As a business owner I always hear about customer service, I think my employees provide that but how do I really know? What can I do to improve the elusive "customer service"? Ann, Torrington
By: Anya Petersen-Frey, Regional Director, WyomingEntrepreneur.biz
It’s a fact of doing business. To stay competitive, you must constantly monitor the quality of the customer service you offer. If the first experience is poor, you may never have a chance to change that expectation. The customer will find another supplier. Yet, customer service is a buzzword that like many others has lost its significance. It’s time to revisit this valuable asset.
Every single contact that your business has with its customers, internal and external, either enhances or corrodes that relationship. This includes letters you send, advertisements you run and phone calls you make or answer. This includes employee contact and vendor contact. So, your business is only as good as your worst employee!
Try to see your business through your customers’ eyes. Create systems that will encourage a positive customer service experience. Let your customer feel valued and appreciated. Your customers may range in age from 12 to over 80. They come from varied ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. They are very diverse in their tastes. They are also more educated, technologically savvy and wealthier than any previous group of consumers. Recognize that they are less tolerant of mistakes and are demanding higher levels of service.
Try to see your business through your employee’s eyes. One of the goals of customer service training is to instill in your employees that it is their business too. Customer service must be viewed as company etiquette. If employees are not treated will, it’s tough for them to treat others properly.
Often the difference between a good company and a poorly run company is not always demonstrated when things run smoothly; the difference is how they handle situations when there is a mistake. Create a feedback loop for customers and employees.
Ten Commandments of Customer Service: As shared by Inc. Magazine (2002), and still holds true today
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