Have Happy Customers!
Working in an office where I deal with clients on a daily basis I’ve learned a lot about the different personalities of people. It’s definitely not always an easy task to satisfy your customers but I’ve come up with a few tips that are sure to help in your day-to-day customer relations.
- Be Honest – No one wants to be lied to and people can tell if you are trying to BS them. I’ve found that even if the news is not great news your customers are usually more agreeable with a truthful honest answer along with a helpful solution.
- You’re the expert in your field, service or product, your client may not be - Your customers are coming to you because you are the expert in the service/product they are looking to purchase so you need to remember to be clear and patient when explaining this product/service to them. If it is something they are unfamiliar with it is easy to get overwhelmed and confused so take a step back, communicate clearly and be extra informative.
- Treat others as you would want to be treated – ah, the Golden Rule, its true - think about the last time you had to call a customer service representative if this was a pleasant experience it was probably because they were friendly and helpful. Having a bad attitude will get you nowhere expect maybe looking for a new job!
- Pick up the Phone – We work in the era of emails and email is great; it’s quick and easy but it is NOT always clear. People interpret things differently and sending responses back and forth through email to a customer who may already be confused will do nothing more than irritate them further. Making that quick phone call can alleviate a lot of unnecessary aggravation for you and your client will greatly appreciate hearing your voice.
- Offer a Solution - we all know that things do not always go as planned, things get mixed up, have shipping delays or come in damaged, it happens to everyone in every business out there but if you are prepared to offer your client a solution more times than not this helps reassure the customer that you are committed to solving the issue. Again, simply being honest and letting the customer know that you have done all you can to get their order produced/installed (whatever the case may be), completed correctly will show the customer you care about them and their order.
Excellent customer service is a key component of any successful business so it’s essential that all employees (even the ones that only occasionally deal with clients) strive to always make the customer happy. A happy customer is more likely to be a repeat customer!