Five Lessons from Customer Service

Great customer service can be hard to accomplish when companies have to please shareholders, support new initiatives, train incoming employees, and maintain products or services to millions of customers. However, many companies should become more service oriented simply because taking care of customers brings them back again and again for repeat business. Even huge companies with dozens of departments can learn lessons from the service department.

As much as 89 percent of all customers who stop using a particular company do so because they had a poor experience with customer service. A consumer is four times more likely to purchase a similar item from a competitor if a problem arises from a service oriented problem rather than a product issue. This is true whether someone buys a pack of paper clips or a brand new automobile.

Try some of these tips taken from the hallowed cubicles of the customer service department. These ideas just might win more customers and create more leads thanks to a strong, loyal base.

Support positive, can-do, happy employees whose smile comes through in their voice. Customers on the other end of the line can see someone smiling when they hear a happy voice. Give your customer service staff the tools they need to remain content, happy employees who enjoy their jobs.

Make customers feel right, even if they are wrong. The phrase "the customer is always right" may be exaggerated, but as many as 70 percent of buying experiences come from how a customer feels about how they are treated. Treat your customers well, and with a pleasant attitude, even if you deliver bad news.

Solve a customer's problems as part of your overall customer service strategy. Some dilemmas may not be fixable right away, but agents should start the process immediately in order to alleviate any problems later. In the middle of fixing a snafu, refrain from sales pitches for other products and services. When you solve a conundrum, remember that scripts are guides rather than hard, fast rules for dealing with upset customers.

Know that social media interactions with customers are seen by thousands, if not millions, of people. Employees mindful of this carry over their careful, cautious approach to people in other aspects of customer interactions, such as emails, phone calls and live chat screens. Everything done within public view and on a computer screen can be tracked with data trackers. Individual employees should know this right away and act accordingly, especially if a manager may see something later in a report.

Hire customer-centric employees in all departments and not just the service areas. Salespeople, IT employees, HR managers and administrative assistants all should put customers ahead of profits. Money does not just appear on balance sheets; people have to give it to your company willingly. As such, you should take care of the people who take care of your business.

Good customer service may be difficult to implement companywide, but when everyone gets on board, the bottom line improves. Treating customers properly comes before anything else.

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