Do You Care for Your Customer?
Lets get straight to the point customer care is the foundation for any successful business; no matter the industry, size of business or skill set of the employees.
If customers are your business, then providing the best possible service to keep them coming back is a priority. In general, if we can retain 5 percent more of our customers, we could potentially increase profit by 100%. Great customer service is more than just the things you say and do for them; it is also about finding out what your customers really want and giving it to them.
Here are Pendragon's top eight customer care tips to help your business excel:
- Address Customers by Their Name
Although this may seem obvious, you would be surprised by the number of times a business deals with a customer without ever addressing them by their name. Psychologists have found that names have a profound impact in any social setting as people simply love having their name called out. - Let Your Customers Know That You Are Only Human
As humans we are prone to human error and this is fine as long as the management of the error is handled with tact and diplomacy. To rectify an issue is as simple as admitting fault; admitting that you are sorry for the inconvenience and that you are taking responsibility to resolve the problem. - Ditch The Sales Pitch
Nothing angers a customer more than calling a customer care team for support to be thrown a sales line and asked if they require 'add on' products. Any upgrades or special offers should be offered during the sales process and not in your technical support voicemail. - Be As Visible As Possible
The hardest things for a customer when looking for customer service support is finding out how and who to get help from, especially when a business' contact information is not made visible enough. It is a good idea to train customers to recognise you and know you by name, so they will know who is in charge. When they need that service they're looking for, they immediately know and how and who to reach. - Seek Feedback From Your Customers
Your customers could be one of your better market research tools, so ask them questions that will lead you to new ways of improving your business and servicing your customers better. Remember, customers like to be appreciated, to be felt like VIPs and seeking their opinion is one of the simplest ways of making them feel important. - Keep Your Customers In The Loop
Besides updating your customers about new products or services you're offering, inform them about any changes you have implemented based on previous feedback you had received from them and/or other customers. Give recognition to customers who have helped you improve certain aspects of your business. - Make Great Customer Service Your Company's Culture
Customer service is highlighted in almost all company policies, but really it should be made part of every company's culture. If you have employees, they should be entrusted with more decision-making capabilities to serve your customers in the best possible manner. - Thank Your Customer
When was the last time you mailed a thank-you note, letter of appreciation, or just made a call to thank a customer? A simple gesture it is, but one that can mean the difference between customers lost and a customer gained.
Business analysts believe that there is money to be made in retaining your present customers and not winning over new ones, so hopefully these top eight customer service tips will help you add to your bottom line.
Because we all understand how important customer care is to the continued support and well being of your organisation we have put together a very simple training module to help any business train themselves and their staff in this most important area. To receive your free copy of the module, please do not hesitate to contact my office today.
John Glover, Director - PendragonGWP Magazine Issue #30, May-June 2010
Articles and any content can not be copied and/or displayed in any other applications; printed/web-based etc without the written permission of GWP Magazines.
