Good Customer Service

Good customer service is the backbone of any business. It permeates through every level of the organisation – from the dedicated customer service team, right through to the managers who deal with customer queries, albeit perhaps indirectly.

The term customer service relates to everything a company does to benefit the people they serve. Because the first port of call we make when something goes wrong is usually to the Customer Services department, we often assume that customer service is the process that exists merely to correct mistakes.

However this is very far from the truth. Customer service is behind every single action a business performs. After all, every business serves customers of one kind or another – whether it is people involved in other businesses, or the general public.

It’s important therefore to keep this in mind on a daily basis. Sales training is often beneficial at all levels of a business, to ensure that the rights skills are learned and used to keep customer service standards as high as possible. When conducted effectively, the Sales process is an integral part of providing outstanding customer service, rather than detracting from it as many people think. Sales training also helps to educate those who aren’t in direct contact with customers; appropriate training can often lead to a better understanding of the company as a whole, and the effect everyone’s actions have on the end result of a transaction.

Good customer service goes beyond doing the right thing, however. It can be a crucial part of developing a business to enjoy higher levels of success. Just as some companies stand out for delivering poor customer service, other companies can stand out just as much for ensuring their own customer service levels are as high as they can possibly be.

Customer advocacy, or referrals, respresent a direct spin off benefit of providing good customer service. And “Net Promoter Scores” (NPS) research conducted by Mark Ritson (Associate Professor of Marketing at Melbourne Business School) shows that these customer recommendations have a proven link to future business growth. Indeed, companies with high high NPS scores such as Bendigo Bank, Singapore Airlines, Aldi and HSBC are predicted to grow faster than their respective competitors whereas companies with low NPS scores were predicted to grow at a much slower rate than their competitors.

Being pro-active in providing outstanding customer service will ensure that your business not only enjoys less in the way of customer issues, but it also grows at a faster rate, because it is known for looking after its customers.

Telephone Etiquette

Effective communication is a vital part of the success or failure of any business, and while email is a popular way of keeping in touch, the trusty telephone still has an important role to play.

Unfortunately, unlike email, you cannot edit your comments or erase something inappropriate in favour of something better. Telephone calls are live, and there is no going back once you have said your piece.

This is why learning proper telephone etiquette can lead to better and more productive phone calls. Every telephone conversation is also a measure of how your business is perceived, so it’s important to make sure you give the right impression every time you pick up the receiver.

Some points to remember with telephone etiquette:

• Neither start nor finish a phone call too abruptly – allow the phone to ring at least once before answering so the caller knows they have connected (a good rule of thumb is to answer between the third and fifth ring) and always allow the caller to hang up first

• It is always important to be polite and speak clearly during each call. Bear in mind that the other person can only hear you, so choose your words and tone carefully to ensure you get the right message across (remember it’s not what you say, but how you say it)

• The right posture and your physical environment can have an impact on how you sound on the phone

• Jot down important points you want to mention on a notepad before you make an important call. This will ensure you don’t forget anything crucial, and the call serves the purpose you intended it to.

• You should never speak over the other person while they are talking. Always listen carefully to what is being said before replying, as you may miss something important if you try and butt in. Apart from that it is obviously bad manners and will reflect badly on you and your business.

• Politeness goes a long way on the phone. If you get caught out not knowing a crucial piece of information, take the caller’s details and offer to call them back when you have the correct information at hand.

• Use voice mail, and make sure your message corresponds with reality so change it regularly according to your situation. It is frustrating to leave a message for someone not knowing whether a message saying “I will call you back” means they can expect a call in 5 minutes (because you were in the rest room) or in 5 weeks (because you were in Europe).

• When calling someone, don’t say you need “a minute of their time” and then hold them up for 30 minutes – be honest so they can manage their time

• Remember that if you take the initiative to call someone, it is also easier for you to finish the call.

It takes confidence and experience to know how to use the phone effectively when calling others. All you need to get started is a willingness to learn and develop the skills you already have.

Customer Care

How do you take care of your customers? More to the point, how would you define that term?

Do you see it as taking care of things when they go wrong, to make sure that everything turns out right in the end? Or do you see it as the need to constantly perform actions – both large and small – on a daily basis, to ensure that the minimum of errors occur in the first place?

In truth, outstanding customer care covers both of these areas and many more besides. It is an ongoing task that every single team member can influence every time they present themselves for work. Even if some members of an organisation do not come directly into contact with the customer, they still have a bearing on the overall experience that a customer has.

Put simply, if the goal of the organisation is to make money, then the function of the organisation (and every person in it – whatever their level) is to actively work towards the acquisition and maintenance of customers. Without them, organisations could not exist and the money goes elsewhere.

If rules are made by people further up the chain of command which have a pronounced detrimental effect on the service received by customers, then the negative reaction from the customer will be most directly felt by the person they are dealing with. From there however, that team member will go to their superior with the problem at hand, and the issue will travel up the chain of command – perhaps to the very top.

Conversely, if rules and procedures are introduced which will actively facilitate front line staff in their delivery of superior service to customers, they will feel the positive effects from their customers helping to promote a positive work environment and good morale.

This is why the role of customer care is vital for every single person in an organisation to fully understand, as everyone can have a significant impact on it.

Good customer care should minimise the amount of errors that take place, which in turn frees up more time to improve the service that is being offered in the first place.

Communication and openness are essential to maintain within a business if good customer care is to continue over time. Everyone has a right to have input where customer care is concerned, and it is often the ideas of those who are most directly in touch with customers that accurately reveal where improvements could be made.

In short, outstanding customer care is a team effort – one that is ongoing and vital to the continued success of any business.

Meeting Customer Needs And Wants

Meeting the objective needs and subjective wants of customers to drive sales is the basis of most businesses. It is how they build business relationships, remain profitable, and how they expand into new territories. While the process of meeting those needs and wants may be different for each client or project, your goal is to lead your team in satisfying customer goals and expectations so your company will receive future work. Needs can be very similar between customers, while wants can vary enormously based on the different perceptions and diverse experiences of your client base

TALK WITH CUSTOMERS

In order to meet your customers’ expectations, your team must first understand what those expectations are. Ways to determine this include:

• Meeting with customers
• Asking open creative questions about what is required
• Using a “content mirror” to ensure understanding and show you are listening and interested
• Taking copious notes for future reference!
• Holding a team meeting afterward to compare notes and pinpoint exact needs and wants
• Returning to the customer if needed for clarification before beginning a project

Even though many clients know what they require, some simply do not. And some may have an idea of what they want without that necessarily corresponding with what they need. It will be up to your team to draw the needs and wants out of them in order to devise a plan and goals.

When talking with customers, you should ask questions about their business, what they feel are its strengths and what its weaknesses are. If working in sales, finding out what a client is lacking in their business can help you find the correct solution – which then can lead to a sale.

STEPS TO MEET THESE NEEDS AND WANTS

Once you have established the expectations of your customer, then your work really begins. Whether you are working with a team on a project or you are trying to sell products or services, the steps you take should include:

• Brainstorming possible solutions to issues presented by the customer
• Outlining project goals and assigning tasks
• Determining the correct product that will meet the needs and wants of customers
• Presenting solutions to the customer

When taking these steps, you may want to consult with the customer to make sure you are on the right track. Since customers may at any time become worried, frustrated, angry, or anxious about the process, it is your job to let customers know that they are a priority and that you are trying your best to meet their requirements. Keeping customers informed will be an important ingredient of success.

CUSTOMER FOLLOW-UP

After delivering a product / service or presenting a process to your customer, you should follow-up to see if their expectations have been met. This is not only good business practice, it also lets customers know that you care about their business and that you want them to succeed, even beyond the sale.

If they are not satisfied, then you should show ownership and follow company procedures in trying to fix any issues they may still have.

Leading Quality Customer Service Departments

These days, customer service departments do more than answer customer questions, take orders, and supply additional information when needed, they are also used to increase sales, improve customer loyalty, and bring in new customers. Being able to provide these additional services requires training and leadership from managers and supervisors.

INCREASING PROFITS BY OFFERING QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

Many companies have seen the potential for future sales through the type of service that customers receive from customer service departments. Because of increased competition, customers have more choices when it comes to finding goods and services they need. The quality of customer service departments is one of the main factors that determine where a customer chooses to spend their money.

Sales and customer service skills are vital training courses are available for anyone working in this field. More and more companies are requiring employees and managers to constantly refresh take these skillscourses so they can developlearn new ways to help customers and retain their business in the future. The areas that need to be regularly revisited includeTopics covered in these courses include:

• Ways to create a helpful customer service department
• Ways to measure the success of the department
• Ways to increase sales through additional training of employees
• How to earn future business from customers
• How to solve conflicts through negotiation

These skills can be used in conjunction with company customer service training so service representatives will be able to help customers in various ways.

By utilizing some or all of these skills, company profits will increase.

QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE IS IMPORTANT TO CUSTOMERS

Given the amount spent on goods and services each year, customers expect a certain level of respect, assistance, and importance placed on their needs. Whether it is when they are signing up for a service, asking a question about existing service, or wanting to cancel a service, customer service representatives play an important role in future business, receive referrals from customers, and in building build a solid reputation for a company.

Through training courses, customer service representatives and managers can build a department that cares about its customers. This quality will set the company apart from the rest and help it succeed in today’s competitive market place.