Many businesses have realized that quality customer care tips can be used to achieve sustained growth. Quality customer care not only helps a business entity to retain existing customers, but also plays a crucial role in attracting new clients. There are many things that a business entity will do to ensure that customers feel like a valuable and integral part of the business.
The overall goal is to make customers realize that the business entity recognizes them as individuals.
5 Effective Customer Care Tips
1. A happy employee gives quality customer service
Employers should realize that when their employees are unhappy while on the job, customers are not likely to get quality service. There are basically two sets of issues that must be addressed if employees are to be happy while at work. The first set can be referred to as the perks of the job and are defined by the answers to the following questions:
- What is the pay?
- What are the benefits?
- What shows am appreciated?
The second set of issues is known as workplace interaction. The workplace has its hierarchy and employees interact with other employees in their pay grade as well as those above and below them. These interactions are defined by the answers to the following questions:
- How do superiors treat their juniors?
- How do colleagues treat each other?
Perks of the Job
The perks that a job offers do influence the attitude of an employee while on the job. For instance if employees are getting low wages, have few or no benefits and their efforts are not appreciated, then they will be dissatisfied with job. Dissatisfaction prevents employees from putting any effort to serve customers better. However if employees are getting high wages, get several benefits, and the extra effort they put into their work is acknowledge and rewarded, then the employees will be happy. This means that nothing will prevent employees from putting extra effort to better serve customers.
Workplace Interactions
The nature of the interaction between different levels in the workplace hierarchy also has a great impact on the quality of customer care. The most critical factor in the relationship is how a business entity’s top management treats those immediately below them.
This is because the example set by top management is repeated down the hierarchy to the lowest level. If the top management treats senior management with contempt, rudeness and threats, this will be repeated at each level. The lowest level which is composed of the employees in direct contact with customers will get the blunt of the abuse. These employees will not be in a position to offer even the standard service to customer.
2. Frequent and repeat customers are king
There is no greater way of showing appreciation to a customer than calling them by their name. A simple greeting, especially using a customer’s name, is enough to guarantee complete loyalty. Although it is not possible to know the name of each and every customer, a business entity should have a policy that requires employees to know the names of repeat and frequent customers. The policy should also require that all interaction with these customers should be reasonably prioritized and be always polite in nature. This will ensure repeat becomes loyal customers and frequent customer remains loyal. This is one of the best customer care tips that has always been overlooked.
3. The extra mile is key
Customers will always note and appreciate any extra effort of employees to serve them better. This is regardless of how small the effort might seem to the employee. Each and every effort made by employees to offer better customer service should by appreciated and rewarded by the management. The appreciating need not be material in nature and in most cases a simple commendation is enough.
However when the extra effort is consistent and/or surpasses any other similar gestures, then public recognition should be made. For instance a photo of the employee noting the exemplary customer service can be hang at a visible and accessible location. A business entity should come with a system designed to recognize and reward employees giving quality customer service.
4. Respond positively to praise and criticism
Many businesses can lose loyal customers from just a single event in which the customer received a negative response for a criticism made. It should become company policy that the customer is always right. Even in a situation where it is beyond doubt that the customer is wrong, the employee(s) engaged with the customer should avoid stating this bluntly.
Instead everything should be done to ensure that the customer does not leave with any ill feelings. This should be done even when appeasing the customer, ends up causing the business to lose some revenue. It is better to pay a small price than to lose the revenue that a single loyal customer can bring to the business.
5. Seek the customers’ point of view
A business entity exists to serve its customer the source of all its revenue. This is why the business should always factor in the customers’ opinion when making all decisions. It does not matter how small the decision is because all decisions tend to have a ripple effect all the way to the customer. The customer should be provided with both an anonymous and direct means of not only making their complaints and criticism known, but of also making recommendations, compliments and suggestion.
A good example of an anonymous method is the use of a suggestion box. The box should be located at a secluded point which is also devoid of visible surveillance. A box can be provided at the chosen location. The suggestion box should be checked on a daily basis. Anonymity will guarantee the authenticity of a customer’s comments as well as making it possible to immediately detect problems that negatively affect the customers.
The most common direct method is through the manager whose duties include addressing a customer’s complaints, recommendations and suggestions. The manager should always be accessible at all times. Any business entity making use of the above customer care tips is guaranteed of sustained exponential growth.
