Posted by Meredith Estep on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 @ 03:46 PM
Companies that provide superior customer service usually make that priority a part of their daily existence. Everyone in the company knows that the customer comes first, starting from the CEO to the staff on the front lines. This is called creating a customer service culture, which permeates into everything the company says and does. It is embedded in the corporate mission statement and in every staff meeting and training session.
Consider these ways to foster a customer service culture in your own business that puts the customer first and foremost every single day.
Building a Customer Service Culture
To be effective, a customer service culture must be:
• Intentional – The culture must be created, beginning with the corporate mission statement.
• Consistent – Customer service must be emphasized regularly through daily tasks, staff meetings and training sessions.
• Measured – Standards for customer service must be set in place that are easy to understand, follow and objectively assess.
These three characteristics show that a successful customer service culture begins at the top and trickles down. If upper management does not make the customer the priority, the rest of management and staff will not either.
Creating a Culture
A customer service culture is first created in a mission statement. This statement should include the fact that the customer is the top priority of the business, and the statement should be posted in a prominent location for all the staff to see. Whenever a new issue arises, the corporate mission must be referred to when coming up with a solution to the issue. This keeps customer service at the forefront in everything a company does.
Maintaining a Culture
Once the mission is in place, the procedures that follow must back up the customer service culture. This includes ongoing training sessions to teach employees how to provide superior customer service.
Keep in mind that employees may only be able to process basic customer service techniques at the beginning, especially when they are first learning their job. As they become more experienced working with customers, they may benefit from specific training, such as dealing with angry customers or learning how to get customer feedback.
Measuring a Culture
Specific, measurable standards allow management to assess the level of customer service within the company periodically. Measurements should include face-to-face meetings, phone calls and electronic contact. Standards should be precise and measurable, such as the number of phone calls it takes to satisfy a customer's concerns or how long a customer has to wait for service.
Establishing a customer service culture provides training, measurability and accountability to all employees. When it is clear that the entire company puts customers first, superior service is sure to follow.
- Meredith Estep
Posted by Crystal Nichols on Thu, Jul 22, 2010 @ 10:32 AM
Whether you sell cars or computer networks, your customers deserve to know as much as possible about the products you provide. A company that offers high quality products or services does itself a disservice by not alerting their customers to the many benefits in working with their company.
Education walks a fine line, however, between boring customers with technical information and simply telling them what they need to know. Consider these helpful hints to show you how to educate your customers about your company with the purpose of improving your customer service and increasing your sales.
Products and Services
Your customers need to know about the products and services you have available. We are not talking about a laundry list of goods with the purpose of selling them as many as possible.
Instead, customers want to make their lives easier, and if you have a product or service that will meet this goal, they deserve to know about it. This process, known as cross-selling in some industries, is less about profit and more about customer retention and satisfaction. It requires listening to your customer's needs and attempting to meet those needs in the most cost-effective way possible. When you customer is happy, the profits will grow quite naturally.
Uniqueness of Your Company
What sets your company apart from the rest? Do you have longer hours for your help desk or free shipping on particular purchases? Do your products come with a longer warranty?
Your customers want to know they are getting a bargain when they work with you, so let them know about the unique features they receive when they purchase your goods and services. Do not be afraid to toot your own horn – as long as it is done for the benefit of the customer. When customers know they are getting a good deal, they will keep coming back to your business for more.
The Details of Your Products
Whether you sell cars or technology, your customer deserves to be thoroughly educated about their purchase. Make sure they understand all the key features of the product you are selling, as well as the benefits of those features to them specifically. You will not sell a large-ticket item by glossing over the description of the product. Customers will not usually be willing to write the big checks until they know a product inside and out. Plan to spend the time and energy educating your customer about all those fine details before you can close the sale.
Your customer deserves to know everything they can about your company and the products or services you offer. When you are up front with your customer in regards to information, they will be more likely to trust you with their business over the long term.
- Meredith Estep
Posted by Meredith Estep on Wed, Jul 14, 2010 @ 08:27 AM
Customer service reps spend most of their day communicating with customers. However, an employee who is never trained in proper communication techniques may make the same mistakes over and over again.
Customers want their concerns to be heard, questions answered and products and services explained thoroughly. There are a few easy tricks to improve communication with your customer so they will continue to bring their business to you.
Maintaining Eye Contact
No one likes to talk to another person who does not look directly at the speaker. This is particularly true of customers. When you maintain eye contact with the customer, it shows that you are listening intently at what they are saying. It also helps you to focus on their words and process the information so you can assist more efficiently. The only time you should not be worried about eye contact is when you are taking notes about the customer’s concern.
Active Listening
Listening goes well beyond simply nodding your head and saying, "uh huh," periodically. Active listening requires getting involved in what the customer is saying to you, taking notes and asking clarifying questions when necessary. It also includes paraphrasing a customer's concern back to them to ensure you understand the situation accurately. The only way you can truly meet a customer's needs is by identifying precisely what those needs are. Active listening will help you along the way.
Remain Positive
No one likes to be told "no" to anything, especially your customer. While there may be requests you cannot answer the way your customer wants, there is probably something you can do. Tell them what you can or will do, rather than what you are unable to do. Even if they are not completely satisfied with your response, they will be less likely to get frustrated with the process.
Avoid Accusing
When your sentences begin with "you," your customer may feel as though they are being accused of something. They might become defensive, which will make it that much harder to meet expectations. Instead of saying, "You did not install the software," or "You are speaking too softly," try using, "I need to install this software," or "I am having trouble hearing you." It will sound much more positive to the customer.
Avoid Technical Jargon
It is easy to fall into technical jargon when communicating with customers because those are the words or phrases you use every day. However, your customer may not be familiar with those terms, and may get frustrated when they are unable to understand what you are communicating. Use everyday language when explaining something technical to your customer, without talking down.
Effective communication with customers is the first step in high quality customer service. By using these simple techniques, your exchanges with your customers are much more likely to be professional, pleasant and conflict-free.
- Meredith Estep
Posted by Meredith Estep on Wed, Jul 07, 2010 @ 09:38 AM
Customers are concerned about privacy today – and for good reason. The incidence of identity theft is on the rise, and many victims have found themselves in financial ruin as a result of these unscrupulous online thieves.
Transactions of all types are now being completed on the Internet, without any humans seemingly involved in the process. Retail merchandise is ordered online from stores we never see, and we have to assume sensitive information like credit card numbers are being safeguarded by that virtual business.
If your company is concerned about providing the highest level of service to its customers, the first step must be providing peace of mind about the safeguarding of your customers' private information.
Tips for Privacy Protection
• Begin with an audit. By completing an internal audit, you can find out what customer information is being collected and how it is currently being used. Is there some information you are taking that you do not really need? By collecting the facts about your current procedures, you will be in better shape to create new policies that will more effectively protect your customers.
• Develop a privacy policy and procedures to support it. Once the information is collected, you can then begin the process of creating a privacy policy that will be consistent across the board. Write procedures that support this policy, ensuring they are easy for everyone in your company to understand and implement. Train your employees thoroughly on your privacy policy so they are prepared to carry out the procedures and educate your customers on precisely what your privacy policy is.
• Ask permission from your customers. Customer information should never be shared with any other entities without your customer's explicit permission to do so. Make sure your customers know exactly what information you collect on them and how it is used. Allow them the option of prohibiting both the collection of such information or the distribution of it when they are uncomfortable. This gives your customer the confidence they need to do business with you.
• Enforce the policies. All of your employees should know the policies and procedures and enforce them without fail. Teach your employees how to explain policies to your customers when the procedures get in the way of completing customer requests. Security should never be breached, even for the sake of customer service, but your staff should have options to offer customers in those situations.
Privacy protection has become an integral part of customer service today. Make the protection of your customers' private information a priority for you entire company by putting the proper procedures in place and ensuring that your entire company has a thorough understanding of them.
- Meredith Estep