Seven Customer Service Tips For Outstanding Customer Retention
Posted by Robert Moment in Customer Service on November 6th, 2007 | No Comments »
Customer retention, often measured by repeat purchases, plays a massive role in driving profits for any business. Businesses that excel in customer retention are usually positioned for long-term success and possess a far greater competitive edge. So how do businesses master the art of customer retention? Though there are other contributing factors to high customer retention, the most effective one is more than likely superior customer service. Customer service is designed to create a positive customer experience in order to increase customer loyalty and ultimately, long-term customer retention.
Customer service is more than a worthwhile investment, so here are seven customer service tips to get your business up and running for outstanding customer retention.
1. Pay Attention To Complaints And Compliments
The National Transportation Safety Board offers an approach that every business can learn from. The NTSB takes every accident very seriously, ensuring that the same incident should never occur again. Work that same policy into your business: take every customer complaint very seriously to ensure that your business will never have to deal with the same complaint twice.
Use customer complaints to bring about new ideas and ways to improve your product or service. Use the same approach for customer compliments too, using compliments as a point of reinforcement for what your company is already doing right.
2. Just Ask Them!
There isn’t a simpler method of retaining customers then just asking customers what exactly they seek from your business and how they want it given to them. Whether you ask them via a printed survey, an online survey, over the phone, in person, or via email, it is crucial that you just ask them! You’d be surprised at the detailed response you’ll receive, sometimes saving you the trouble of spending extra on expensive market research.
Consider conducting a focus group with your customers. With a customer focus group, you have the opportunity to tap into their collective needs and wants and reward them for their time with discounts on their next purchase, or anything that will demonstrate your sincere appreciation.
3. Up Your Service With A Loyalty Program
Loyalty programs, used efficaciously by businesses such as the airlines industry, are extremely effective for outstanding customer retention. Starbucks is another company that ties customer service together with a loyalty program that keeps its customers coming back for more. A variation of a loyalty program can be in the form of offering specialty discounts for customers in your database sent via email.
4. Service With A Smile
Not every business owner believes that “the customer is always right,” or that the “the customer is king” and they’re quite right to believe so. But, in situations where customers are distraught and tend to seek attention through emotional outbursts, it pays to keep calm and take control of the situation by appeasing the customer with a smile and doing everything possible to pander to the customer’s frustrations.
It may seem over the top, but this approach will reflect positively on your business and an end result will be outstanding customer retention.
5. Be A Solution Provider
Customers are a savvy lot and they can usually sense a sales pitch approaching miles away. Though they love buying, customers hate to be sold to. Instead, adopt the approach of being a solution provider, showing that you sincerely care about their needs.
Lend a listening ear to your customers and let them know that you’re not after their wallets. Instead, collaborate with them to help get what they want in a way that will benefit both of you. This approach works almost all the time and is the secret sauce for high customer retention.
6. Be A Value Provider
Companies are always harping about providing value to customers, but very few of them actually understand what it means. Providing value to customers simply means giving first and receiving second. Giving first could be as easy as offering a free email newsletter filled with juicy tips that other companies would have charged a premium for. It’s a great way of differentiating yourself from your competitors and at the same time, providing great value for free to your customers.
7. Keep Your Service Memorable
Customers usually become fans of your business when they remember something remarkable you did for them. This usually happens when customers have a problem with something they bought from you which needs to be fixed. The easier you make it for them to get it fixed and solve their problems, the more satisfied customers become. It could even be as simple as providing human support within three rings of a customer phone call instead of sending them to voicemail and a maze of phone menus.
These seven customer service tips are some of the easiest ways to impress and retain your customers, often for life. But, don’t take my word for it. Put it into practice. You can determine for yourself if your customer service is working by the number of repeat buyers you have.
Seven Customer Service Tips to Delivering Exceptional Service
Posted by Robert Moment in Customer Service on November 1st, 2007 | No Comments »
There is customer service and there is exceptional customer service. You know which option customers would prefer experiencing and that’s why these 7 customer service tips for delivering exceptional service will help you create your competitive advantage and get customers raving about you in no time.1. Focus On What The Customer Wants
If you’re serious about serving the customer in the best possible way, understanding and focusing on what the customer wants will earn you the right to do business with them again and again. If that means choosing a target customer group and allocating more resources to reach your goals, so be it.
2. Establish A Relationship
A sale to some businesses may mean an end of a transaction, but it should really signify the start of a new, long-term relationship. Like all successful relationships, it’s about providing lasting satisfaction, satisfaction that provides another reason why the relationship should never end. Exceptional service will lead to long-lasting customer satisfaction and ultimately, a lifetime customer.
3. Deliver Exceptional Post-Experience Service
The post-experience is probably the most important part of the customer experience cycle, where delivering an exceptional follow-up service can forge a lasting bond between your customers and you. It’s about creating incentives for customers to do business with you again and again and simple gestures like mailing out a handwritten thank-you note to customers works like gangbusters.
4. Take A Special Interest In Your Customers
Everybody loves a little attention and customers are no exception. Pay extra attention to your customers and do all you can to make them feel important by complimenting them, addressing them by their names and serving them their preferences even before they can request them. Attention to detail does make a difference when delivering exceptional service.
5. Departmentalize Your Front Line Staff
If you have employees handling your customer service, try assigning specific customer-focused duties to them. For instance, a staff member could focus on answering phone calls while another deals with walk-in customers. Not many small businesses have the luxury of a front line staff, but if you do, this method can work to your advantage.
6. Deliver Value And You’ll Deliver Exceptional Service
Making customer service an experience your customers will never forget is only half of what makes exceptional customer service. The other half is showing your customers that the experience you provide is real value for money. Customers should never feel remorse after spending money with you and delivering value for money is one of the best ways to eradicate buyers’ remorse.
7. Create A USP For Your Customer Service
A lot can be said about businesses needing a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to stand out from their competitors, but the same should also be said about their customer service. If you’re able to create your own customer service USP, making it easy for customers to determine your point of difference from your competitors, the probability of being rated as a business with exceptional service is very much higher.
It’s not difficult delivering exceptional service when you know what it takes to do so. Sometimes, studying what your competitors are doing and improving on that is enough to get customers banging on your door to do business with you.
Seven Tips for Improving Your Internet Customer Service
Posted by Robert Moment in Customer Service on October 30th, 2007 | No Comments »
As far as businesses are concerned, the Internet is a living miracle because of the plethora of applications that the Internet offers and the number of opportunities it has created for making money. Amongst these applications is the management of customer relations, which has made customer service so much cheaper, faster and profitable.Building online support centers the right way can create customer loyalty that will last a lifetime, so let’s examine some ways to improve your Internet customer service and turn it into a profitable process.
1. Automate Everything
One of the pleasures of conducting business on the Internet is the ability to automate the entire sales process. Where customer service is concerned, you can leverage the power of automation by using tools like autoresponders. Autoresponders deliver your transactional emails at any point during and after the sales process and it works even while you’re asleep. Automation works in your favor and it lets customers feel reassured that you’ve taken the necessary measures to make their purchases a cinch.
2. Real-Time Support With VoIP
VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a piece of technology that has made real-time customer support over the Internet a reality. You must have seen one of these icons displayed on some shopping websites saying, “Click Here for Live Online Support.” This icon invites a customer to click on it, which then connects directly to a sales representative for live interaction.
You can use this technology on your own website and help customers through their buying process in real-time. You’ll be able to see exactly what your customer sees, which makes this technology so effective for improving your online conversation rate. An example of a company offering this service is LivePerson.com.
3. Set Up An Online FAQ Page
More and more businesses are resorting to developing a dedicated FAQ page on their websites to save time and money on customer service. The idea is to collate the most frequently asked questions onto one page and direct customers to this page first before filling out a contact form for inquiries. A FAQ page is a huge time saver, which frees up your time to attend to more pressing matters. It’ll be worth your effort to set up a dedicated page and even a dedicated email specifically for customer inquiries.
4. Display Your Contact Information Prominently On Your Website
It’s hard enough for online customers to come to a buying decision, let alone struggle to find your contact information. Place your contact information prominently where customers will have no trouble finding it. If they face problems during the buying process, they will have quick access to your contact information and you’ll have the opportunity to allay their fears and guide them through a sale.
Create the impression that you’re readily available any time a customer needs you and your customers will see to it that they remain devoted to you.
5. Prepare An Online Trouble-Shooting Webpage
Whether you’re selling a product or offering a service, this is an idea that complements the FAQ page very well. Sadly, not many businesses implement this idea either because they had not thought of it, or they felt it was unnecessary.
The trouble-shooting webpage details the more technical questions that your customers may want to ask and having it explained clearly on your website will eliminate a good portion of customer support.
6. Make Use Of Web 2.0 Technology
Web 2.0 has opened up many more channels of communication such as blogs, podcasting and video-sharing capabilities. A result of this has been the proliferation of social networking sites like MySpace.com, but nothing is stopping you from using these platforms to improve customer support.
Use blogs to interact with your customers freely and openly, or host your own podcast show, inviting customers to interact with you either via message boards or online chat rooms. Online video sharing capabilities has also made it extremely easy for any business to create step-by-step video instructions to teach customers how to use their products or services. The potential for its uses is limitless.
7. Outsource Your Customer Service
Outsourcing seems to be all the rage in the business world these days because the Internet has attracted such a large talent pool at a very low cost. This has afforded small businesses the opportunity to outsource their most time-consuming activities to individuals or companies that specialize in these areas, freeing up the time for business owners to concentrate on growing their business.
In the customer service field, SalesForce.com has taken the online business world by storm with its virtual customer service representatives managing every aspect of your customer service professionally. It gives you the edge because you now have at your disposal a
These seven tips for improving your Internet customer service is only a fraction of what is possible with the increasing number of Internet applications being made available every day. There is a solution that fits every budget, so find what works best for you and put it to work.
Robert Moment is an innovative customer service consultant, speaker and author of “Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service.” Visit Customer Service Training Skills and sign-up for the
Customer Service Tips that Affect the Impact You Have on Your Customers
Posted by Robert Moment in Coaching on October 29th, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Tip #1 Identify the behaviors that irk you, your pet peeves, and then recognize that you may have some behaviors that irritate others. Take the time to identify, and eliminate, those behaviors and your customer service skills will grow.Tip #2 Show courtesy in the best ways that you know how. Courtesy means that you have a positive attitude, that you’re available and supportive of your customers, and that you go out of your way to make your customer’s day. Courtesy is exceptional customer service.
Tip #3 Smile. Share a positive attitude with your customers and they’ll return the favor.
Tip #4 Support your customers by being present, both physically and emotionally, for them. Listen, give them your full attention, and respond respectfully to their wants, needs, and concerns.
Tip #5 Make your customer’s day. It doesn’t take much to go above and beyond what a customer expects. Take that extra measure and they’ll remember you for a lifetime.
——Robert Moment is an innovative customer service consultant, business coach and author of Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service. Visit the Customer Service Training Skills website and sign-up for the
Seven Customer Service Tips for Building Loyal Customers
Posted by Robert Moment in Customer Service on October 25th, 2007 | No Comments »
Customer service can be said to be the backbone of business, meaning, without customers, there can be no business. So, it becomes imperative that building a base of loyal customers takes priority if a business seeks to outlast its competitors and have a healthy bottom line.Building a base of loyal customers can be achieved in many ways and delivering great customer service is one of them. Let’s look at seven ways we can use customer service to build a loyal customer following.
1. Train Customers To Trust You
Trust may fall well behind money and desire in the decision-making chain of a consumer, but it’s an integral part of a customer’s thought process. If a customer can’t trust you enough to shop with you for the long-term, it’s going to get very difficult to build loyal customers. On the other hand, if customers find that you’re more than capable of handling their expectations before and after the sales process, you’d have earned their trust and their loyalty.
2. Make Your Customer Service Memorable
Customers tend to remember incidents where they may have encountered problems with your product or service more than when they had no problems at all. You can use this to your advantage by resolving customer issues quickly and easily. The impression left behind with your efficient service will last longer in the memories of these customers, so they’ll have no hesitation shopping with you for years to come.
3. Treasure Your Most Valuable Customers
Keeping tabs on who your customers are and how much they’ve spent with you is essential when trying to build customer loyalty. Invest in a customer relationship management program to help you collect valuable data about each customer. It’s a great asset to have as it makes things very convenient when you need to checkup on your valuable customers. It’s a good habit to thank your customers often and remind them how much their business means to you.
4. Always Strive To Be Courteous
Nobody likes to be treated badly, especially customers. That’s why the extra effort of always being polite and treating your customers like royalty pays off big time when they start raving about your service to others. Appreciative customers have no qualms about sending their friends your way.
5. Maintain Contact With Your Customers
Keeping in regular touch with your customers is always a good idea no matter what your competitors say. Many businesses fear that constant contact drives customers away as it may be misinterpreted as harassment. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Keeping regular contact with your customers, via newsletters or postcards, in fact, tells them that you’re looking out for their needs and that their business means everything to you.
6. Listen To Your Customers
You’re well aware that maintaining regular contact with your customers is important, and so is listening to them. It’s not just about lending an ear to your customer, but about making customer input the basis for many of your business decisions. Make it part of your customer service to gather feedback from them. Use their input to make changes, and communicate these changes back to your customers.
7. Give And Ye Shall Receive
Businesses that build customer loyalty understand the value in giving first and receiving later. Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel, Pay It Forward, sums up the value of giving beautifully and exposes the human psyche of wanting to return a favor with a more valuable gift. So, think of ways to give fantastic value to your customers that would leave them with no choice but to remain loyal to you for years to come.
I hope these seven customer service tips can trigger more ideas for building loyal customers and steer your business towards greater success.
Seven Ways to Resolve Customer Service Issues
Posted by Robert Moment in Customer Service on October 23rd, 2007 | No Comments »
Of course, even with a wonderfully positive and effective perspective, there will still be trying instances throughout your day, especially when you’re dealing with a misunderstanding between yourself and a customer. Instead of thinking of this as a trial, consider it to be an opportunity to achieve just one more success during your workday, and use the 7 Ways to Resolve Customer Service Issues between you and your customers as a guideline.- Take preventative action against misunderstandings by putting all of the critical information concerning your interactions into writing. By doing this, everything will be laid out for both of you to see, and there won’t be any false expectations or misunderstanding of intentions.
- Work with the customer to offer a solution. Instead of relying only on policies and procedures, work with your customers to come up with the best way to resolve the situation in a way that will be mutually beneficial.
- Even if it’s not your fault, you can still apologize without accepting blame. An apology will start your resolution off on the right foot, and show that you have the best intentions.
- Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Try to understand the issue from the customer’s point of view, and you’ll have a clearer comprehension of why he or she is behaving that way, or expecting a particular outcome. By knowing what your customer is feeling, you’ll be better prepared to react in a way that will satisfy him or her.
- Be responsive if there truly is a problem. If the misunderstanding has lead to an actual problem, act logically and quickly to offer and implement a solution.
- Keep your promises about reliability and service. These are almost as – if not more – important than any product that you sell. Keeping promises and offering superior service are what puts you that step above everyone else, and what keeps your customers coming back to you.
- Think of complaints as lessons for improvement. When a customer complains, it isn’t necessarily a positive situation in itself, but it is one with a great deal of potential for later improvement. Each complaint is a first-hand statement of a way in which your service can be improved, in a manner pleasing to your customers. After all, making the customers happy is what it’s all about!
Customer Service Tips for Building Exceptional Customer Relationships
Posted by Robert Moment in Coaching on October 22nd, 2007 | No Comments »
Tip #1 Study and learn the six behaviors: spontaneous, adaptive, defiant, controlling, nurturing, and reasoning. Each behavior has its place and time. Discuss when a behavior might be appropriately used and when it may lead to further complications. When you understand how and why people behave, it helps to understand how a customer service situation may best be handled.Tip #2 Practice the skill of avoiding hooks. A hook is a behavior from a customer that may provoke you into behaving in an unproductive manner. This is why it is critical for you to be able to recognize and identify the six behaviors both in yourself and your customer.
Tip #3 Modify the tone of your voice to fit the particular situation. Your tone of voice for a greeting will be very different than your tone of voice for an apology. Know that the tone of your voice should fit the most appropriate and productive behavior for the situation.
Tip #4 Choose your behavior. While it isn’t always the practice, you can choose your behavior and control the choices you make. You decide how you’re going to behave in any situation. Choose the behavior that will provide the best possible outcome.
Tip #5 Care about the words that you use. There are words that show that you care and words that reflect your indifference. In order to provide exceptional customer service, choose words that are caring. Replace “you have to” with “will you” and you change the entire tone of the conversation.
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