Sales and Marketing - Jen Jordan
Jen Jordan brings a wealth of life and leadership experiences to her writing. After 10 years creating a variety of content for a nonprofit, Jen decided to establish her own writing business. She specializes in creating high quality blog and website content for small businesses. When she's not writing, Jen is a competitive triathlete with a goal of completing a triathlon in all 50 states.
| |
4 Customer Service Practices That Will Set Your Business ApartCustomer service is more than just offering a friendly smile and making sure your customers are happy with their purchases. A customer’s experience with your company includes every place they see or interact with your brand. In the past, people shopped based on price or the quality of a product or service. As people become savvier shoppers, they want a positive overall experience. According to Gartner Research, 80 percent of companies now expect to compete primarily based on offering excellent customer experience. Good salespeople can sell anything to anyone once. Your customer service will determine whether that person will return and become a loyal follower. Here are four ways you can take your customer service to the next level and help you create loyal customers instead of one-time shoppers. 1. Everyone is on the customer service team! Customer service is everyone’s responsibility, especially when it comes to small businesses. Think of it as a team sport. Make sure all your employees understand this. Ensure that all your workers receive the necessary training so they can offer excellent customer care. When every employee understands that their job (no matter what it is) contributes to excellent customer service, it fosters healthy teamwork among your staff. It also reinforces the importance of paying attention to every detail. 2. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Reliability is a critical piece of any good relationship. Customer service is no exception. If you tell your customer that a service person will arrive between 10 am and noon on Tuesday, then you need to do everything in your power to fulfill that promise. The same rule applies to deadlines, client appointments, delivery dates, or any other communication in which you tell a customer what to expect. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t think of those kinds of statements as promises, but many customers do! Think carefully before you tell your clients or customers what to expect. It’s always better to under-promise and over-deliver. 3. Go above and beyond, even if it doesn’t pay. Think of a business that impressed you with exceptional service and a good product. You are probably eager to tell friends and family about your experience and recommend the company. Going the extra mile will result in happy, loyal customers who refer you to friends and family. Look for every opportunity to provide added value and go above and beyond for your customers. Keep your eye on customer satisfaction, not on the profit. Think long term. Keeping your customers happy will turn them into your best marketing agents for your business. A satisfied customer typically tells at least three friends about their experience. 4. Complaints and mistakes are opportunities, not threats. Nobody is perfect, and mistakes happen. Excellent customer service demands that you listen to your customers and make every effort to remedy the situation, even if it’s not directly your fault. Of course, some people just can’t be pleased. However, if dealt with properly, complaints and mistakes can become opportunities to build trust and put your excellent customer care on display for all to see. Customers who complain about a faulty product or inadequate service and receive excellent customer care are 70 percent likely to use the business again! Customer service is always a valuable place to invest your time, energy, and resources. You are likely investing in quality marketing and advertising, but customer service is what keeps customers coming back and referring others to you. Implementing these four practices will help you provide customer service that will make a lasting impression on your clients. Resources: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/customer-service-important-organization-2050.html https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/what-is-customer-service/ https://www.thebalancesmb.com/rules-for-good-customer-service-2948079 https://www.superoffice.com/blog/five-ways-to-deliver-excellent-customer-service/ https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/customer-experience-2/customer-experience-strategy/ |
|