Today, when customers call a major company or even a smaller business, they often not surprised to be placed on hold for an extended time or given the runaround. Customers telephone businesses and are often not surprised to find that they have to refer to themselves by customer number or explain in detail what the problem is — because the person on the other and has no idea who they are or what they’re looking for. Customers who received superlative customer service — customer service does not meet these parameters but instead provides an old-fashioned person-to-person interaction — are often very impressed and are more willing to do business with that company again.
Think about it: would you rather be on hold for 10 minutes and then be asked your customer number before you’re asked your name, or would you rather that someone calls you by name and refers to your last order as well as your last e-mail interaction with the company? If you want to astound your customers with excellent customer service that will keep them coming back, consider these tactics:
1) Provide something for new customers or repeat customers. A small gift, a discount, a funny magnet they can stick on your fridge (with your logo and contact information on it, of course) are all very small and inexpensive gifts to give, but they can make a positive impression on your customers.
2) If you have a brick-and-mortar business, get ready to greet customers by name. If a customer calls to say that they will be dropping by your bricks and mortar location for more help, ask that person their name, and add their name and information to your Relenta CRM contacts. Then, inform your staff who will be dropping by, and what they’re looking for. Place a small sign in the window welcoming the new customer and address them by name when they come in. It will surprise them to get this sort of personalized attention, making them far more likely to return to do business with you again in the future.
3) Don’t be afraid to refer your customers to related companies. Just because you don’t own a specific company, that does not mean that you cannot refer customers that way. If you cannot offer something a customer needs, consider giving them the name of a competitor who does provide that service or product. Yes, it can be painful, but in fact you will be building up a good rapport that may make the customer return when he or she does need a product or service that you do offer.
4) Guarantee your product or your services. It is the best way to ensure that customers feel comfortable buying your product or services. With a management tool such as Relenta CRM, you can easily keep track of orders placed, and possible problems.
5) Get serious about complaints. Be gracious in accepting them and treat them like valuable pieces of information — that is exactly what they are. Complaints may seem like challenges, but there actually opportunities to establish customer loyalty and improve your company overall. Use technology such as Relenta CRM to track complaints and use these when planning your future business.
6) Take care of your appearance. Your bricks and mortar office should be clean and pleasant. Your online image should also be attractive. Your e-mails should be well written and should look professional, as should your newsletters and web site. If you need help in that department, use technology such as Relenta CRM to automatically send attractive looking e-mails from each department of your company.
