinions on how to go about it. The article from Business 2 Community lays out 6 simple but essential factors that make for great customer service, and we’d recommend giving it a read if you’d like some fresh insight on the topic.
How do you guarantee great customer service? Do you utilize all of the factors laid out in this article? Your thoughts are always welcome, so let us know!
Copyright: edhar / 123RF Stock Photo