Rules for Providing Successful Customer Service

 1. Provide quick responses and solid answers.

2. Listen Well

3. Acknowledge that all cases are not equal.

4. Learn how to apologize well.

5. Appreciate your customers and show respect

6. Remember them.

7. Say yes, whenever possible

8. Invite feedback & accept criticism

9. Revise tactics based on feedback

10. Value and empower your customer service employees

 reference-livehelpnow.com

You've probably heard that most — 75 to 95 percent of small businesses, depending on the source — fail within the first five years.

Sure, economic turbulence, fierce competition for customers' dollars or offering the wrong product in the wrong place at the wrong time have a lot to do with this staggering failure rate. So does something so basic many small business owners overlook it: customer service.

Ask any veteran salesman, and he'll tell you: People don't buy products. They buy good experiences, good feelings, good solutions. Most customer needs are emotional, not logical. So the more you know about what pleases customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs.

Here are 13 lucky tips for better customer service:

1. Be a good listener. Take the time to identify your customers' needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Use what Bill Clinton's staff called his big ears, not just listening but absorbing the customer. Make eye contact, nod, jot down a note. Ask clarifying questions when the customer is finished speaking to get more details. Don't interrupt! Listening doesn't work when your mouth is moving. Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of making assumptions — thinking you know what the customer wants. Do you actually listen to find out what the problem is and what solution the customer would like, before you try to resolve the situation? Maybe they just need to vent.
2. Smile. Seems too simple, doesn't it? Well, the simplest things are often the hardest. In today's fast-paced world, a smile can make a huge difference. It may not seem terribly scientific, but try not smiling at your customers for a couple of days and see what happens. This is all really a matter of perception: When people smile at us, we perceive we've had a much better experience even if it was mediocre.
Customers like to be treated like they matter.
3. Be courteous. Ah, those simple words we learned in kindergarten: "Please," "Thank you" (and, of course, "Yes, Mom.") Now just add "May I help you," "How are you doing today," "Is there anything else I can do for you," "How did you find your service experience today." Courteous phrases are phrases of welcome. But courtesy also extends to actions. Walk your customers to the item they asked about, get them a cup of coffee while getting yourself one.
4. Get in touch with your customers' reality. We often see this in politics, when we accuse elected officials of being out of touch with reality. Bad customer service is almost always a result of being out of touch with customer reality. Again, it's so simple it's often hard to grasp: Customers like to be treated like they matter. Do you have an automated recording telling customers that their call is important to you ... so important that you keep telling them this over and over that by the time they reach 10 minutes on hold, it actually becomes insulting for them to be told that they're important ... when they obviously aren't? This leads directly to No. 5.
5. Make customers feel important and appreciated. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them. Do it sincerely or don't do it at all. Most of us can tell the difference between sincerity and not caring. Ensure that your body language conveys sincerity, too; words and actions should be congruent. Greet the customer in a friendly but business-appropriate way. Make eye contact, smile and say something like, "Hello. How may I help you today?" Stop there. Allow the customer to respond. If you are in the restaurant business, introduce yourself, ask their name and when delivering their order, set it in front of them and say "Joe, you'll really enjoy this dish." Watch your tips go up.
6. Look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing business with you easy. Then do what you say you are going to do. Appear eager to help but not in such an aggressive or rote fashion that the customer is turned/driven off. Continually trailing customers about the premises or interrupting them every two minutes to ask them how they're doing is just intrusive. Customers who respond to the initial question by saying something like, "I just thought I'd take a look around" should be approached after an acceptable period of time (depending on your business, size of establishment, floor layout, etc.) to ask if they have any questions or if they've found what they're looking for. They didn't? Next time they might if they like you.
7. Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. Customers like it. The customer may not always be right, but the customer must always win or you lose. Don't be angry or defensive; make it easy for customers to complain. Yes, it is hard to say "It's my fault." Who wants to admit fault? But those three words are going to make your angry customers much happier. You may think that admitting fault is a strict no-no that can get you sued. Nonsense. The way to avoid getting sued is not to have people mad at you in the first place.
8. Give more than expected. Since the future of your company lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition. What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere? What can you do to follow up and thank people even when they don't buy? What can you give customers that is totally unexpected? This will obviously vary enormously depending on your business. Think about it.
9. Treat your employees well. We've all encountered them — the irritated receptionist, bored twenty-something staring balefully as you approach the counter, the clerk who doesn't care about the merchandise they're selling, the curt waitress. They might naturally lack personality, social skills or the interest in people required to give decent customer service, but your business climate may also have contributed. Whether your employees give great service when you're not around depends on whether you create a climate of goodwill, pride and respect, not anger, fear and humiliation. Your people easily spot the hypocrisy — if it exists — between how they're treated and how they're expected to treat customers. If they're treated poorly, disrespectfully, or worse, then they will have trouble changing standards when dealing with customers. In fact, they'll likely treat customers the same way. Businesses lose a tremendous amount of internal credibility when they tolerate double-standards of service: one for their employees, and one for their customers.
10. Empower your employees, too. Ask employees to help you analyze how your policies, practices and processes could be more customer-friendly. This is one of the most important things you can do to keep employees engaged and inspire them to think — and care — like they owned the business. Let them make decisions and judgment calls. And make it absolutely clear that they are not there to defend the company against complaints. They are there to make people happy. They are there to help people with their problems.
11. Fix it! When customers have a problem and you fix it, they're actually going to be more satisfied than if they never had a problem in the first place. Helping a frustrated customer resolve the issue can turn them into an evangelist for your brand. They'll tell their friends about you. They'll blog about you. They'll sing your praises for months to come. They'll proudly buy and wear T-shirts and hats with your logo on them.
12. Be knowledgeable. Few things are as annoying as going into a store and being served by someone who has no idea what you are talking about. Customers commonly compare products and/or services,  so you and your staff need to be able to do this, too. After all, you may be able to save them a trip to another store. You also need to be aware of any accessories or parts related to your products so you can tell customers where they can get them if you don't supply them.
13. Enlarge your concept of service. Traditionally, customer service was viewed narrowly as that slim channel between a customer making a phone call, sending an email or asking questions on the premises and an employee responding to that inquiry. Today, the definition of service must be enlarged to embrace all interface channels. Everyone and everything that interacts with a customer, current or prospective, influences the customer. These are called touch points. Touch points begin the moment the customer becomes aware of your company and are comprised of multiple independent interactions, transactions and contacts along the way — every encounter between your company and the customer, each of which can influence the customer's perception of your product, service or brand. This starts with a potential customer listening to a friend review your product and continues through your website and Facebook page, well before the customer even considers your product, much less steps into your business. It includes the installation crew, loading dock folks, your out-of-office message and even the customer service helpline, if you have one. This might sound intimidating, but learning the difference between what you can influence and what you can't will give you peace of mind that you have the very best touch points you can have.

Customer service is really not all that complex. It's really pretty simple. We just make it complex. 

Sixty eight percent of clients/customers who leave do so because they feel unappreciated, unimportant, and taken for granted. 

http://www.missouribusiness.net/sbtdc/library/

 

1. Respond to Clients as Soon as Possible

Speed is everything, especially when a client is requesting something that’s time-sensitive. Try to reply to your clients as soon as you can. Procrastinating on a response to a client’s email, phone call or voicemail doesn’t help anyone; you’re going to have to reply eventually, so why not do it as soon as possible? Avoid that "mark as unread" button in your email client.

Even if you can’t work on the task they’re requesting you to accomplish right away, at least let them know you got their request and then supply them with a timeline of when you’re able to get the task completed. If you can’t find the time to perform the task, it will be considerate of you to let them know as soon as possible so that they can make alternative arrangements.

 

2. Keep Clients Updated

3. Go the Extra Mile

4. Fix Your Mistakes

5. Listen to Your Clients

6. Keep Your Promises

If you say you’re going to do something, make sure you do it. It’s part of being a professional. If you need more time on something, you should let them know as soon as possible, not after you’ve already missed the deadline. Honoring your commitments is very important.

7. Don’t Confuse Clients with Jargon

Try to explain whatever the problem is as best as you can without making the client feel stupid. When proposing a solution, make sure you state it in terms they understand. You could use analogies that are relevant to them. Read more about

8. Be Patient

9. Know Everything You Need to Know

You are a paid expert. Someone is giving you their hard-earned money to do something they believe you have a high level of mastery of. You need to keep yourself up-to-date with the profession and always be ready to answer questions your client needs to know. If you exhibit signs that you don’t know your craft inside out, you risk the chance of ruining your professional reputation.

10. Put Yourself in Their Shoes

 If you were in their shoes and were being treated the way you’re treating them, would you enjoy that experience? If so, you’re doing a good job. If not, you probably want to get a little better. It’s important to constantly evaluate the way you communicate with others. Our profession is heavily reliant on communication skills.

 reference-http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/how_to_effectively_talk_to_clients/

  3 Simple Ways To Improve Customer Satisfaction Today

If customer satisfaction is your goal, then great customer service will get you there.

Here are three simple things you can do to embed customer service into your business philosophy and day-to-day operations:

Listen and Learn

Listening is key to effective customer service and it can also help boost your profitability. Here are two ways to prove to your customers that you are listening–and tips on how to make it count:

• Everyday Customer Interaction – Show you are listening to your customers by taking notes or repeating back what your customer has said. Listen to their words and tone. Observe their body language. Provide them clear and concise communication. Ask clarifying questions to gain understanding before you provide a response. If you can’t respond immediately, be sure to provide a timeline for response and make a note in your calendar to do so. Follow up, confirm the resolution and check for customer satisfaction and completion.

• Facilitating Feedback – If you don’t have a reason for face-to-face interaction with a customer, look for ways to stay in touch and show you are listening and eager to keep the lines of communication open. For example, follow up with a customer after a sale to prove to your customers that you want to hear from them. Hand out in-store or post-sale surveys to find out what they’d like to see from your brand—and stay active on social media (more on this below). Customer service is, after all, about meeting the needs and expectations of the customer as defined by the customer. By soliciting feedback and using that information to inform your business you will find new ways to ensure your business is relevant to them and hopefully open new lines of profitable opportunity.

In order to have effective customer service, you must know what your customers want, provide it to them on a consistent basis and ask them how you are doing.

Look For Ways to Treat Customers As You Would Like To Be Treated

Remember, how you and your staff communicate with your customers is just as important as what you communicate. Remember that your customer wants to see the sunny side of you and your business, so have your filter on and put yourself in their shoes.

A good way to instill this attitude among your staff is to do some simple role play in which they act out a few scenarios that involve both easy-going and difficult customers. Observe how they handle the situation and coach them on areas to improve.

For example:

• How are customers being greeted? — Put them at ease and make them feel comfortable!  This sets the tone for the rest of the transaction.
• Demonstrate that your customers are valued — Let them know you think they are important.  Your sincerity makes them feel good about you and the organization.
• Ask how to help your customers — Find out what they want. It is important that each customer encounter makes them feel satisfied.
• Don’t challenge disgruntled customers — Listen, reassure them that you’ll escalate or act on their complaint and follow through until resolution.
• Help customers — Help them get what they want. Make it easy for customers to locate or obtain the information they need. Answer their questions in a timely manner.

Carry Customer Service Across All Your Customer Touch Points

Remember to carry through on your customer service goals wherever your business has a presence. This means both online and offline. More than ever, social media is a systematic part of your customer service model, so if you have a presence on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and so on, be sure you are actively listening, engaging, monitoring and responding to your customers online. This blog offers some tips that can help.

reference-http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/

 

Here are five strategies that will help you handle a customer complaint in a smooth and professional manner:

1. Stay calm. When a customer presents you with a complaint, keep in mind that the issue is not personal; he or she is not attacking you directly but rather the situation at hand. “Winning” the confrontation accomplishes nothing. A person who remains in control of his or her emotions deals from a position of strength. While it is perfectly natural to get defensive when attacked, choose to be the “professional” and keep your cool.
2. Listen well. Let the irate customer blow off steam. Respond with phrases such as, “Hmm,” “I see,” and “Tell me more.” Do not interrupt. As the customer vents and sees you are not reacting, he or she will begin to calm down. The customer needs to get into a calm frame of mind before he or she can hear your solution—or anything you say, for that matter.
3. Acknowledge the problem. Let the customer know you hear what he or she is saying. If you or your company made a mistake, admit it. If you did not make a mistake and it is a misunderstanding, simply explain it to the customer: “I can see how that would be incredibly frustrating for you.” You are not necessarily agreeing with what the customer is saying, but respecting how he or she perceives and feels about the situation. An excellent phrase for opening up this particular conversation would be, “So, if I understand you correctly…” After the customer responds, follow up with, “So, if I understand you correctly, we were to resolve the problem by noon today. I can see how that must be frustrating for you.” Then be quiet. Usually, the customer will respond with “That’s right” or “Exactly.” By repeating to the customer what you think you heard, you lower his or her defenses, and win the right to be heard.
4. Get the facts. After listening, take the initiative in the conversation. Now that the customer has calmed down and feels you have heard his or her side, begin asking questions. Be careful not to speak scripted replies, but use this as an opportunity to start a genuine conversation, building a trusting relationship with your customer. To help you understand the situation, get as many details as possible.
5. Offer a solution. This happens only after you have sufficient details. One thing to keep in mind: Know what you can and cannot do within your company’s guidelines. Making a promise you cannot commit to will only set you back. Remember, when offering a solution, be courteous and respectful. Let the customer know you are willing to take ownership of the issue, even if it was out of your control. Take charge of the situation and let the customer know what you are going to do to solve the problem.

A quick follow-up phone call a few days later to make sure everything is OK is icing on the cake. Even a small gesture of apology can turn this interaction from disaster to legendary. The cost could be minimal—maybe a simple upgrade on the customer’s next purchase or a small gift certificate. A simple gesture like this could result in a future referral or a positive word-of-mouth marketing recommendation.

  reference-http://www.trainingmag.com/