Offering great customer service is really not that difficult. Here are the 5 most important things to keep in mind when dealing with your customers. They’re also important when coming up with a marketing strategy that will hopefully attract the right customer for your business.
Communication – how you talk to your customers
The language and tone you use when talking to your customers gives an impression of the rest of your business. Are you friendly, professional, informal, formal, do you use slang, contractions, pay attention to spelling and grammar or use text-speak and emoticons?
What you use should depend on who your ideal customer is and the type of products and/or services you offer. Remember, customer service is easy when you have the right customers. If there is a discord between the language and tone you use and the service you provide it will put people off and make them uncomfortable and less trusting of your business.
Contact – How do your customers contact you?
How do you communicate with your customers? Do you use the phone, fax, email, SMS, social media, face-to-face or some other method?
By offering the right communication channels for your ideal customers, but not offering the ones they’re less likely to use you may be able to strike the balance between being easily accessible and having a life outside of work.
Courtesy – politeness and good manners
It doesn’t matter who your customer are, good manners go a long way.
- Please and thank you in a message cost nothing but let your customers know they’re appreciated.
- Using your customers name when you’re communicating with them reminds them that you don’t just think of them as a dollar sign.
- Being on time to meetings lets them know that you respect their time.
- Signing off your emails and SMS messages lets them know you respect that they’re busy and don’t always have you on the top of their mind
- Taking time to check spelling and grammar in a message says it’s important to you that they can understand your message easily
Compassion – when they have a problem
If a customer comes to you with a problem, even if it’s something minor – don’t dismiss it. Mirror their concern and instead of responding with excuses, respond with solutions. When a customer can rely on you to fix their problems, you’ll become their go-to person.
Customers – the #1 reason you’re in business
While I’m not always a fan of “the customer is always right”, I do think it’s important to remember that without your customers you don’t have a business. Keep it in mind when you’ve had a bad day, or a long day and you just don’t feel like dealing with anything. Your customers pay your bills and be thankful that they’re coming to you.
If you’d like some more ideas, check out my blog posts on customer service
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