Quality Customer Service and the ‘WOW’Factor

Everywhere one shops today they can find examples of bad customer service support, and this is also true when dealing with companies over the phone. It seems like it’s not hard to find bad service in almost every aspect of business.  I have to ask myself why this is, and the answer I come across quite frequently is that businesses feel that quantity is more important than quality; however, I disagree.

Unfortunately, many companies fail in providing quality customer service simply because they overlook that a quality service program, that measures their product and/or service, needs to be in place to assure that their customers will become returning customers. Poor quality customer service, as well as exceptional customer service, stands out when a large portion of a business  with a customers face-to face or over the phone.

According to Up Your Service, “Elementary logic and practical customer care are the best rules to use in many situations.” Many companies do what they feel is best for their customers; however, all companies need to be flexible and change their rules and regulations if they don’t make sense to their customers. “If you can see logic where your customers cannot, it’s not your customers’ sight that needs refocusing”, as noted by Up Your Service. We all need to be open-mined to this concept.

While there are many things that can be done to achieve a high level of customer service, here are a few things that all small businesses should do to make a difference from their customer’s point of view:

1)    Be engaged with your customer

All customers like to know that they are being listened to. The customer you are dealing with at that particular moment should be the most important customer over any other customer. Does it really matter if they end up buying anything? It would be nice but it really does not matter. By treating the customer as the most important it could lead to a future sale, or even better yet, maybe another future sale from another customer due to the referral from the original customer.

2)    Use the customer’s name

Everyone likes to be treated personally, like a human being. There are rules to this and they do differ from culture to culture. Depending on the culture of your business, it could be using professional titles with their last name or it could be using first names, but it is important to use your customer’s name.

3)    Show reasonable interest with your customer

In other words, stay professional and interested at all times. You need to leave your customer with confidence that their needs will be met based on your interaction with them.

The bottom line in providing quality service to your customers is to treat your customers exactly how you want to be treated.