Customers are at the heart of your business, and if they are not happy and content, you will know about it. This may mean you receive negative feedback, or it may mean you lose customer numbers. Improving customer service and setting standards should, therefore, be something that you focus on. So, what does great customer service look like, and what elements must it contain?
Evaluating the Current Customer Service Approach
To begin with, you must look at evaluating the current customer service you have in place. How are you approaching customer service and care, and what are you doing? When you can evaluate what is great (and not so good), you then have something to build upon. What protocols and approaches do you have in place? Are you reaching out to customers and are you listening to them? Are you welcoming feedback (positive or negative)? Evaluating what you are doing will then help you move forwards with plans.
Looking at Other Industries and Learning
Moving forwards with plans is often easier to do if you can look (and learn) from other industries. For example, you can look at industries that are not even connected to yours, to see what they are doing, and what impact it has on customers and customer service. For instance, you can start understanding the air transport industry customers and seeing what they expect and want, as they can be more demanding than those in other industries. Or, you can start understanding what hospitality customers expect and want. When you look at other industries, you learn you can then create a sustainable approach within your own business. You can start setting standards, and of course, working towards them.
Listening to Your Customers and Clients
To understand more about how you can give great customer service each time, you must listen to your customers. Reach out to them regularly, and find out what they need and want. When you can listen to your customers you can then see where you have gaps in your existing approach. For example, customer feedback may well tell you that they do not feel you are connecting with them enough. It may also tell you that you are using the wrong channels to communicate with them.
Personalize Service Where You Can
Setting the standard in customer service can mean that you have to look at personalizing what you do. This may mean that you personalize how you contact customers, or it may mean you personalize elements of your customer service approach. When customers feel that something is more tailored and suited to them, they will come back for repeat business, and they will speak fondly of your business and your customer service. This will, of course, be beneficial to building your business brand and reputation.
Exceeding Customer Expectations
At all times, you should be aiming to exceed customer expectations. If you are not exceeding expectations, you are simply offering mediocre service and this will not set any sort of standard. To exceed customer expectations you need to put yourself in the position of a customer, and think about what you would want to see or experience.
Originally posted 2023-01-05 13:37:36.
