“How they make you feel” is the most important factor in deciding whether or not a person will buy from a certain company again.
Free Book Preview Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing
This book takes readers through a 360-degree perspective of social media marketing in businesses.
6 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It seems like a law: to have to talk about “Customer Service” we have to mention the famous “Disney Experience”. We all come to mind the smiling team, the warmth of the attention, the patience, the treatment and how special the people who pay the entrance ticket make us feel.
The previous example has become the “want-to-be” of many entrepreneurs and businessmen. We begin to visualize ourselves as the leaders of an organization that offers a unique customer experience, until we wake up from our dream and it is time to put tactics into action… That is when it gets difficult, when it is time to translate the vision into action.
To make this transition as easy for you, I prepared a list of tips and a hack, which will undoubtedly support you in fulfilling your goal of improving the experience you offer to your client .
The basics are not enough
The basics are expected by default, so it is very important that you understand that your client is paying to be delighted. There are no extra points for the chef who washes his hands before preparing food. That is implicit in what you pay for your dish! It is the quality of service and overall experience that makes a person rate a company good or bad.
In more abstract words, “how they make you feel” is the most important factor in deciding whether or not a person will buy from a certain company again.
Treat each customer like a true VIP
I know this point sounds cliché, so the title alone is not enough. Within the customer service certification that I took some time ago, the instructor gave us the example of the Queen of England. “What would you do if you knew that the Queen of England would visit your business tomorrow?” Asked the instructor, inviting the participants to generate ideas.
I list some of them:
- Clean in more detail
- Put up a welcome sign
- Go personally to open the door
- Introduce myself to the client before serving them
- Explain the process about how we are going to serve you
- Be very aware of your body language to react quickly.
- Pré fill out forms or contracts so that your stay is short and simple, avoiding additional efforts.
Do you realize the jewel of this exercise? Suddenly we become experts in customer service! And that this article has just begun.
Bend the rules!
I will not write the famous phrase “rules are made to be broken” ; that’s not my invitation. The last thing I want is for you to get in trouble, but there is something magical about showing flexibility in internal processes and policies. You automatically make the person feel as special, as a VIP, as the exception to the rule and that, in terms of service experience, will bring you a lot of points.
Empower your team
I don’t mean you make them walk on fire and roar like lions (I’m making fun of motivational speakers). I mean that you make sure that all the people on your team who will be serving clients have the power to make decisions without the need to consult with a supervisor. Make a list of the most frequently raised objections, observations, and complaints, and make sure your team is trained and has options to resolve them on the spot. Some examples could be making a promotion valid even after the date has passed, product changes or returns, etc.
Don’t hear, listen!
The key is to apply active listening, which is a way of receiving the message while showing that we are listening and that we care what the other person says. Give your client visual and auditory feedback that shows you care about what they think and feel. Examples of active listening: taking notes, nodding, saying words like “I understand, I’m taking notes” or “Yes, OK, sure, I see . “
Keep doing business with you simple and easy
It may seem like a point that has more to do with other departments such as sales and operations, but remember that we are talking about how we make our customers feel, the fact that it is easy or difficult for our customers to purchase our products or contract our services and directly proportional to satisfaction.
Speed
This is a KEY factor that I recommend you to measure times of everything: response time to answer the phone, average time per call, response time in emails, waiting time for a quote.
Important note: Throw the switch in the trash and have trained humans answer the phone as quickly as possible!
To conclude, I leave you with a little hack : get inspired by the leaders of other industries. Find examples of great companies and find a way to adapt them to your business. You can also apply something as simple as The Rule of 1+ by asking yourself the following: “What are my competitors doing?” or “What are your good customer service practices and how could I make them better in my business?”
