Okay, before we go into the ins and outs of improving your customer service, I want to ask you a question. A serious question. One that could, coincidentally, inspire you to chime in below and let us know, because…well, because we really want to know!
What am I talking about? I’m talking about how much time each week you spend catching up on the latest news in the business world. Do you scout the headlines every morning? Every other morning? Religiously sit down and devour the business section of your local paper?
Studies show that the most successful companies in the world are the ones that encourage their employees to keep up on current events, which is precisely what inspired this particular blog post.
When I was sitting down with my coffee this morning and scanning to check out the day’s headlines I stumbled on an article titled, “Customer Service isn’t Dead After All”…or something to that effect. The topic? The importance of good customer service for the continued life, health and happiness of your business!
One of my favorite quotes came from a small business owner who stated, “It’s easy to get busy being busy.” There are never enough hours in a day to get done everything we need to get done. As a result, we end up trying to cram 27-28 hours’ worth of work, projects and social interactions into a 24 hour day. That means things get rushed, and our customers don’t always get the personal, one-on-one attention they deserve-the personal attention you promised them when you sent out those direct mail marketing pieces we talked about earlier this week!
How do you keep your customer service from slipping so your customers keep coming back for more? Just follow these 5 simple steps to see a guaranteed improvement in your employees, your business and the reputation your company earns for customer service:
1) Educate your employees. Nothing leads to bad service like service people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Make sure any employee interacting with your customers knows all of the ins and outs of your products, and make sure every employee knows where to go for answers when they don’t (whether it’s their job or not).
2) Stay adequately staffed. Leaving 2 service people to try and do 3 people’s jobs is an instant recipe for disaster. They’re going to be so rushed trying to do everything they need to do in a day that they’ll never have time to give your customers the personalized customer service they deserve.
3) Don’t be afraid to host a customer service training program. Encourage your employees to actively expand their education when it comes to pleasing your customers. Role playing, seminars and yes, articles/blogs like this one will go a long way in helping smooth the rough edges of their customer service skills. While you’re at it, why not teach them all of those upselling skills you wish they’d come with in the first place?
4) Employee autonomy isn’t a 4 letter word. Customer service is most effective when your customers don’t have to sit around waiting for management to give the A-OK. Give your employees a certain amount of latitude to make their own decisions. Within reason.
5) Always keep a back-up on board. Waiting tables and washing dishes paid my way through college, and I can’t count how many times in those very, very long years I stepped in to help a co-worker when a customer was tap dancing on their very last nerve. Always have someone ready and able to step in when you’ve got an employee that needs a time out. It might seem self-defeating, but I promise: It’s all for the best.