Customer Service Opportunities
 As I have gotten older, I am much less likely to accept poor customer service from companies I deal with—whether it’s a B2B vendor or a retail store. While there are some companies that offer great service on a consistent basis, others struggle to get all employees on the same page. When companies don’t provide good service, everyone is likely to know about it through local business reviews, social media posts or good-old word of mouth.
Customer service is an area where you can distinguish yourself and your business. Businesses will always have to deal with customer service issues—you may sell a product that has a manufacturing defect or just doesn’t work as advertised or you may miss a due date. You need a plan in place to deal with customer complaints and make things right. Here are some suggestions:
1. Outline a plan to deal with common customer service issues and train all employees. Make sure the process includes clear escalation procedures.
2. Try to avoid making it sound like employees are reading from a script!
3. Empower your employees. Give them specifics on what they are allowed to do to resolve an issue before involving management. In a restaurant, this might be allowing the servers to replace a meal without any questions.
4. Teach employees to listen. Sometimes customers just want someone to empathize with them.
5. Train them on techniques to handle different types of customers—for example, you would approach a “bully” differently than someone who very emotional.
6. Let employees know that they should not accept threatening or abusive behavior from customers and teach them ways to address this if it happens.
Most consumers understand that businesses and employees are not perfect. They are typically willing to give you a chance to correct an issue. Doing so in a timely fashion can cement the customer’s relationship with your business and get them talking about how you solved their problem. It’s an opportunity to turn a consumer who could have given negative press into an advocate for your business.
Looking for speakers on management or leadership issues? Contact The Expert Speakers at or e-mail us at info@theexpertspeakers.com.
Happy halloween
 Looking for a fun idea for Halloween? Check out Myrecipes.com for Halloween recipes and more.
Remember to slow down and watch out for trick or treaters.
Upcoming Events
11/9/11: Free Webinar, 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, Perception vs. Reality: Closing the Gaps to do More Business. Do your clients see your business the way you believe they do? If business has dropped off, you are attracting a different client demographic than expected, or your marketing isn’t working as well as it used to, you may have a “disconnect” between how you see the business and how your clients and prospects do. Attend this free 20-minute webinar to learn how you can determine if this is the case and what to do about it. Jeanne Frazer, marketing expert, speaker and author will host this free web presentation. Click here to register.
For details, please go to our Events page
like or follow us to get free tips + info
We welcome your comments and input. See you there!
|
