The customer is the King, without them you are no
longer in business, you are probably running a charity or have big heart which
is good but at the end of the day you have bills to pay. Money for growth
should come from sales which are driven by good customer service. If you do not
take care of your customers someone else will and you might be the one losing.
1.
Give
them a reason to come back.
Great customer service is the heart of a business; you
can be good at giving discounts geared to bringing in new customers but unless
you meet and exceed their expectations to give them a reason to come back and
do business with you again, you might never make enough profit or experience
growth. It’s all about a wow experience when they come in contact with your
staff, product or service that makes them feel at home and want to be part of
your business. It’s more of a personal touch where customers feel that you care
about their needs and they can connect with you. You can be a ninja in sales,
you can sell anything from a tooth brush to a car, but it’s your customer
service skills that will determine if you will sell again to the same person
and they will be happy to give you some referrals who would like to try your
product.
2. Listen to your customers.
It’s time to stop telling customers about what you
think they need, pay attention, observe and see how they are using your
product. Let the customers talk and show them that you are listening by using
appropriate responses and suggestions on how you intend to solve their
problem. Apply the 80/20 rule where you
spend most your time asking questions and listening. Use customer's names, look them straight in the eye and show them that you
deeply care, say please often and thank you, listen more than you speak.
3. Under
promise and over deliver.
Nothing disappoints or
turns away customers like promises that are broken and sometimes never
delivered. Many people always talk the good a talk, tons of
empty promises and statements that may never amount to anything. Rule of the thumb is never make a promise that
you cannot deliver, keep your word, always under promise and over deliver. This
will make your reliable, trustworthy, boost credibility and foster healthy
relationship with your customers.
4.
Handle your customer’s complaints
This is rough part of managing your customers, no
one want to hear about complaints or things they are not doing well or their
product sucks or rubs their customers the wrong way. It’s time to put that
aside give attention to complaints from your customers; you will be surprised
by the things they undergo and use them to position your business to benefit
from good customer service.
5.
Go
the extra Mile.
Do whatever it takes to provide a great customer
experience, customers are likely notice when you are making that effort and
they will tell others and probably will comeback with their friends and family.
Come up with Coupons for discounts or loyalty cards where they get a certain
percentage discount when they buy the 10th time. A genuine smile,
additional benefits , customers will never stop believing they can get more out
of something and it’s your duty to give them just that. Be helpful,
knowledgeable and courteous to the customers even if you are not making a sale
out of it.