Providing good customer service promotes what every business needs to thrive—repeat business. At minimum, it ensures a pleasant customer experience. When taken to the next level, good customer service can transform ordinary customers into loyal fans.
Step 1: Make a Good First Impression
Building a strong customer relationship takes more than a friendly smile (although that’s a great start!). It requires a genuine interest in your customers. Ask questions. Listen to the answers. Your customers will often give you all the clues you need to deliver great service.
Step 2: Offer More
Whether you offer more products and services, better prices, or just a little more personal attention, it pays to go beyond customer expectations. Suppose a customer buys several items in your store. Packages in hand, she then asks if you know of a good restaurant nearby. Mumbling something about a few okay places down the road and pointing to the door won’t make that customer a fan. Looking up nearby restaurants and pointing to the results on your smartphone will. While she could put down her bags and look up restaurants for herself, saving her the trouble can create a new ambassador for your business.
Step 3: Follow Up
Good customer service doesn’t end when your client hangs up the phone or walks out the door. Sometimes following-up means calling back after a scheduled delivery and asking how it went. Sometimes it’s adjusting a client’s retirement plan to reflect market changes. And sometimes, it’s responding to complaints. If a customer feels your product or service fell short of what was promised, find out why. Acknowledge the customer’s concerns and work with him or her to resolve them.
Step 4: Be Part of the Community
Lending a helping hand isn’t just good karma, it’s good business. Support groups or charities that fit your type of business. If you have a sporting goods store, sponsor a local little league team. Own your own hair salon? Get involved with groups like Locks of Love that donate hair to kids in cancer treatment. You can also boost community organizations on your social media pages and in your advertising.
The First serves our customers and our community by delivering personalized service and supporting civic and charitable organizations throughout Bucks County. How do you deliver good customer service? Leave a comment below and let us know!
