Jan 25, 2016 Written by Guest
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about customer service. She is buying a new home and needed to speak with her bank. She called the bank's automated line and listened for seven minutes of bank promotions only to get a message that said that the customer service number (for her particular issue) had changed. And so the process began again as she called the bank's new number and listened to minutes of promotions, departments selections, just to be put in a waiting cue.
The two of us listening to this story, just shook our head in agreement as we had both left this particular banking instruction in the past.
I don't believe customer service is dead, but it is a rarity. Sometimes it is the little things that count. My mom has been buying all her makeup and skincare from the same person in Dallas for ten years. Not unusual, except for the fact that she lives in Kansas and makes it to Dallas only twice a year.
Another friend recently made several 45 minute trips to a store for a particular product. If you ask her why, it's because the boutique sent her a personal note when she stopped in the first time and they were out of the product she was wanting to buy. They invited her back for a visit and thanked her for stopping in. Guess what she did just that, found the item on her second visit and told our entire Saturday running/breakfast group. Several ladies in the group left breakfast to head over to the store. You know the drive was never necessary, she could have just went online, but the personal touch made the difference.
While bad service drives us away, good service makes us so loyal that we'll keep coming back, even if it means being inconvenienced.
Most business owners want to have great customer service, after-all keeping a customer is less costly than getting a new one, and referrals are golden.
Here are a few things as business
owners we can do to improve customer service, and maintain loyal customers.
The two of us listening to this story, just shook our head in agreement as we had both left this particular banking instruction in the past.
I don't believe customer service is dead, but it is a rarity. Sometimes it is the little things that count. My mom has been buying all her makeup and skincare from the same person in Dallas for ten years. Not unusual, except for the fact that she lives in Kansas and makes it to Dallas only twice a year.
Another friend recently made several 45 minute trips to a store for a particular product. If you ask her why, it's because the boutique sent her a personal note when she stopped in the first time and they were out of the product she was wanting to buy. They invited her back for a visit and thanked her for stopping in. Guess what she did just that, found the item on her second visit and told our entire Saturday running/breakfast group. Several ladies in the group left breakfast to head over to the store. You know the drive was never necessary, she could have just went online, but the personal touch made the difference.
While bad service drives us away, good service makes us so loyal that we'll keep coming back, even if it means being inconvenienced.
Most business owners want to have great customer service, after-all keeping a customer is less costly than getting a new one, and referrals are golden.
Here are a few things as business
owners we can do to improve customer service, and maintain loyal customers.
Personalize, Personalize, Personalize
You know that personal hand written note I described, it maybe cost less than $10 in time and money. Do you know how many boutique items were sold? Well, it was more than $200, not a bad investment and now this store has created a loyal following.
Hand-written notes may not work for your firm, but it may be something else. Asking about a person's family, remembering someone's birthday and sending a bounce-back coupon. Sometimes just a phone call is huge. While there may be no answer by the customer, getting a personal phone call (non-telemarketing) is almost as rare as getting a hand-written note.
Take Care of Your Employees
You all know the adage that employees are the face of your business, it's true. I ran an art business where people re-enrolled because of specific teachers. It wasn't me, or my business name, but it was the employee, the person delivering the service that brought students back year after year.
Now, the reason the employee stayed and continued to make her students happy, was a result of how I treated my employees. If you treat your employees right they are more likely to be happy and treat your customers right.
Train and Set Expectations
If a good employee is not providing quality customer service, train them. You can't assume that everyone knows how to be stellar at customer service. If you teach them, give them the tools, set expectations and reward, the results will come.
As a business owner, you must get the big things right, but don't forget the little personal touches. Quite often it's the little things that will keep your customers loyal and your business blossoming.
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