Customer service is not just a series of steps that you complete. It is an attitude and a way of looking at customers that enables you to provide the best level of service that you and your organization are capable of providing. Don’t underestimate the power of customer service when it comes to making sales and keeping customers – many customers are willing to pay a higher price or go without certain features if they know that they have access to excellent customer service people who will be responsive and effective whenever they are needed.
Customer service is an attitude and a way of looking at customers that enables you to provide the best level of service that you and your organization are capable of providing.
So what does it take to provide excellent customer service skills? The answer to that question could fill books of its own, but here are a few tips on some main points:
- Take responsibility for the customer’s experience – from first contact and beyond the sale. Customers might only make one purchase from you – or they might make repeat purchases over time. But even if they don’t ever buy from you, they can carry an impression of your customer service with them and tell others about you – the good and the bad.
- Remember that even if you have dealt with this same issue a hundred times already today, it is the first time that your customer is dealing with it. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand how their problem is impacting them and their business.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate. Whether you have good news or bad news or just some interesting news, you need to remain in communication with your customers. Many times a customer will be understanding about a situation as long as you keep them informed about what is going on.
- Honor your word. When you make a promise, be sure that you can deliver on it – and hopefully, exceed what you’ve promised. Your word is very fragile with customers – it takes only one time of failing to deliver on your word for you to destroy the reputation that you’ve built with the customer.