In any industry, customer service is the backbone of all success. From manufacturing companies to sales firms, all progress of the company relies on the clients or customers being serviced. Yet, too many companies do not fully understand how to treat those funding their organization. I recently came across an article entitled “Maybe You Get Bad Customer Service because You’re a Bad Customer.” Fair statement, right? There are definitely clients that are difficult to manage. Ultimately, how can anyone who is helping run your business be put into such a negative category?
There are some key aspects of customer service that every organization ought to understand and implement in the forebrain of their employees:
Active Listening: How well do you listen to and understand the needs of your clients or customers? How often do you assume you know what they need before they even tell you? Too often, you get similar situations arise very often, and in each scenario assume that this situation is the same. What if you are wrong? How would that make your client feel?
Engagement: What does your organization do to make the customer feel valued and understood? Do you ever reach out to your customers with a questionnaire or customer service satisfaction survey? How much of an effort do you make to understand areas of improvement?
Repetition: Although tedious, it is often very important to repeat the customer’s concerns back to them. When you are forced to repeat what the customer has told you, you are forced to listen, discovery, and clarify any additional problems or concerns.
There is also a famous video by Bob Farrell in which he talks about his earlier days as an entrepreneur, in which he received an eye-opening letter. Bob Farrell founded Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour and Restaurant. The letter was from a long-time customer that always ordered the same sandwich and the same side of pickles. One time, the waitress told him that she was sorry, but she would have to charge him .75 cents for the pickle. Afterwards, the motto of the restaurant became “Just give the customer the pickle!”
Is this a motto we are all following? How does your business measure up in terms of client care and customer service? If every personnel department actively developed their employees in the above mentioned criteria, more success, happiness, and satisfaction would result in every organization.