Customer service can be the difference between a successful small business and a struggling one. However, it can be difficult to set up measurable goals in this area. Unlike other areas of running a business, customer service is not easily measured. Here are five rules for making sure your customers leave happy and come back often.
1. Offer the personal touch.
Ask anyone who has interacted with a large corporation lately how they enjoyed it, and you will likely hear a long list of complaints. From long waiting times to automated answering systems, people are sick of dealing with unfeeling machines. This is where a small business can really shine. Answer your phone, answer your email, and make sure customers walk away feeling like you care. Services such as call forwarding and answering services make this easy.
2. Be a good listener.
Often, your customers are already telling you exactly what you want; you just aren’t listening. A huge part of this is how you respond to complaints. None of us like criticism, and most of us like it even less when it is deserved. As a small business owner, you must stifle your urge to run away from confrontation. Carefully consider your complaints, as they may be the most honest feedback that you get. If you were honestly in the wrong, make it right. You can’t please everyone, but you can sure please most people.
3. Go the extra mile.
Good service might not cause any buzz, but you can bet that people will talk about it when you really come through for them. Don’t just tell them wear something is located; take them to it. Even if there is no profit or sale in it for you, you should always go out of your way to help others. It’ll be good for sales and for your company brand.
4. Let them count on you.
In other words, don’t make a promise unless you know you can keep it. We all know how deadlines can creep up, and how tempting it is to give someone a ‘best case scenario’ as to when their project will be complete. However, this is a surefire way to frustrate clients and build a reputation as untrustworthy and unreliable. If you can’t guarantee that you will follow up on a promise, don’t make it in the first place.
5. Get your staff on the same page.
If you are lucky enough to have employees, take the time to train them in customer service and to demand that they demonstrate these skills in every single customer interaction. It truly is a dying art, one that you will need to teach and work on consistently. Give them the power to make little decisions in the customer’s favor when the need arises. Make good customer service practices part of your policies and procedures as well. If every member of your staff is dedicated to the cause, and your business is set up with customer-friendly policies, your customers will be sure to return.
Customer Service the Ecommerce Way
There used to be a huge divide between ‘online shopping’ and ‘customer service’. Most consumers expected to trade great service and brand interaction for the convenience and lower prices available on the internet. However, as online shopping becomes more common, expectations are changing. While customer service is not the same in ecommerce websites as it is in a physical store location, it is nonetheless possible and even mandatory. Here are a few ways you can offer great customer service success through your website.
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Know your customers.
It’s important to identify your target markets, but many consumers enjoy the ‘personal touch’. Traditionally, salespeople and shopkeepers got to know their best customers so they could offer the best service and win customers’ hearts. Your website can do this as well, by keeping information on what certain customers buy so you can customize their next experience. This will lead to brand loyalty and increased sales.
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Help consumers find what they seek.
When you enter a brick-and-mortar store, there are salespeople to guide you to the items you are looking for. These salespeople also can offer guidance on different product features and suggest peripheral goods. Your ecommerce store can do offer the same great service without having to hire and train sales staff, with search functions that allow narrowing, high quality product information, and functions that offer related items. This will allow customers to find what they need and even add a few items to their virtual cart.
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Communicate about the process.
Because they are not walking away with a bag in their hand and a receipt in their pocket, customers often feel insecure about the online buying process. You can reduce these anxieties through good communication. Let people know when you have received and processed their order, and offer shipping information with an expected delivery date. This will make customers feel like they have more control over the buying process and be more likely to return.
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Offer loyalty programs.
Many stores offer loyalty programs of various types, whether these are discount cards, birthday clubs, or other special deals. You should offer something like this as well. An occasional discount code sent to your preferred customers won’t cost anything once you have the systems in place, and it will encourage them to feel and act like loyal customers. You can also design ‘member’s only’ pages that offer special deals or exclusive products.
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Allow ongoing brand interaction.
Customers are not passing your locations on their way to work, so online retailers must work a little hard to stay in the forefront of their target audience’s minds. Email lists can offer special deals and useful information related to your business and your products. In addition, it is important to maintain a social networking presence and to include links to these websites on your business pages. This will keep customers from forgetting about their great experience with your company!
Customer service may be different in ecommerce, but that does not mean it is impossible. By offering special tools that duplicate and even exceed the in-person shopping experience, you can ensure that your customers always feel pleased by their experience with your website.
