Restoring Old-Fashioned Customer Service

Times have changed. The world has changed. But don't let that distract you. Old-fashioned customer service skills are worth dusting off and restoring to the daily practice of a business. With the online world making things more impersonal, it is time to turn things around and restore the personal touch. 

One key way to not let your service come across as cold and impersonal is to use names. Ask if it is okay if you call a customer by their first name, and then make sure you clearly let them know yours. Establish yourself as the main contact for the situation, and follow the issue through until it is resolved. “Putting yourself on a first name basis with your customers develops a relationship that is more than store owner-client. It facilitates becoming friends, and creates a very personal experience for the customer,” states Shane Gamble in a recent article on Sweet Tooth. If you work in a smaller company with repeat customers, do what you can to learn names and establish relationships.

Gamble goes on in his article mentioning to smile. This goes for face-to-face encounters as well as phone service because, yes, you can hear a smile on the phone. Online chat service, and email service loses all tone and can be read in many different ways tonally. Nothing beats a smile and cheerful attitude when it comes to serving others.

While all of the points in Gamble’s article are worth discussing, I will mention just one other – being empathetic. You cannot offer great service if you do not show that you truly care. “Saying things such as, ‘I can understand where you’re coming from’ or ‘I would be frustrated too,’ shows your customers that you have genuine concern for them and that you see the issue from their point of view,” Gamble says.

In another recent article at Inc.com by Geoffrey James, ten additional great ideas are discussed looking at what a customer really wants. First off, bring new ideas to the situation. The customer has an issue that they are unable to resolve, and so they come to your for help. Listen intently to the issue, how they have attempted to resolve it so far, and then add a new perspective to assist them in a resolution. (I know I have dealt with a service rep that either didn’t ask or simply didn’t listen to what I had been through so far.) Stop and listen to the issue, then proceed to deal with it from that point. “When they're describing themselves and their needs, customers sense immediately when somebody is just waiting for a break in the conversation in order to launch into a sales pitch. In order to really listen, you must suppress your own inner-voice and forget your goals. It's about the customer, not about you,” James says.

It is important to always listen. You can never truly help someone if you do not first understand where they are and what the root issue is. When you do have the opportunity to speak, remember to talk on the customer’s level, and not use the jargon and internal language your colleagues may be more used to hearing. Avoid these and other communication issues that can arise when discussing issues with the customers. Really listening will help you fully understand all of the customer’s needs, and with that information, you can better serve them in a more satisfying manner.

Establishing a connection with the customer will benefit both sides. It helps you to get a batter handle on the issue from their stand point, and it allows them to be more at ease in dealing with someone that does not just consider them a nameless face or number. This type of personal connection helps to build a rapport that can lead to customer loyalty.

So, next time you go out on a job interview, show that you have a firm grasp on how to apply these effective tips in order to provide better customer service to your future company’s business.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles - FreeDigitalPhotos.net