You know the feeling. You enter a business with a customer service need and you feel yourself tensing up. Why? You?ve become so accustomed to a bad experience that you?re actually holding your breath.
What?s wrong:
- Employees don?t know their own advertised special;
- There?s a problem with the computer;
- The only person who can help you is on vacation;
- The employee just doesn’t seem to care about your needs.
You?ve come looking for solutions and resolution and instead you get other people’s problems. No wonder your body tries cut off your supply of oxygen.
Maybe you are a part a part of a well run organization. But don’t think that you’re untouched by other company’s customer service problems.
Think of it like the person who starts dating someone new. He or she is not just dating the new person but also all of the new person’s prior partners (especially the bad ones). Our experiences in love and customer service have a cumulative effect on us.
Let’s Clear the Path so your customers can breathe easy when they need your help.
Be the Expert: Make sure your front line employees are the first to know when a policy changes. They should not be surprised that a sale has ended, a warranty has changed, or a product is no longer available.
Become Vacation/Emergency Proof: If one person knows how to do something, then you are tempting fate. Eventually that person will go on vacation or be called away on a family emergency. You have to either handcuff this person to his or her desk or make sure their knowledge is shared with others.
Anticipate the Customer’s Needs: If there’s complex, fine print on your offer, don’t be surprised if people come in confused about the terms. If it’s a sneaky attempt to get people in the door and disappoint them with a less desirable offer, then make sure your team has a good argument for why you’re still the best choice. Don’t just rely on inconvenience being the reason people follow through and buy from you.
Make Adjustments: If three or more people have the same problem, it’s probably a trend. Something is wrong and it may not be your fault. Stop worrying about the blame and instead come up with a solution that will reassure your customer that he or she made the right choice to do business with you.
Bottom Line: Boosting your sales and retaining your customers needs an ongoing commitment to making sure they can exhale.
With the holidays fast approaching, here are some important tips from the video vault:
