Customer service tips

No matter what type of business you are running, customer service is still an essential part of a successful business. In fact, 90% of customers consider customer service an important deciding factor. This is why it is important to know how to communicate with buyers and focus on customer retention instead of only acquisition.

If customer service is foreign to you, here are some important customer service tips that we have for you.

• Always put the customer first

Good customer service starts even before interaction with the customer takes place. In fact, every decision your business makes requires you to have the customer in mind. For example, the creation of new products should consider the age demographic of your customers. This will help you determine their purchasing power and gauge if your product is affordable enough.

While updating existing products, you should also keep customer’s reviews in mind more so than the company’s preference. This will help you retain existing customers as well. You should always have the mentality that your business only exists because of your customers. Hence, it is your responsibility to act accordingly to what the customers want.

• Be patient and composed

The most successful companies today are those who not only have the best products in the field but also some of the best customer services. Take Apple for example – if you’ve ever walked into one of their stores to purchase something, you would know that their customer service is one of the best. Complaints about their service are few and far between. 

When dealing with customers, it is best to be patient and have great composure. Instead of getting angry at negative reviews or annoyed customers, use it as an opportunity to reflect on your business model instead. Don’t let business matters become personal, always smile when you are talking to your customers and remain composed even when the customer may be agitated. 

If you are unable to fulfill a customer’s request at the moment, provide them with options of what you can do for them. For example, if an item they want is sold out, you can provide other substitutes that they can use at the moment, or inform them when the product will be back in stock and provide a voucher they can use.

• Craft a good website

In this day and age, customer service is no longer just face to face interaction. What happens online and interact with your company’s website and other digital collateral also counts as customers service. Building a good website makes it simpler for your customers to buy and discover products. You can also add various types of content to your sites such as product guides and blog posts that will boost customer interaction with your site.

You can also add other elements such as a chatbox, contact page with a contact form, a store or office locator, and review sections. Most importantly, your page should provide various ways for your customer to contact you directly. This will help increase customer satisfaction in the long run.

• Take reviews seriously

Customer service is something that you will have to deal with for as long as your business is up and running. The better your customer service is, the more your business will grow and its product.

The secret behind all successful and well-established companies is how they listen to their customers. Not only do they take customer feedback into account, but they also invest in their customer service team by providing resources and training to their staff. Some will even go the extra mile to apologize to customers after a negative experience and create press releases to inform customers about what they have done to address the issue.

This is something that you can learn and incorporate into your company. Reviews can be great tools for your company, even bad ones.

• Be kind to everyone, not just the customers

This scenario should be familiar to most people – you reject a service or product, and the seller suddenly becomes hostile towards you. Some even complain that you just wasted your time. This attitude likely made you more certain that you did not want to purchase the product or service.

This is one of the ways in which negative impressions of the business are made. If you are unkind to someone just because they did not buy from you, you are likely shutting down any opportunity of doing business with them in the future.

Don’t belittle the power of word of mouth – it’s one of the most effective forms of business promotion. This is why your business needs to be kind to everyone that you meet.

• Create a telephone hotline

Customers always appreciate clear communication. With better technology these days, customers now want replies from companies within 10 minutes of making a request. 

However, one thing has not changed from previous times –  which is people’s preference for communication channels. Telephone hotlines are the best ways to do this as customers get real-time updates about the problem being solved.

Good customer service

Excellent customer service should be at the forefront of every business and organisation. With these tips, you now know what you need to do to grow your business. If you have any other concerns in terms of paperwork or administrative duties, feel free to contact us at Margin Wheeler where we’ll be more than willing to help out!

No matter what kind of business you are running, your customer’s needs and wants should always be a deciding factor. Check out our latest article for tips on how to have excellent customer service.