Because we’re avoiding Jeremy’s (@jtwatkin) 5 Customer Service Lumps Of Coal, we might as well offer what the good boys and girls get from Santa, right?
While the gift of a working service is ideal for your customers, there are many intangible things behind the service itself to really tie the bow on the box.
Here are 5 Gifts For Your Customers this holiday season:
The Gift Of Empathy
There is something very magical in wearing the shoes of another person. You understand their situation as if it were happening to you, which fuels you to push to resolve it. When the gift of genuine empathy is given to your customers about their frustrations and issues, you’re able to make a connection with your customer and build trust.
The Gift Of Positivity
Not all situations are peaches and cream. Sometimes, they just flat out suck. But, how can you take the lemons you were given and make lemonade? With one special ingredient: positivity! Shining a light at the end of the tunnel for your customers is a gift that will guide them even more than just your conversation on the phone–they carry this with them throughout the rest of their day, week, month and even year. The positivity you give to your customer (and we’re not talking cheesy positivity–we’re talking honest to goodness let’s look at the real bright side options here) spans from their mouths to the ears of others who may also need this dose.
The Gift Of Connection
Empathy allows you to make a connection with your customers. And, once that connection is made, you have made an impact in this person’s life. And that is the gift that keeps on giving, even if it is something as simple as fixing their cable connection, phone service or directing them to the manilla envelopes in the store.
The Gift Of Ownership
There is power in ownership–when you can see the issue for what it is, claim it as your own and do your absolute best to resolve it. The customer builds trust through you–even if you don’t solve the problem. You become the beacon of light in following up with the customer, assuring them that the issue is being worked on and they are given honest answers about what is happening.
The Gift Of Empowerment
While it’s a beautiful thing for you to solve every customer issue, there’s also something even more beautiful: showing the customer how to help themselves through empowerment. Now, I don’t mean being rude about it and telling them to go do it on their own. I mean, holding their hand a bit longer, walking them through the steps and then letting them take off the floaties and dive into deep water when they are ready to do so.