Customer service can make or break your company. Poor customer service will never help you get new customers. When you combine a high-quality service or product with excellent customer service, you will have loyal customers and more sales.
To retain customers, below are 5 essential customer service tips you must employ:
1: Always Maintain a Positive Attitude
You should train your employees to be active and positive even when they don’t really feel like it. This is crucial on bad days. A negative contact with an employee will turn off a customer. Your staff should also be knowledgeable of everything about their department. Encourage them to learn more about the departments associated with them. Train them to go the extra mile.
If they can’t provide the answer needed by the customer, they should feel free and motivated to find the solution elsewhere in order to help the customer.
2: Be Polite and Professional at All Times
Being professional, polite and calm at all times is a must. Make sure your staff doesn’t become cold, condescending and dismissive even when they are dealing with the most challenging customer. Your staff should win the heart and trust of your customers. Being cold and dismissive will never do it. You have to make sure that your customer’s visit is pleasantly memorable, so they will be encouraged to come back. If the customer is rude, never stoop to their level, or they will have more reasons to complain.
3: Follow the Old Saying – “The Customer is Always Right”
The customer is not right one hundred percent of the time, but it will be beneficial for your company to ensure that your customers leave feeling that they are. Customers don’t want to argue and haggle. They may not mind being passed from one employee to another if it is for the service or product they are paying for but if they get into a confrontation or negative encounter with your staff, they will definitely walk away and go to your competitor.
4: Implement a Rapid Response Policy
Your customer service training should include prompt feedback and rapid responses. Set a rule that all responses to daily business inquiries should be within 24 hours. Customers want their emails answered, or their phone calls returned as soon as possible. They don’t want to wait for days. If you can’t answer them quickly, this will appear as unprofessionalism, laziness, and incompetence. Your staff should adhere to a rapid response policy.
5: Smile
Consumers are put off by impolite, unhelpful employees. Train your staff to do everything with a smile. The training should also include the concept of caring. Customers are more likely to patronize an organization with employees who really care about their customers.
