Top-10 Little-known Rules For Great Customer Service

How often has it happened that you went shopping in a store and returned empty-handed because the salesperson couldn’t understand what you are looking for? Or you called the customer service and heard that “Your call is on wait”? Or you sent an email regarding your cancelled order and had to wait for a month or two for a refund?

These are everyday experiences, right? Nothing will ruin a brand's reputation like bad customer service. Bad customer service will also allow your competitors to steal your customers, and no company would want to lose their customer base!

Hence, the only way to beat this is to provide great customer service every single time. Moreover, great service is not just answering every phone call or reverting each email, it is about being consistent in providing a good experience every time a customer interacts with your company. Thus, your company must provide great customer service and follow certain rules. However, before we discuss the rules, let us first understand what customer service is.

What Is Customer Service?

Customer service means assisting your customers who are interested in your products or services. It also means helping people understand your company.

One part of customer service is helping your customers resolve their issues after purchasing your products or services.

Great customer service is aiding customers immediately, timely, and positively. It helps build credibility for your business and retain your customers to a large extent

So, the following are the 10 rules for great customer service.

1. Know Your Customer

This has to be the golden rule for great customer service. When you know your customer base, you can help them more efficiently.

Now when we say, “know your customer,” we mean know your target customer. You should be aware of where they come from, what they are looking for in your products/ services, their pain points, why they are buying your products or services, and the qualities they like the most about your product or services.

Therefore, always take feedback from your customer to know them better.

2. Know Your Product

Your product represents your company. Customers will enquire about a product or service when they find it enticing. So, when they reach out to you with queries, you should be able to assist them. This will also help in building a rapport with your customers.

How will your product or services be helpful for your customers?  What will attract the customers to your products or services? You can better understand your product by learning about these questions. Prepare your answers according to the questions your customers may ask you.

Several customers will contact you about shipping, return, and refund queries. Educate your customers about shipping and return policies.

3. Train Your Staff

Now that you know your customers, know your products as well and educate your employees, who deal with customers. It can be a salesperson or customer assistant who handles customer queries; hence, train your staff well as they are required to thoroughly know about your company policies, products, and services.

Only knowledge will not be sufficient to handle all the queries of customers. Therefore, teach your staff tactics and have the right mindset when dealing with customers. Your staff should be willing to help customers regardless of profits as customers will only return when you resolve their queries. Hence, have a mindset to be helpful.

4. Every Interaction Matters

Every interaction you have with a customer counts. Every time a customer reaches out to you via phone, email, or in person, it is going to leave an impression about your company. So, be humble, respectful, and courteous every time.

Talk politely to your customers and appreciate them for waiting, being patient, providing feedback, and reaching out to you. Use phrases like, “have a great day,” “thank you for your order,” “thanks for your feedback,” “it was nice interacting with you.”

Listen to their complaints carefully; do not argue with your customers, and be humble while talking to them.

Remember to provide customer services to wherever your customers are. It can be emails, phone calls, social media handles, or meetings. Be available to your customers.

5. Keep It Simple And Easy

One part of customer service is providing a solution to your customers that is easy to follow and implement.

If you have an e-commerce website, make sure it is easy to navigate so that customers can have a hassle-free shopping experience.

If you have a physical store, ensure that the products you are selling are easily available for customers to see and experience.

If you are offering services, make sure your customers know about the legal formalities well in advance. Moreover, keep the legal formalities, such as signing a contract, effortless and simple to follow.

6. Don’t Leave Them Unhappy

Promising your customers something and not fulfilling it is surely going to damage your reputation. Therefore, always try to fulfil all the promises you make or avoid making any promises that you can’t keep.

Customers look for an immediate solution; so, try to handle their queries as a matter of priority. Always think about making it easier for your customers and implementing it; this will please the customers and retain them.

7. Go The Extra Mile

Helping customers resolve their issues will save your brand reputation. But, offering customers extra something will build your company’s credibility. You can offer discounts, coupons, free shipping, free services, services at a discounted price, home deliveries, or a simple smile and thank you at the end of the conversation.

You can also offer rewards points when they share feedback. People love it when they feel appreciated.

If there is something you can offer for free, do it. Small gestures like these will make your customers frequently return to you.

8. Focus On Customers Not Sales

Remember one thing, there are no sales without customers, and retaining them is as important as finding new customers. Hence, don’t put all your efforts into marketing and promoting your products or services, but also focus on making the customer experience world-class. Be committed to helping your customers and resolving their issues.

Always thrive to go above and beyond customers expectations.

9. Take Every Feedback Positively

Every feedback you receive from a customer is an opportunity to better understand your company/product. Be it good or bad, accept every feedback with an open mind, and improve yourself based on the feedback.

Negative feedback highlights the holes in your system. So, accept them gracefully and make the required changes in your systems and procedures.

Some customers will be harsh with their feedback but do not argue with them. Listen to their side of the story and then take proper action. If you resolve their issues right there, you have the chance of retaining them.

10. Happy Employees Is Equal To Happy Customers

Often it’s your employees who deal with the customers; thus, it is critical to train your staff. Further, ensure to have healthy relationships with your employees because they are the one’s dealing with customers one-on-one.

Having a happy work environment will help your employees to have the right mindset to handle customers. This will also ensure job satisfaction for your employees.

Great customer service is the backbone of any business. It will help you attract more customers, retain the existing one’s, bring in more revenue, and ultimately scale your business.

Therefore, apply these rules consistently and soon your company will be recognised for great customer service.

And remember, “Treat people, the way you want to be treated.”

Also read:

1) Best Tips for Customer Retention for a Small Business
2) Tips to Understand Your Market while Starting a Small Business
3) Tips for Businesses to Overcome the Covid Blues - Revival Tips for Businesses
4) What are the keys to success when operating a small scale business?
5) OkCredit: All you need to know about OkCredit & how it works.

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FAQs

Q. What contributes to great customer service?

Ans. Being humble, kind, and helpful contributes to great customer service.

Q. What are the examples of great customer service?

Ans. Greeting your customers, appreciating them, offering extra help are examples of great customer service.

Q. What are the benefits of great customer service?

Ans. Great customer service will ensure customer retention.