Having a successful business goes beyond developing great products and excellent services. You may have all the things that the customers need, but if your customer service is unhelpful, unreliable, or just plain difficult to get in touch with, you can be sure you will soon be losing it. So, what do you do? The answer is in offering excellent customer service! It will get you a loyal fanbase that will increase your sales and see your company's growth. Well, this article has a few tips that will help you fine-tune your customer service and skyrocket your business growth.
Understand your products
You cannot explain in a helpful and resourceful way about
your product if you and your team do not understand it well. Imagine you are
selling baby products, and a young, inexperienced mother has come to purchase
for her new-born baby. You are expected to explain what the product is all
about and how it should be used to achieve the desired results.
Having extensive knowledge of the products is critical in
boosting your customer service. It means that you believe in your product and
are confident enough to share it with others, including your customers. Your
duty is to discuss the features and the uses of the product and to make the
customer satisfied that their choice to purchase your goods is worth their
money.
Maintain a positive attitude
Attitude amounts to a significant percentage of customer
service. Having the right attitude will change the negative perception and
customer service experiences into positive customer experiences. So how is your
attitude reflected? Anytime you communicate with your customers, either through
writing or face-to-face, your language should have a friendly tone that shows
your customers' concerns are taken seriously. For example, if a customer looks
distressed while looking for a product in your pick and pay
store,
you may ask, "Hello, how may I help you please?" This will go a long
way into demonstrating that you are concerned about the customer and that you
are there for them when need be. It creates a good impression of you as a
person but also about your business.
In case the communication is in writing, you should take
care to use a tone that will convey the right message, and one that is clear
enough to avoid misinterpretation. For example, if you are writing to explain
why a certain product might have had a negative effect on the user, you may
write, “We regret to know that our product did not offer the desired results.
We cannot apologize enough and we take the responsibility. We shall see to it
that we refund your full amount and shall help you get the necessary assistance
that you may need to correct the harm done by our products." Any customer
who was agitated for having an adverse reaction to your products will be
immediately relaxed by the message. Why? Because you show sympathy in your
communication and are willing to take responsibility and assist your customer.
You will have won back the customer's trust and loyalty.
Invest in the best tools and
infrastructure
Believe it or not, there are major areas in which technology
will provide key advantages to your business in engendering customer loyalty.
The right tools are crucial in bringing your customers on board in an inclusive
sense. For example, your website should have a section where your customers can
send in their queries and get answers to FAQs.
You should also use email communication to improve your
customer’s experience. You can do so by responding immediately to their queries
sent through the email, and engaging them on your products and services.
Similarly, you may want to make use of more sophisticated data-gathering tools
such as the customer relationship management software that helps you understand
your customers, their needs, and how to address it.
You do not have to worry if you are running on a tight
budget. There are many cheap tools that can help. You can also outsource IT
support from a Managed Service Provider instead of investing a lot in-house.
One of the key advantages of outsourcing is that you will receive comprehensive IT support from the vendor meaning your
services can be streamlined at a lower cost. You will get to select only the IT
services that will meet your company's needs at a fractional cost of hiring
pros and buying equipment. Having the right IT partner is key to assist your
in-house team in service delivery, handling queries, complaints, etc.
Give a quick response
Research shows that 66% of customers believe that valuing
their time is the most crucial thing in any customer experience. One way to boost your customer
experience is to be quick in addressing any queries that may arise.
For example, a customer might be interested in finding out if you have stocked
a certain product and how much it costs. If you keep them on the queue for
long, they might lose interest and leave.
Similarly, if prospective customers send queries through
your website or social media pages, it is fundamental that you get to respond
within a short time. In cases where that might be difficult, then you should
apologize for the late reply. Reverting shows that you value your customer's
time and presence in your business, and will increase your sales and stimulate
the growth of your business.
Final remarks:
Customers are the reason you are in business. Yes, they are
the people you have developed an excellent product and services for. Hence, you
will need to invest in excellent customer service to meet their needs and
encourage them to continue buying from your company. That will see the growth
of sales of your products and services and your company.
