Good customer service and relationships are essential for every business, no matter how big or small. In this blog post, we give you some tips for managing effective customer service and why it’s so important.
The provision of excellent customer service is critical to every business. We all know the golden rules: “Go the extra mile”, “The customer is always right” & “First impressions last”. However, every aspect of the business needs to adhere to these principles. Provision of outstanding customer service is not the preserve of those working in a Customer Service Department, it needs to permeate throughout an organisation. It brings to mind Eamonn Dunphy’s famous quote, rather than strive for “good” customer service each company should be aiming for “great” customer service.
How to Build Customer Relations
No matter what size or business sector your company is, it is vital to maintain regular contact with your existing clients and to also find ways of finding new clients. There are many ways of doing this but our top 5 include:
- Selling to existing customers is much easier than finding new ones. Advising clients of new products and services and giving them loyalty discounts will entice them to return to your company rather than go to a competitor. The well-renowned Feargal Quinn used to refer to this as the ‘boomerang principle.
- Arrange regular face-to-face meetings with your top clients. This will keep you abreast of how their business is progressing and the possibility of foreseeing any difficulties or opportunities down the line.
- Ask for honest feedback — We sometimes make the assumption that unless we receive a complaint we are doing a good job. It is often a good idea to ask customers to fill in a customer service survey or ask for feedback via a till receipt or on your website. This feedback is valuable as it may indicate a problem which you may not otherwise have been aware of.
- Make it personal — People like to feel their business is valued and a personal ‘thank you for your business may seem old-fashioned but it is an effective tool in building relationships. If you can remember your client’s product preferences this also helps customer loyalty as they feel their custom is valued.
- Networking is essential if you aim to stay in touch with your business network and potential clients. There are plenty of business organisations, both online and face-to-face, which should be explored. Attending events regularly will ensure you are well positioned to get those valuable sales leads for new clients and stay in touch with your existing customers and business contacts.
Why Good Customer Relations Is So Important?
There is a lot of competition for business nowadays and if a company wants to stand out from it’s competitors, it needs to differentiate itself in some way. In an era where our interactions (both business and personal) are increasingly online, devising and developing a customer relations strategy is critical to the success of every business.
One should never underestimate the value of the personal touch, and training your employees to interact in a professional and friendly way with your customers is time well spent. Human interaction is what people value most and building on these relationships is what brings people back to the businesses they like to support. Most people want to deal with other human beings in preference to a machine and this presents an opportunity for you and your employees to consistently engage with your customers.
Personal interaction with your clients is also an opportunity to deal with any dissatisfaction your clients may have with your product or service. Inevitably, during the course of business, there will be times when you or your co-workers will have to deal with rude or angry customers. It is very important that these situations are anticipated and that each employee knows how to handle such scenarios. At Kendlebell, we find that simply listening and giving the customer the opportunity to vent their frustration is the best way of initially addressing the problem and once they see that you acknowledge their point of view and promise to deal with it, the situation will diffuse.
If you want to know about the customer service we offer, give us a call on 1800 848 666 or visit our contact page.
