Here is a list of 5 Tips for Customer Service to get you started.
The path to excellent customer satisfaction begins with a genuine commitment to create and maintain a service-oriented attitude to keep happy customers and retain customer loyalty. Customer service tips are basic, but don’t let that fool you. If they were easy to practice, more people would enjoy their benefits. undoubtedly, the key to customer success and exceptional customer service begins with a calculated customer service strategy. The critical takeaway is to remember that any person or organization has the power to deliver outstanding service; they have to be proactive.
The only difference between you and your competitors is the level of customer service satisfaction you offer.
“84% of companies that work to improve their customer experience report an increase in their revenue.” –Prnewswire.com
1. Share your positive attitude.
How is your attitude? Is it positive? Is it negative? Does it lift people up? Are you passionate? Do you feel like you bring people down? Do you use positive language? No one can consistently run on a full charge. You are a real person. Certainly, you will have low-energy moments. For this reason, you have to acknowledge those low points and ensure that it isn’t translating to your patrons as poor customer service. If you know you are not up to par, that is the time to go the extra mile. Rely on your team members as a support team when you are low. It is not their fault that you are not meeting the customer’s expectations. Always take the time to prioritize customer relationships. Passion and energy will bring the allure to choose you over your competitors, and loyal customers are challenging to find. Being positive will help you recognize and take advantage of the opportunities in your environment and naturally improve your communication skills with others since most people tend to avoid doom-and-gloomers. Your coworkers and customers will notice your great attitude, and your company culture will improve dramatically as you and others choose a positive attitude. Remember, a positive attitude is contagious, so create an epidemic!
2. Demonstrate an attitude of equality.
People who treat others as inferior imply that they are inadequate. Everybody wants to feel valued, especially during a customer service experience, which means nobody likes to feel less important than another person. You have probably experienced people that act superior because of their specialized knowledge. Customers don’t care for that behavior. We have all seen those shameful videos on social media when a customer service interaction takes a turn and erupts into full-fledged chaos. Acting superior communicates a poor message to your customers and will likely result in further customer issues. An attitude of equality conveys respect for others, increasing the probability that respect is reciprocated. Meeting your customer’s needs and demonstrating an attitude of equality diffuses angry or displeased customers because it promotes respect and appreciation. A quality customer service team stands up for each other and provides customer support when issues arise. It is always heartwarming to see videos online that show face-to-face interactions handled with grace and positive conflict-resolution skills at their finest moments. We all deserve to be heard, understood, and respected. When you demonstrate an equality attitude, you are promoting positivity, and Your presence alone will encourage others to follow suit. Great customer service begins with a smile and a genuinely cheerful greeting; excellent customer service ends with sales results, positive customer reviews, and coworkers that enjoy working with you.
3. Provide access to information.
Training on the products and services offered should be a regular practice in every organization. The lack of proper training is never the customer’s problem. Envision this customer experience, you approach the counter at a business, ask a customer service representative for something, and they are not sure. You then for a sign, but nothing is in sight. Despite your efforts to communicate, they transfer you from person to person, but no one seems to know what to do. How likely are you to return to the business following that interaction? If you are sitting and waiting for an answer and the response time for your question keeps growing, you may have just lost a loyal customer. The key is ensuring you provide customers with access to the information they need to do business with you with a fast response time! Everyone in any organization must be armed with the workflow structure, problem-solving training, and information required to answer the potential questions of customers. If they cannot provide the necessary information, they need to know where to find it. When in doubt, refer back to these proven tips for customer service.
“You’d be amazed how many companies don’t listen to their customers.”
4. Listen to your customer.
In blunt terms, zip your lip and stretch your ears. To be an effective leader, two-thirds or more of communication should be spent listening, not talking. Practice active listening. Especially with new customers, engage, and learn your customer’s name. Customer retention depends on you. Be mindful of your body language. Customer interactions will directly correlate to positive and negative reviews. Netomi pulse report findings surveyed over 700 U.S. consumers. They said, “We found that 96% of U.S. customers say having good customer service is important to them, with 82% reporting it is extremely important or really important.” Most of the blunders that occur during communication are a result of ineffective listening. In the business world, millions, if not billions, of dollars are lost due to poor listening. Listening is the best way to learn what your customer wants and needs. Don’t wait to follow up with a customer issue later. In that same report, 61% of customers expected a quick resolution to any issue. Don’t waste your customer’s time. They want to be heard, and the small personal touches count. According to Netomi, A quick resolution is more critical to a consumer than a favorable outcome. Not every situation has a favorable outcome. That is okay. The key is to help customers understand why and to reach a resolution that hopefully suits both parties.
5. Take ownership of complaints.
“Passing the buck” is a great way to deliver poor service. Complaints and stressful situations provide real-time opportunities to practice and refine your customer service skills. Decidedly, the core of this habit is: Any employee who receives a complaint “owns” the complaint. The employee who hears the complaint does everything in their power to resolve it. Also, remember that customer feedback based on a sales interaction with an improperly trained customer service agent should reflect the business itself. If an employee isn’t given the knowledge base to answer a customer’s question, Is it fair to rate that employee as inadequate? Are they responsible for customer complaints? Sometimes resolving the complaint entails contacting and working with a manager collectively to decide what will be done to retain the customer.
Providing better customer service is easy when you practice these proven tips for customer service. Set yourself apart from your competitors by delivering fantastic service.
Best of success to you!