Since customers are not loyal by nature, customer service representatives need to master the art of retaining them. Research has shown that people base their buying decisions on emotion. A sales representative needs to connect with their customers on an emotional level in order to create a strong bond with them. It is five times more difficult to win a new customer than to keep an existing one.
These are the top tips that will help you pinpoint the key elements of delivering excellent customer service every time.
Tip #1 Hire the Right Employees
You want employees that understand your customer and your company’s vision. You need the right people to begin with to avoid losing customers. One thing you should do is study what the company’s mission and culture is. From there, you will better figure out who the right fit would be to sell your product or service.
Tip #2 Focus On Service Above All
Before meeting sales quotas, delivering excellent customer service should always be the top goal for every sales associate. Customers remember the companies that treat them like they matter. If a buyer feels comfortable at a store, they will be very likely to return there again. Repeat purchasing is what every company needs to succeed.
Tip #3 Special Interactions Encourage Customers to Return
When a sales representative goes above and beyond what a customer asks, they will remember the interaction. You can develop rapport with a buyer by showing interest in their needs and desires. Ask them how they are doing, validate what they are purchasing to make them feel good, and ask if they need help with anything else. Smile and make them feel like they could come back and feel welcome.
People remember when a sales person shows that they care about them and they are six times more likely to return to a company based on an emotional bond over a rational, thought out process. Your business will stand out when you treat your customers better than the others.
Tip #4 Exceed Customer Expectations
The best way to exceed a customer’s expectations is to have them leave feeling better than they did when they first walked into your store. Let customers know how to care for their purchase, tell them about special offers or discounts. Offering a client something free with their purchase makes them feel special. After answering all their questions, give them more helpful tips or suggestions. This shows them that you are willing to help and they will more comfortable with their purchase. Treat them as you would treat a guest in your home.
Tip #5 Always Remember the Five P’s of Customer Service
1. Process
Customer satisfaction should be the goal for every company. Always provide the best service possible, without waiting for the customer to ask. Show each customer the value of the product or service they are buying. Offer warranties at every interaction to show the focus on customer’s needs and it demonstrates the quality of a product.
2. Product
Focusing on the performance of a product is the most important thing when speaking with a customer about what they are seeking to buy. Tailor it to what they need by asking questions and obtaining their input. Let them know how reliable or simple it is to use.
Features are the secondary portion of a product. They will attract a customer’s desire to buy something when you can show how it will benefit them. People love hearing about convenient or helpful extras when they are buying something.
3. Presentation
Present the product or service professionally. Allow the customer to physically handle the product, if applicable, or tell them a scenario that applies to their individual situation to personalize the presentation. If you show the product to the customer in a way that makes them feel like they are the most important person to you at the moment, it will make all the difference.
4. Price
Showing your customers value for the money helps put the price into perspective for them. Prices should always be competitive and the product or service should include something unique or special to justify the cost.
5. People
This is the most important one to remember. Business is all about people. Treating a customer like they matter will humanize the buying process, which creates a bond between you and them. Remember to treat each customer like they are a V.I.P client and they will not forget it.
There are always other options to deliver perfect customer service. Self-Service may be the answer. Tools like WalkMe that guide users through their simple tasks, in real time can enable and encourage self-service and add a much needed tool to the customer service multi-channel support. It shows a company cares, and shows that they are working to make the service perfect.
Telcos’ have an ecosystem that is on its own. Though some of the issues are unique to them, many of the issues and how they are dealt with are universal to all customer service. Following these tips and best practices and referring to my past articles, you will succeed and create loyalty from your customers that will last forever.
Great list, You all mentioned all the important list to deliver perfect customer service but I think #1 Hire the Right Employees is the most important thing once you hire the right person to your company everything will follows. We make sure that we have standard qualification on hiring employees for them to be aware for the task to be given to them and no need for deep training. Thank you for sharing..