Customer service hinges on the professionalism of everyone working within a business, from admin staff in the basement to the smiling servants chatting to customers. A sceptical customer is looking to pick holes in every facet of your company, staring at your staff with the kind of scrutiny usually reserved for police interrogation rooms.
You don’t need to take this writer’s word for it, and we won’t even bore you senseless with customer satisfaction statistics. Just take a look at TripAdvisor. The holiday review site is filled with people who give a one-star review to a hotel because the receptionist didn’t smile enough, or the mint on their pillow wasn’t to their satisfaction.
People are entitled. The reasons for this are difficult to pinpoint. It could be because of the materialist society we’ve all been raised in, the kind of place where the free market reigns supreme and the accumulation of wealth is viewed as the be-all and end-all of society. Perhaps we’re all just a little bit stressed from the vagaries of city living. Whatever the reason, you’ll have to adjust your business accordingly.
The key to great customer service is organisation. If you’re unable to plug up the holes in your service quickly, fussy customers will feast off you like jackals around a starving man in the desert.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with a few simple ways to keep every aspect of your business ticking over without a hitch. Take a look and get prepared.
On the payroll
Nothing kills productivity in your staff than not being paid on time. The more stressed you are, the less likely you’ll be to provide the finest in customer service. It’s like having to smile after you’ve been told something horrific – you’ll just about manage it, but the annoyance within you will show like a liar with a poor poker face.
So you’ll have to ensure your payroll software is up to snuff to keep your employees happy. For our money, Ceridian is your best bet, a high-quality cloud payroll service provider that automates the large majority of admin tasks.
With efficient payroll software, you’ll free up your admin staff, giving them time to focus on the needs of customers. For a small investment, it’s a win-win situation.
On the door
First impressions count – it’s a cliché that’s lasted the ages because it’s eminently true. Without thoughtful and tactful customer service from the off, you’ll receive more negative feedback than Jim Davidson at a Green Party conference.
The first member of staff to meet a client should be the politest and most accommodating person on your team. You’ll avoid plaintive TripAdvisor reviews easily.
