AllBusiness.com
Does Your Business Get Thumbs Down for Service?
No matter how great your company's product or service is, if your customer service skills are lacking, it won't make much difference. This is especially true in today's economy, as struggling business owners need every possible advantage over their competition. Unfortunately, far too many business owners make the same mistakes over and over again, sending their customers into the arms of their competitors.
Here are 10 simple but effective ways for small business owners to turn angry, frustrated, or dissatisfied customers into happy customers -- who come back for more!
1. Not Training Your Staff Properly
It does not matter whether you have two or two hundred employees, you must train everyone in the art of customer service.
Customers and clients will not tolerate rudeness, incorrect information, or apathy on the part of your staff. Not taking the time to thoroughly train ALL employees -- from the bottom to the top -- is a major mistake made by too many small businesses.
2. Trying to Win the Argument with a Customer
It is worth remembering that it takes five times more effort and cost to gain one new customer than it does to maintain one current customer.
When it comes to succeeding as a small business owner, it really is true that "the customer is always right." If you try to win an argument but lose a steady customer, you are punishing yourself and your business with lost revenue -- and, very likely, ensuring bad reviews on sites like Yelp.
3. Being Inaccessible to Customers
If you want to see repeat business, you need to be reachable by your customers. If people find it difficult to contact the customer service department or speak to a manager, they may not return.
Many businesses, especially online, try to maintain a distance from their customers, but this often backfires by sending people somewhere else where they'll get the one-on-one attention they are looking for.
4. Standing by Your Policy ... No Matter What
Treat every customer interaction as an opportunity to build a personal relationship -- this is one of the ways small businesses can shine where a huge, faceless corporation can't.
While the store clerk who is scared to lose his job can say "Sorry, that's our policy," customer service representatives and managers should be able to find ways to bend policies to build positive customer relationships. The phrase "If I do that for you, I'll have do to it for everyone," is one of the fastest ways to lose customers.
5. Failing to Keep Promises
If you assure a customer that something will be ready by Thursday, then it should be ready by Thursday -- no exceptions.
If you can't honor your commitments to a customer for reasons beyond your control, do not make excuses; the only words you need to remember are "We're sorry," backed up by an extra effort to make the customer happy.
6. Keeping Poor Customer Records
If you keep referring to "Mrs. Johnson of Jackson Avenue" as "Mrs. Jackson of Johnson Avenue," you can be sure that she will not continue to do business with your company.
While any business can make a mistake, consistently misspelled names and similar foul-ups do not encourage regular customers to return.
7. Giving Customers the Runaround
Make sure your small business has an effecient system in place to deal with customers. When someone calls your company for help, they expect a service representative to be the first or second person to whom they speak.
People do not like being passed from one person to another on the phone, or, if in a retail location, sent from one department to another. Passing the buck is akin to passing the customer on to your competitor.
8. Sending Canned Responses
Since email is impersonal, many businesses send a form letter or a canned response that answers 10 common FAQs, none of which may apply to a particular customer. Other businesses simply ignore customer complaints hoping the customer will simply forget the issue.
These are email cop-outs, or excuses for not providing adequate customer service, and they shouldn't be happening. It is very simple for a customer representative to respond to each inquiry in a timely fashion.
9. Failing to Listen to Customers
Customer service representatives often do not listen closely to customers -- especially when the customer is upset about something. Therefore, they typically respond with an answer that does not match the problem.
Customer relations representatives need to be trained, particularly in the art of listening and even taking notes.
10. Forgetting the Basics
Sometimes, the smallest thing can make a customer's experience with your small business a positive one.
"Please," "Thank you," "We're sorry about the inconvenience," and so on are simple but much-appreciated phrases that cost nothing, take little effort, and win big points with customers when they are frustrated or angry.
This article were Published on AllBusiness.com