Increased Profits is the Best Reason to Crank Up Your Company's Customer Service |
I've run a few companies in my day and though I knew how to take care of my clients. I've managed to hit the wall when I have to personally manage customer service. For many years I would struggle with the daunting task of customer follow up and maintenance. That is the essence of customer service. Customer service (also known as Client Service) is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.
I met a very smart person a few years ago who opened my eyes to dynamic customer service. He was a new client at the time and sought me out from a referral. I was very busy and overloaded that month. We played phone tag for a bit and finally got to talking. After a few minutes and a few apologies on my part, he asked me if I had too many clients to service at this time. I told him that at the moment I was overwhelmed. There was a hearty laugh on the other end at my confession.
He thanked me for my honesty and left me with a quote: "A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her." I quickly asked him what he meant and he again chuckled and replied. "The late David Brinkley made that comment many years ago. I took it to heart after hearing it because whenever I have too many clients to deal with on a daily basis, I step back take a deep breath and realize my good fortune."
We get to work with all kinds of people in business; the objective is to render a complete transaction to a customer in which you have made a good profit and the customer is satisfied enough with the outcome that they will gladly give you more business in the future.
Good customer service in a time of economic uncertainty is even more important because you now have to stand out from your competitors and rely even more heavily on your existing clientele. Many people don't want to gamble on a new person when times are tight. They want to know that they can rely on their existing vendor.
You can offer that kind of security for your clients that translate into more profit by reviewing your customer service procedures. Are all your employees trained in your customer service program? How do you avoid the feeling of overwhelm when working with too many people at once? Here are a few tips my prospective client sent me. I still pull them out and read them each year.
Touch bases with your customers at least once a month.
Every customer should get your monthly newsletter or email update. This is the heart of the communication system you must have to build loyalty. They must be able to respond to you in return.
Keep the dialogue honest and positive.
When talking to a customer, use phrases that complement the person on the other end of the call. When sending "bad news" to clients, try to include some good news as well. Never lie or cover up an incident in your business. As many politicians find out too late, the cover up is always deemed worse than the transgression.
If you are overwhelmed, consider outsourcing.
There is nothing wrong with outsourcing your basic customer service duties. It is better to have your client reach a human being when in need of help even if that person will simply listen to the grievance. A sympathetic ear sometimes goes a long way in re-framing the situation.
When possible, make personal contact with your customer when there is a solution to their problem. If your company came through with a solution to a customer's issues, take a moment to send a note or even better, call the customer to offer your personal reassurance.
These practices go a long way to ensuring a lasting relationship and continued referrals. You simply need to develop the habit of paying attention. Put several systems in place that will help to avoid the occasional overload. You can have the success without the bricks. It all comes down to effective customer management.
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