Top Ten Customer Service Tips
There are many companies that deliver all ten key customer service attributes to be an organisation that people will buy from time and again. If you want to benchmark your company against the top ten pointers for customer service, then read on.
Here are the top ten reasons why customers come back time and again to great companies:
1. Understanding Customers: The famous saying: ‘You’ve got two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as hard!’ Great companies don’t sell what they make, they listen to the needs of the customer to see what they want. They are also honest about if they can offer the productor service the customer wants. Otherwise, the customer will take their custom elsewhere next time.
Understanding the customer's needs, concerns, and emotions is crucial, whilst empathising with customers and showing that they care about their experience, all of which can make a huge difference.
2. Responsiveness: Speed is of the essence, and with today’s tech, seconds maybe be critical to good or bad customer service. Promptly addressing customer inquiries, issues, or complaints is essential. Customers appreciate timely responses and solutions to their problems. This means that whatever channel the customer wishes to speak to you through must be available.
3. Clear Communication: Effective communication is vital in providing great customer service. Providing clear and concise information and ensuring that customers understand the steps that are being taken to assist them is vital to all successful companies. Communications have always come in all shapes and sizes and today’s channels are more diverse than ever, and importantly not all are high tech. Picking up the phone, speaking in person – hearing a reassuring voice, or seeing a smile, are still the best ways to communicate in any age. However, today’s businesses need to talk to customers through multiple channels. Obvious channels are common, such as email and phone, but good companies also use feedback forms, portals and probably the most important channel these days, WhatsApp. A quarter of the world’spopulation communicates through WhatsApp, and every good customer-orientated firm should consider using it professionally for good customer service.
4. Product Knowledge: People buy products that makes their lives better in some way. That’s the reason for considering a brand and company. It stands to reason that all staff require in-depth knowledge about the products or services the company offers. Accurate information about products, including pre- and after sales service is crucial to customer loyalty. Customers highly value dealing with knowledgeable staff who can answer their questions and offer guidance, when necessary. These attributes build consumer/company relationships. Not all staff and companies consider this to be imperative!
5. Problem-Solving Skills: All customers are different and therefore see a product slightly differently. Their questions and issues are not all the same. So good customer service representatives need to consider the issues and interests of a customer and think on their feet. Being able to immediately identify and resolve customer issues is a hallmark of great customer service. This may involve finding creative solutions, going beyond the straightforward to meet customer needs, and taking ownership of problems until they are resolved.
6. Personalisation: Tailoring the customer experience to individual preferences and needs can leave a lasting positive impression. This can include addressing customers by name, remembering their preferences, and offering personalized recommendations or solutions. The personal touch will make an amazing difference to a company’s success.
7. Consistency: Providing consistently high levels of service across all customer interactions builds trust and loyalty. Customers should receive the same level of attention and care whether they are interacting with a company through all retail and communications channels. Trust is built through consistency.
8. Respect and Professionalism: Treating customers with respect, courtesy, and professionalism is fundamental to great customer service. Even in challenging situations, maintaining a positive and respectful demeanour creates and maintains a positive customer experience. It may come as a surprise to a company that some staff do not follow this mantra, but it really is an issue.
9. Seeking Feedback: Actively seeking and listening to customer feedback allows businesses to maintain and improve their products, services, and customer service processes. Customers appreciate when their opinions are valued and acted upon. It is probably the most under-used element of good customer service.
10. Going the Extra Mile: Going above and beyond to exceed customer expectations leaves a lasting impression on customers.Through offering additional assistance these efforts make customers feel valued and appreciated.
These ten principles are universal in leading companies. At Hudson Kapel we naturally abide by these attributes. We employ staff that instinctively follow these philosophies. Customer service is paramount throughout the organisation. Service always comes with a smile, regardless of the type of customer. We think this is why so many trade buyers buy used vans from our online Auctions. Hudson Kapel run a weekly, online closed auction for salvage commercial vehicles, and have recently launched a new live auction for commercial light vans.
If you are interested in buying a used van, then the place to go is www.hkr.co.uk.