Is Your Business Focused on Customer Service?

Customer service means many different things to different people. We all have our personal expectations of what we want or expect from those we do business with. Often these expectations are based on experience…either our own, or that of others whose opinions we respect.

Most often, one deals with customer service only when something is wrong; such as late deliveries, items broken in shipment, improper installation, etc. And frequently, regardless of how you were spoken to, and the methods used to placate you or to right the wrong, you are satisfied if the problem is fixed, and dissatisfied if it is not.

Therefore, it is much easier to define “bad” customer service than “good” customer service. Generally, when a customer is ignored by a salesperson, especially when she is chatting with another employee or talking on the phone, that customer is not going to have anything nice to say about that store. If he is dining in a nice restaurant and finds a bug in his salad, the manager had best come up with more than a fresh salad if he ever wants to see this guy again.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that most people remember a bad experience far longer than a pleasant one. And each time they relay the story to friends and acquaintances, it will get bigger and nastier, until a number of people won’t even shop at that establishment. Making your customer feel important, welcome, and comfortable is what it is all about. Do not lie to them; they will be far more receptive to an honest “I don’t know…let me find out that information and get back to you as soon as possible.”

Let’s face it, when we are disappointed in a purchase we’ve made, and are struggling to describe the problem and control our tempers at the same time, it does not help to be dealing with an unsmiling, unsympathetic, and condescending customer service representative!

With the economy the way it is today, it isn’t easy to part with a buck to buy the necessities of life, let alone games, toys, and luxuries. Congenial, knowledgeable, and helpful sales people and customer service employees go a long way to ease the pain of spending. Attitude is everything. To get return business, you don’t want customers that regret having spent the money!

Tell us about how your business is focused on customer service …