7 Ways to Provide Top-Rate Customer Service
May 17, 2023
By Staff
You may have heard the phrase "the customer is always right." Still, many entrepreneurs don't truly understand how important it is to provide customers with exceptional service to succeed in business. Customers want to feel heard, they want to be valued, and they want to know that their opinion matters. From how you treat them on the phone to how quickly and effectively you solve their problems, providing the best possible customer service is essential in growing your business.
When you run your business, you want to ensure your clients are pleased with your services to help cultivate a good relationship and build their trust and loyalty. To create customer loyalty, ramping up your customer service efforts is the best place to start.
In a recent study, customers overwhelmingly agreed (83%) that they feel more loyal to brands that respond to and resolve their complaints.
To provide a top-rate customer experience that sets you apart from your competitors, read through these seven tips and see what you can add to your customer service strategy.
1. Provide Quick and Informative Responses
Customers want quick and informative responses, whether it's via email or phone. The standard business etiquette is to respond within 24 hours of receiving a message from your customer or client.
Show them you care and want their business! As part of your reply, always ensure your responses include a time frame for when they can expect a resolution. In other words, set an expectation that you'll resolve their problem quickly and offer an estimated time when you can provide them with more information on what you plan to do.
This shows that you have their best interests in mind. Customers will appreciate your attentiveness to their requests and leave them feeling satisfied.
Try this: Pick 2-3 times daily to focus specifically on responding to client emails or phone messages. This way, you aren't constantly getting bogged down by replying to customers throughout the day but are still responding to them promptly.
2. Be Knowledgeable About Your Product or Service
If you don't know how to answer questions about your product or service? Understanding your business in and out is vital to excellent customer service much more accessible.
Strive to be an expert and always know the most current options available. A happy customer means more business for you—the process is simple. So make sure you're knowledgeable about your product and service offerings. So you can help them navigate their choices and select the best option.
Try this: Ask a few friends and family members to quiz you or role-play, asking questions as if they were your client. It will help you feel more confident and allow you to identify what aspects of your business you need to familiarize yourself with more.
3. Demonstrate Active Listening
Active listening is the act of acknowledging and confirming your understanding. The idea is to demonstrate that you are paying attention by observing verbal and non-verbal cues being sent and paraphrasing what the other person has said for clarification or elaboration when needed.
When they talk, nod at the appropriate times and hold eye contact; when you talk, wait until they finish speaking before moving on. This makes it easier for the other person to get their point across and helps them feel understood, which can be a powerful way to help facilitate problem-solving.
Ultimately, when it comes to customer service, your job is to understand their perspective and find an appropriate solution they are willing to accept.
Here's a tip: Besides your body language and verbal confirmation of what the customer is saying, consider jotting down some notes while they are speaking. Doing so could help you remember and obtain the information better and allow you to reference key points about your conversation later.
4. Be Attentive to Your Customers Needs
To provide your customers top-rate service, you must be attentive to their needs. Many business owners forget that customers aren't looking for a product or service but an answer to a problem.
To understand your customer's issues, ask plenty of questions and listen carefully to their responses. Is there something they need from you? If so, how can you help them? What steps do they need to take before they get what they want? Use these answers to anticipate how your customer will react to certain information and decisions.
Be patient and mindful of your client's preferences, even something as simple as requesting to receive an email reply rather than a phone call. The better you understand your client's needs and communicate that empathy back to them, the more effective you will be at solving their problems and creating lasting relationships with them.
Here's a tip: Consider investing in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program such as Salesforce to keep track of information, conversations, and details about your clients.
Having this information documented will be helpful when assisting your client.
5. Be Friendly and Personable
Friendly and personable customer service goes a long way toward sealing customer deals; this is accomplished by answering questions and resolving problems.
If you're in sales, developing and using strong relationships will ensure you get top referrals in exchange for being pleasant to deal with. And if you're a service provider, constantly demonstrating how friendly and personable you are will make it much easier to resolve issues if they arise. It will take time to master.
Try this: When speaking to a customer on the phone, ask questions that might spark conversation examples: "How can I assist you," and "Is there anything we missed." It seems like a simple gesture, but it will help you develop relationships and build trust with your client(s).
6. Stay Positive
When in doubt, put a smile on your face. A positive attitude will show in your customer service skills and can even help to diffuse tense situations.
No matter what's going on around you, always stay positive. Remember, you are there to help. You're smiling while under pressure gives the customers a comfortable feeling. It assists in coming to a resolution faster.
Try this: Put in your workplace pictures of family and or friends, motivational or funny quote posters, upbeat music, etc., to keep any negative feelings at bay when facing demanding customers or handling challenging situations.
7. Follow up
It's essential to follow up with a customer to make sure they're satisfied with the help you provided. This reinforces your support. It lets them know you care about your work and may prompt them to rate their experience as positive on a review site like Yelp, Google, or Bing.
However, don't be overly pushy. A follow-up can be as simple as sending a quick email or writing a note on their account thanking them for using your service and reminding them that you're there if they need anything else. The benefit of the personal touch is worth the five minutes spent doing it.
Here's a tip: You could automate reminders with an app like Zoho so the process is still timely without pulling you away from other aspects of your business.
Make Customer Service a Top-Priority for Your Business
Making customer service a top priority in your business is crucial for success. There are numerous benefits of excellent customer service, some of which include:
1) Fosters goodwill with current clients and potential customers
2) It Makes you more money because excellent customer service leads to more sales
3) Helps to eliminate turnover and retain loyal customers
4) Can provide word-of-mouth advertising and boosts referrals
5) Build your business's brand and reputation
With all these benefits, it's clear how vital customer service is and why it's essential for your business strategy and long-term growth.
Now that you know how to provide excellent customer service, apply it to your business. Following the tips in this article will help you make it a priority.
Click here to talk to one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff members. We are here to serve you and your business.
By Staff
You may have heard the phrase "the customer is always right." Still, many entrepreneurs don't truly understand how important it is to provide customers with exceptional service to succeed in business. Customers want to feel heard, they want to be valued, and they want to know that their opinion matters. From how you treat them on the phone to how quickly and effectively you solve their problems, providing the best possible customer service is essential in growing your business.
When you run your business, you want to ensure your clients are pleased with your services to help cultivate a good relationship and build their trust and loyalty. To create customer loyalty, ramping up your customer service efforts is the best place to start.
In a recent study, customers overwhelmingly agreed (83%) that they feel more loyal to brands that respond to and resolve their complaints.
To provide a top-rate customer experience that sets you apart from your competitors, read through these seven tips and see what you can add to your customer service strategy.
1. Provide Quick and Informative Responses
Customers want quick and informative responses, whether it's via email or phone. The standard business etiquette is to respond within 24 hours of receiving a message from your customer or client.
Show them you care and want their business! As part of your reply, always ensure your responses include a time frame for when they can expect a resolution. In other words, set an expectation that you'll resolve their problem quickly and offer an estimated time when you can provide them with more information on what you plan to do.
This shows that you have their best interests in mind. Customers will appreciate your attentiveness to their requests and leave them feeling satisfied.
Try this: Pick 2-3 times daily to focus specifically on responding to client emails or phone messages. This way, you aren't constantly getting bogged down by replying to customers throughout the day but are still responding to them promptly.
2. Be Knowledgeable About Your Product or Service
If you don't know how to answer questions about your product or service? Understanding your business in and out is vital to excellent customer service much more accessible.
Strive to be an expert and always know the most current options available. A happy customer means more business for you—the process is simple. So make sure you're knowledgeable about your product and service offerings. So you can help them navigate their choices and select the best option.
Try this: Ask a few friends and family members to quiz you or role-play, asking questions as if they were your client. It will help you feel more confident and allow you to identify what aspects of your business you need to familiarize yourself with more.
3. Demonstrate Active Listening
Active listening is the act of acknowledging and confirming your understanding. The idea is to demonstrate that you are paying attention by observing verbal and non-verbal cues being sent and paraphrasing what the other person has said for clarification or elaboration when needed.
When they talk, nod at the appropriate times and hold eye contact; when you talk, wait until they finish speaking before moving on. This makes it easier for the other person to get their point across and helps them feel understood, which can be a powerful way to help facilitate problem-solving.
Ultimately, when it comes to customer service, your job is to understand their perspective and find an appropriate solution they are willing to accept.
Here's a tip: Besides your body language and verbal confirmation of what the customer is saying, consider jotting down some notes while they are speaking. Doing so could help you remember and obtain the information better and allow you to reference key points about your conversation later.
4. Be Attentive to Your Customers Needs
To provide your customers top-rate service, you must be attentive to their needs. Many business owners forget that customers aren't looking for a product or service but an answer to a problem.
To understand your customer's issues, ask plenty of questions and listen carefully to their responses. Is there something they need from you? If so, how can you help them? What steps do they need to take before they get what they want? Use these answers to anticipate how your customer will react to certain information and decisions.
Be patient and mindful of your client's preferences, even something as simple as requesting to receive an email reply rather than a phone call. The better you understand your client's needs and communicate that empathy back to them, the more effective you will be at solving their problems and creating lasting relationships with them.
Here's a tip: Consider investing in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program such as Salesforce to keep track of information, conversations, and details about your clients.
Having this information documented will be helpful when assisting your client.
5. Be Friendly and Personable
Friendly and personable customer service goes a long way toward sealing customer deals; this is accomplished by answering questions and resolving problems.
If you're in sales, developing and using strong relationships will ensure you get top referrals in exchange for being pleasant to deal with. And if you're a service provider, constantly demonstrating how friendly and personable you are will make it much easier to resolve issues if they arise. It will take time to master.
Try this: When speaking to a customer on the phone, ask questions that might spark conversation examples: "How can I assist you," and "Is there anything we missed." It seems like a simple gesture, but it will help you develop relationships and build trust with your client(s).
6. Stay Positive
When in doubt, put a smile on your face. A positive attitude will show in your customer service skills and can even help to diffuse tense situations.
No matter what's going on around you, always stay positive. Remember, you are there to help. You're smiling while under pressure gives the customers a comfortable feeling. It assists in coming to a resolution faster.
Try this: Put in your workplace pictures of family and or friends, motivational or funny quote posters, upbeat music, etc., to keep any negative feelings at bay when facing demanding customers or handling challenging situations.
7. Follow up
It's essential to follow up with a customer to make sure they're satisfied with the help you provided. This reinforces your support. It lets them know you care about your work and may prompt them to rate their experience as positive on a review site like Yelp, Google, or Bing.
However, don't be overly pushy. A follow-up can be as simple as sending a quick email or writing a note on their account thanking them for using your service and reminding them that you're there if they need anything else. The benefit of the personal touch is worth the five minutes spent doing it.
Here's a tip: You could automate reminders with an app like Zoho so the process is still timely without pulling you away from other aspects of your business.
Make Customer Service a Top-Priority for Your Business
Making customer service a top priority in your business is crucial for success. There are numerous benefits of excellent customer service, some of which include:
1) Fosters goodwill with current clients and potential customers
2) It Makes you more money because excellent customer service leads to more sales
3) Helps to eliminate turnover and retain loyal customers
4) Can provide word-of-mouth advertising and boosts referrals
5) Build your business's brand and reputation
With all these benefits, it's clear how vital customer service is and why it's essential for your business strategy and long-term growth.
Now that you know how to provide excellent customer service, apply it to your business. Following the tips in this article will help you make it a priority.
Click here to talk to one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff members. We are here to serve you and your business.