Have you ever met someone for the first time and instantly warmed up to them because they exuded a friendly personality? Or maybe they gave you a limp handshake which immediately turned you off as they averted eye contact and mumbled hello.
First Impressions Matter
Whether it’s the atmosphere of your store, the look and feel of your website, or the style of your customer service over the phone, people determine almost instantly if they like your company or not. If you’re first impression isn’t top notch, you might need to take a second look at how you’re presenting yourself. You want to make certain that your customer’s first experience with your business is above and beyond anything they were expecting.
Be Consistent
Consistency is another important factor regarding customer service. The more consistent you are in the service you provide, the more people will be willing to come back to you because they know they’ll be getting exactly what they want – as long as it’s good service that is. If your customer service is good one day, bad the next, your customers will become disenchanted and take their business elsewhere.
Get to Know Your Customers
Customers appreciate it when you take the time to know who they are and what they like. One of the best things I’ve enjoyed about using Amazon.com is they automatically track the types of products I typically purchase, and based on those orders, send helpful suggestions on other products I might like. While this is obviously a marketing tool to garner more sales, I actually enjoy it because I’ve found other items I might not have looked at before. In addition, little things such as how they welcome me back when I log on – “Welcome back, Michelle!” – And the useful storing of my information so I can check out quickly are bonuses I relish as a customer.
All of these things have one thing in common – quality. The level of quality you produce in your customer service will determine how well you do in the marketplace. If you’re concerned about the level of your service, or think you can do better, take a look at the areas just mentioned and see where you can possibly do more. Ask yourself questions such as:
• Does your business project a good first impression?
• Is your customer service consistent in all areas? (in store, on phone, online, etc)
• How well do you know your customers? How can you improve this?
• Does your business receive a lot of customer complaints? If so – what are they?
• Do your employees understand and follow CSE standards?
• Do your competitors provide better customer service than you? If so – in what areas? Why?
By taking a good hard look at your business, you can begin taking the next steps to advancing your customer service excellence.
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