Here are a few Customer Service tips for getting and keeping customers:
1. Use active listening. Customers need to know they are understood. So listen to your customers and let them know you have heard them and will address their needs.
2. Use a pleasant tone. Sound like you love it! You should sound like you enjoy what you do and like you are ready to do business.
3. Please and Thank you. Good manners will always take you far. Be a ray of sunshine to your customers and let them know by the way you handle them that you value them. Thank them and be grateful for the opportunity to interact with your customers.
4. Put your best foot forward. Customer service is key in building your business. So you should have your BEST people on the front line. Satisfied customers are repeat customers. Dissatisfied customers resort to social media.
5. Go the extra mile. Always under promise and over deliver. It’s much better to exceed customer expectations than to disappoint a customer.
6. Train & Empower your team. Staff at all levels should be trained in how to listen to, talk to and relate to your customer. Give your front line staff the knowledge and, where feasible, give them the authority to act on it. Let them make some decisions and not cause unecessary delays by having to always seek approval from a superior.
7. Be mindful of your attitude. Is the glass half full or half empty? Is customer service an opportunity to serve or a necessary evil? Whatever your perspective your customer will sense your attitude. Service is an opportunity to engage your customer and create positive experiences.
8. Make your customer feel valued. The fastest way to anyone’s heart is to make them feel valued. Make your customers feel valued and you will position yourself ahead of your competitors. Make each experience with your customer a memorable one that keeps them coming back for more.
9. Empathy. Try to understand your customers. Know what they know. Feel what they feel. Empathy is the way to truly engage and satisfy your customer.
10. Do Research – Get feedback OFTEN. Customer feedback is invaluable in determining what you can do to make their experience more meaningful and enjoyable.
