Improve Customer Service Levels
Customer service is an elusive and sought after thing. We all know when the service we receive doesn’t match up to what we had hoped for or expect. Taking that in to consideration what are you doing to improve you own levels of customer service to the people who do business with you?
Before heading down that path look at improved service levels can mean, long term customers, referrals, loyalty to you or your brand. company, and oh incase you were wondering in many cases you can increase your margin and or sales just by delivering premium levels of customer service.
It is a simple concept starting with what expectations have you set, have you verified with the customer that those are their expectations as well? A case in hand is if you think calling a person back with the answer in the morning is it good enough make sure they think that is good enough as well. What if they say no – well it comes to down to communication. The real key to great customer service.
If you can meet their goal now that you know it tell them so. If you can’t explain why for example the resource you need is un available until later in the day or it will take a little time to find the right answer.
Once that is established then give. Try to get the answer and if something happens along the way the changes it communicate it to them as soon as they know. Once upon a time I was working with a company and sitting in an office where a group of highly skilled support personal sat. I listened to the phone ring while these eight guys and gals bickered about who was going to take the call. Rather than just answering it. The manager sat knee deep in technical manuals researching answers. To earlier questions, finally someone picked up the phone took down about 30 seconds of information and said I’ll get back to you in the morning. It was before noon.
This organization had a challenge with their service levels that had been ongoing for years. I asked what the problem was ad they explained it to me So how do you find an answer. We look it up. I knew enough about the business to know it was a relatively easy question so I asked in the room how do you put a flux capacitor ion the time machine. Three people called out the solutions and where to find the documentation. The customer got a call back in 10 minutes because rather than going on a wild goose chase the team in question used their resources.
Have you structured your own behavior to match the service levels you want to deliver. Do you respond to your own internal clients and organization in the same manner that you want your own customers responded to. Do you go out of your way to make their lives easier, to help them with their goals and objectives and to understand what challenges they face and then work with them and your own customers to resolves and improve those challenges.
Do you have a personal commitment of how long it will take you to return a call. Prepare a quote and find an answer and then track and live up to it, all along the way looking for ways to improve it. Have you created a culture of customer service around you in everything you do and every person you talk to that is clear.
Are you focused on your customers needs and wants and not the easy answer, not always the fast answer but the right answer? It is easy to make great efforts to take care of favorite accounts and respond to hot prospects but how often do you strive to understand the average customer’s needs and make you service stand out from there.
