Without your customers, you don’t have a business to manage and run. It’s essential that you put time and energy into keeping them happy and that they feel valued.
It’s not only about you doing so but also that your employees do as well. You can achieve this goal by creating a more customer-centric culture at your business. If you’re ready to make a change and improve in this area then learn eight ways to make customer service a bigger priority at your business so you can increase sales and satisfaction scores.
1. Have Multiple Touchpoints
Make customer service a bigger priority at your business by offering multiple touchpoints and channels to get in contact with you. It’s not enough to just have a phone number or email listed. You must also consider opening up the lines of communication through social media or by adding live support chat to your website. You can visit this website to learn more about the benefits and how to get started. The more options you have for getting in contact with your support staff the happier your clients are going to be. It’s all about creating a certain level of convenience and then ensuring you’re there and available to respond.
2. Implement Policies & Procedures
Another way to make customer service a bigger priority at your business is to implement policies and procedures when it comes to serving your customers. You want to ensure each person you encounter is treated fairly and with respect. It’s essential that you’re consistent with your responses and solutions and that each customer who comes to you with an issue feels like it was handled appropriately. Set goals, clarify your mission, and then make sure that your policies and procedures support these.
3. Train Your Employees
Invest in customer service and your employees to make it a bigger priority at your business. Train your employees and make sure they know what your expectations are in this area. Training is a great way to give them the skills and knowledge they need to better serve your customers and a time to ask and answer any questions that are top of mind. Focus on not only confirming they know what to say to customers and how to problem-solve but also that they understand your products in detail. They’ll need to be able to effectively communicate over a variety of channels and provide educational and appropriate knowledge in some cases.
4. Be Diligent about Following up
Be diligent about follow-ups as another way to make customer service a bigger priority at your business. You can’t push calls and concerns aside for another day and hope for the best. You must address these comments and questions right away and show that you care by responding to your customers quickly. If you don’t have the answer for them immediately then let them know you will look into it and be clear about when they can expect to hear from you again. Keep your word by following up even if you need more time.
5. Solicit Feedback from Customers
You can ensure your customers are a top priority at your business by giving them a voice. Solicit feedback from customers regularly and let them know you care about what they have to say. Provide several outlets and feedback loops so it’s easy for them to let you know what’s on their mind. This type of feedback is going to help you improve your business and operations and products in the long run. What you’re trying to do is figure out if your company is meeting, exceeding, or failing to meet your customer’s expectations and needs. When you use the feedback appropriately and to your advantage, then you’ll be able to increase sales and improve your service overall. Take advantage of negative feedback by making it a point to do better in the future.
6. Check-in with Clients
Communication is key to being able to offer better and more readily available customer service options. Make it a bigger priority at your business by checking in with clients often. Reach out and let them know that you see them and that you value the relationship. It might be that you do so by picking up the phone or sending out an email or text to check-in. Getting in touch might also be an opportunity to get to know your customers better and their interests and buying habits. You want to keep the lines of communication open and make certain that your customers don’t feel forgotten or unappreciated. It’s also a good time to let your customers know about referral programs you’re offering in case they want to let their friends or family know about their experience working with you
7. Remember to Say Thank You
Saying thank you goes a long way in any type of business. Make customer service a bigger priority at your company by remembering to always thank your customers for their time and purchases. It may be that you have a customer appreciation event every year, send cards in the mail, or personal emails out to let each person know that you value their business. Keep in mind that you can never thank them too much and that they’ll be more likely to return when they know that you don’t take them for granted or view them as another sale.
8. Find Ways to Go Above & Beyond
It’s always in your best interest to go the extra mile and exceed expectations whenever possible. Make customer service a bigger part of your business and a priority by finding ways to go above and beyond. When you have this approach and mindset you can turn a stressful or bad experience into a positive one. You must be able to turn a situation around for the better and show your customers that you’ll do what it takes to ensure they are satisfied and pleased with your service. Even if they weren’t happy initially, they may change their minds and come back again in the future because of the way you were able to make them feel and that you solved the problem beyond what they had hoped.
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To your success,
Vinh Van Lam & Stuart Horrex
Your Coaches ArtSHINE industries
