5 Tips for Customer Service

When it comes to work in the customer service field, especially if you are in direct contact with assisting customers, either face-to-face or via telephone, there are so many different tips that can be offered. I am choosing just a few for this posting. If you have prior experience in the customer service industry, then you should be able to see things from both sides of the fence - as a service representative as well as a customer yourself. So, when it comes to giving customer service, just remember what it is like when you receive it yourself, and use those experiences to adjust the way you think and act in your dealings with others.

Set the Example - if you are in a management position, your employees will most often offer the kind of service they see you offering. Do you greet the customers with professionalism, excitement and a smile, or look at them as a nuisance to your daily work? Do you listen and pay attention, or only partially focus on them while doing something else? Do you go out of your way to accommodate them, or simply find ways to get rid of them the quickest? The way you treat your customers will often highly influence how those around you will perform in their service actions.

Know Your Customers - this is going to depend upon the type of company and service you work with. If you are working in a company that has a specific customer base, or if you are in a position where you are handling specific customer accounts, then get to know your customer. Would you recognize the customer if they were to walk in to your establishment? Could you call them by name if you noticed them on the street? Go the extra mile, and send an occasional thank you note when they have completed some aspect of business, or send them a birthday card, or just any other type of personal attention you can think of in the situation.

Greet the customer - I have noticed more and more places doing this around town these days. For retail centers or other places where customers actually come to, it is always a good rule of thumb to be sure someone greets them within the first 30 seconds of their entrance. Some people come in knowing what they want but not knowing where it may be, so if you immediately approach them and offer assistance, this is the first great step in service. Nothing is more frustrating than walking into a place and not being able to find anyone to assist you; so it is always a great idea to make sure there is someone available and willing to assist each customer as they enter.

Customer is right - your job is not to prove the customer is wrong, or to thwart every attempt he puts forth to "get his own way." Your job is to find ways to say yes, to accommodate him, and to find a reasonable solution that is acceptable to him. He may be wrong, but you need to find the most professional way to say it without saying it. Show him options, and explain available solutions, but never rudely tell them they are wrong or seek to have an obstinate attitude towards their requests.

Customer survey - the best way to find out how your company is doing is to ask them. If you are afraid to know what they think, that may be a sign that you fear to know the truth and some changes are in need. Many companies now have the "How Did We Do" cards at the exit or registers, or they have special promotions and offers for the customer if they simply fill out an online survey or something similar. More and more companies that provide telephone service now have those call back service companies that ask a few simple questions about the service received. The best and fastest way to know where to improve is to ask the customers.

Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, and musician. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Customer Service Jobs blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.