Is Your Small Business Handling Customer Service the Right Way?
People tend to think that customer service is a cut-and-dry operation. You be polite, answer a few questions, sell the product or service, thank the customer and move on. In reality, there is much more to providing an excellent customer experience. Is your small business doing it right, or do you have plenty of room for improvement?
Smile Even When You’re on the Phone
If your employees use the phone to conduct business, train them in how to talk on the phone like they’re having a face-to-face conversation. This includes smiling when appropriate. This helps the voice to be authentic and provides a polite and pleasant experience for the customers.
Let Customers Vent Their Dissatisfaction
When a customer is unhappy with a product or service, he or she is likely to become frustrated and speak harshly. As long as that person isn’t becoming threatening or violent and is just venting about the situation, listen before reacting. This helps him or her to feel validated about the situation and chances are, someone won’t listen to any solution you have while still feeling angry. Offer solutions and be empathetic after listening.
Use a Loose Script
Whether providing customer service in person or over the phone, it helps if your employees have a loose script to follow. In person, if your employees already have an idea of how to respond to certain questions, it can keep them from becoming flustered and seeming unknowledgeable. Over the phone, a base script can make the call more efficient and cut down on hold times.
Learn How to Multitask
Multitasking is a great way to become more efficient both in person and over the phone, but it is important to know when to do it. In person, you should always listen to the customer first, but it is acceptable to talk about promotions or new products as you ring up purchases. Over the phone, you can input information such as contact information or details about the call as you answer basic questions, but if the customer has a specific question or concern, listen intently so that you don’t need to ask him or her to repeat the issue.
When it comes down to it, people who shop for your products or hire you to perform services want to feel appreciated and valued. The easiest way to do that is to truly appreciate and value your customers. The friendlier you and your employees are, the better the customer service you provide will be.
