One good thing about improving customer service for your company is that it needn’t be expensive and your efforts will generally pay for themselves in faithful, happy clients. The cornerstone of customer service is simply having people skills, and fortunately, this is a very easy skill to cultivate and practice. The author suggested these tactics, among others, to improve customer service:
- During staff meetings, it’s helpful to break up your employee roster into teams and role play typical scenarios from your business. Perhaps one of your employees can be the customer and another can play the role of your company representative, who is servicing the customer. It may even be a good idea for you, as the manager, to take the latter role and model the proper behavior and attitudes that foster quality service.
- Make each of your customer’s issues a priority. Because every customer will have a different issue with your company, it can seem overwhelming to tackle them all. However, some commonality of approach is always possible to show the staff how to translate words into actions and handle your customer’s issue promptly.
- Listen to your customers. While this seems common-sense, many business owners and managers are afraid to be personal with a customer. After all, the only way to give your customers what they want is to actually take the time to find out what they want. For example, if you’re on the phone with a client and you hear a dog in the background, it only takes a second to establish rapport by asking about the dog. This will help break the ice and put the customer in a better frame of mind to express his or her concern and help you resolve it.
- In case you’re uncomfortable or uncertain about how to handle a customer, the best rule of thumb is to ask for help from a co-worker or supervisor. Everyone should be engaged in the customer service process and sometimes a company representative who isn’t directly involved in the situation can help you find a solution to satisfy the customer.
In conclusion, be open to feedback from your customers and staff; it’s the only way to improve service. Acknowledge feedback and be open to discussing it at your next staff meeting. Remember communication is the key to resolving any issue.