Finding new customers is tough these days. It is even harder to keep them once they walk into your place of business. Competitors with a quality product, great service and a dedicated workforce are chomping at the bits, customers are finicky and training your people on delivering good service consistently is becoming laborious. It can make the most impressive manager anxious and downright confused.
Easing the anxiety takes time but more importantly it requires good preparation. To help you prepare for delivering great customer service, I've identified 5 ways to impress your customers and make them absolutely LOVE you:
1. Pay attention
Customers want us - managers - to know that THEY are the customer. They are in charge and they want us to know it. They want to feel as though they're being wooed. They want to feel special. So let them have it! Whether you're dealing with them face to face, on the phone, on the web or through third parties - let your customers know that you care by paying attention to them as if they were the only customer you have.
Most airlines these days are delighted to have customers given the sheer number of competitors and so that's why you hear the pilot or their staff always say, "We know you have a choice of airlines these days and we're sure glad you flew with us today". While this is nice and is intended to indicate that they're paying attention, it often comes off as phony especially when the service delivered on the flight has been terrible. You can't just say you're paying attention to customers and ignore them when they ask a question. You have to walk the talk. Getting this right is really not that difficult. It can be as simple as making eye contact throughout the conversation or by asking questions to better understand customer needs. Whatever your approach, the key is to let them feel as though they're in charge.
2. Fess up if you make a mistake
One of the most important golden rules of customer service is to confess when a mistake is made. As managers, you feel terrible when your employee makes a mistake or something goes wrong with your product or service. We all wish we could go back in time and pray that the customer is not one of those people that make a big deal about it. But mistakes do happen. And these are great opportunities to turn around a bad situation into a positive one. Sort of like customer service kung fu.
First thing you do is to say you're sorry. Say it with me: "I'm sorry...we made a mistake." You might think what's the big deal about admitting a mistake, right? Wrong. Saying you're sorry is one of the hardest thing for employees and managers to do because they don't want to look bad. They don't also want to be liable for their mistake. But it is really important for the customer to hear you say it. For many customers, it is a matter of principle. They want us to show we care and this includes saying you're sorry. In healthcare, there is strong evidence which suggests that patients don't sue doctors who admit their mistakes. Yes, this is true!!! Of those patients who have had something go wrong with their procedure in the hospital or under the surgeon's care who were going to sue, they actually think about who they're going to sue and decide based on the "nice-ness" of the doctor.
Second, fix the mistake and apologize again and tell them it'll never happen again. Customers love businesses with a high level of integrity. They love it when companies woo them with kindness, especially when mistakes have been made. They'll forgive you. But make no mistake: Not saying sorry will make YOU sorry because of the tirade you'll receive from that oh so offended customer.
3. Speak plainly
What's the deal with all the robotic communication these days? It seems like everyone on the phone these days is reading from a script written by some guy writing software code. Whatever your business, you must understand that most people have a very short attention span and so when speaking, do it clearly, concisely and most of all do it PLAINLY. Use simple English that they can understand. Even if you think your product or brand is different than the rest, trust me: customers don't care about sophisticated vernacular. They care about good products and good service. So keep it simple.
When I was a sales rep I dealt with some of the most highly trained professionals in our society - doctors. And I don't mean your run of the mill family doc in small town America. I mean brilliant, ambitious, energetic, arrogant cardio-thoracic surgeons from New York City who had some of the most advanced training in the world. Pretty darn sophisticated. But you know how I won them over? I spoke to them simply but respectfully. There was no way I was going to show them how smart I was and they didn't care. And so I learned everything about them - their needs, wants and expectations. I did it by asking the right questions and then speaking simply about how my products offered a solution for their needs. They appreciated that I was being honest and most of all respectful of their time and intellect.
4. Give them what they want - exactly - don't over complicate things
There is nothing wrong with trying new promotions or a new way of doing business. But will your customers be able to get what they want without a hassle? Most customers these days are smart, savvy and in a hurry. So when they call you up or email you or walk into your place of business - be ready to serve them and give them exactly what they want without any hassles and do it fast.
Walking into a Chase Manhattan Bank these days is actually kind of nice. They have this kiosk with a sign hanging above that reads, "Customer Service" which is staffed by someone who actually knows what they're doing...can you believe that? And believe it or not, I think they actually help deliver good service to confused customers. Even their deposit and withdrawal slips have become simplified. This wasn't the case a year ago and making these small but important changes simplified the customer experience allowing customers to get in and get out during their short lunch hour.
5. Come on...smile a little
Customers want a positive interaction even if the topic is not an uplifting one. Think about it. Do we really like movies to have sad endings? No. We like TV shows, movies and books that have a happy ending. People don't want to be bummed out, especially if they're buying something from you. So give them a little smile and a maybe some small talk. I don't mean tell them about your 4 kids and 16 grandkids and pictures of the Disney World vacation. But talk about the weather or the baseball game or something topical. Do it in a casual, yet comfortable way to make customers feel as though they doing business with someone who looks like their neighbor or someone they know. Familiarity sells. Chit chat with a smiling sales person can make customers feel 'familiar' and will go a long way to building loyalty for your business.
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