Customer Service is the biggest driving force of maintaining a strong client retention rate. Customer service can spread your business greatly through word of mouth, but the impact it will have on your company depends on if your employees customer service is good or bad. Here are some tips for creating a positive and helpful customer service reputation:
1. Pay attention to employee personalities
Face to Face interactions as well as on the phone interactions are the number one areas of customer service complaints. Customers remember if your employee who answered their question was helpful and approachable or were rude and unwilling. When making decisions on who should deal with customer interactions, remember to pay attention to the personalities of your employees. Aim for those who fit the “Friendly and approachable” mindset.
2. Inform your staff
When starting new procedures in the company regarding customer relations, make sure every memeber on your staff is well informed. This includes much more than telling them what the new procedure is such as how to handle customer questions or complaints regarding the change. An employee who is not well informed or confused will be unable to answer customer questions which in turn can lead to poor customer service.
3. Provide other means of customer service
Aside from phone calls and face to face interactions, there are other platforms that can influence your customer service. Ensure that your company’s website is descriptive and can answer many basic questions that do not require a phone call. Consider adding a FAQ page or a Direct messaging/chat section on your site for quick and easy solutions.
4. Be Proactive
Instead of simply reacting to problems AFTER they occur, try and figure out solutions to common problems BEFORE they happen. Be aware of potential areas or services that can create conflicts between employees and customers. Ask customers what they would do to improve your customer service or their experience with dealing with your company. Remember to always remain Professional when handling any customer service interaction.
5. Employee Incentives
Employee Incentives are a great way to boost positive customer service interactions in your company. Offering gift items to your employees or departments with the best customer service rating or the lowest amount of complaints against is good way to create friendly competition amongst staff. Consider giving high quality promotional items such as the ones found on our promotional products page here such as photo frames, cameras or speakers.
