Before we begin this article, take a moment, a little breath, and imagine the ideal customer for your business. It’s a beautiful image, isn’t it? The kind of sight that lingers in your mind’s eye after 14 days of Buddhist meditation.
This smiling, picture perfect customer is ready (and incredibly willing) to part with their cash at a moment’s notice. They chat about the weather while passing you their account number and sort code, allowing you to empty their bank account and watch your company sky rocket into the glistening stratosphere of success.
POP, FZZZZZZZLLLLLLL.
What was that bizarre configuration of letters? Why, that was your perfect vision of your customer exploding and dissolving on contact with reality.
The harsh reality of customer service
Here’s the nub of the matter – while the customer might always be right, that doesn’t make them less of a nightmare to deal with.
Half of them will be perfectly decent human beings, the kind of people you’d gladly share a pint with down the pub. But the other half will be nightmarish, more demanding than Mariah Carey’s rider at the O2 Arena. If you tried to share a pint with these guys, that drink would most likely be thrown in your face.
No matter who you’re dealing with, your commitment to excellence should remain the same. Greet every customer the same and, although you won’t win everyone over, you’ll leave the vast majority of customers satisfied.
With this is mind, we’ve compiled this must-read list to help you increase the quality of your customer service. They might even help you deal with the trickiest customer.
Monitor your sales performance
If you’re judicious in your recruitment processes, the staff in your organisation are presumably excellent. But even the most talented worker has some room for improvement.
To help them maintain a high standard, we recommend sales performance software which can provide effective and comprehensive feedback to you and your employees. Our favourite software option is provided by Precision Feedback, which comes with a wide range of support options. Give it a look.
Look to the future
The future is a murky and mysterious place. And in the business world, it can sometimes feel almost impossible to forecast what’s just around the corner for your company’s profit margins.
That doesn’t make future-proofing a pipedream. While everything will become outdated eventually, your company can benefit hugely by investing in the latest technology, not least because the shock of the new can be enough to impress certain customers.
Whether you’re purchasing a souped-up, shiny coffee machine for the coffee shop you own, or upgrading the GUI on your insurance company’s website, a rapid injection of new technology will make your business look like it’s got its finger on the pulse.
Add a little extra
Even the grumpiest customer loves a freebie, and you don’t have to push the boat out to impress them.
Everywhere from coffee shops to adhesive companies offer loyalty schemes, giving you an increasing number of rewards if you purchase regularly from them. You’ve probably got a magazine’s worth of paper in your wallet offering you a free coffee if you buy seven choc-o-nut lattes or something.
These systems are ubiquitous for a reason – they work. They gamify your business, and instil a sense of brand loyalty within customers who might otherwise take their business elsewhere. If you don’t already, implement a loyalty scheme for your customers today.
And that’s the end of our list. Is there anything we might have missed? Have you got any customer service tips you’re burning to share with us? Then let us know in the comments below.
