5 Keys to Customer Service Excellence
How Delivering Exceptional Customer Service will help you to engage your current customers and acquire and retain a solid customer base.
By: Corporate Training Options, Australia
Do you think your customer retention rate could be better? Are you confident that your customers would always give you a 10/10 for customer service?
Looking after your customers is one of the best ways to increase your organisation’s growth. Sadly, it’s also often overlooked.
Did you know that the cost of finding new customers is much higher than that of retaining your existing customers – around 5 times higher in fact.
Below are some key ideas on how you can increase your customer service standards, and turn your customers into raving fans.
By looking after the customers that you have, and making them lifelong fans, they will continue to buy from you, will very possibly increase their business with you, and will recommend you to others.
1. Provide a Warm Welcome
Customers like to do business with those that they know and trust, so it’s important that you develop good relationships with your customers. Welcome them warmly when they come into your business, call you on the phone, or send you an email.
Build rapport with your customers by getting to know them. Talk to them about their family, their hobbies, their interests and their business goals. Make your customers feel valued and appreciated. They should never feel that they are just a sale or a number.
2. Connect with your Customers
Learn to connect with your customers by communicating well. Engage in active listening, both in person and over the phone. Add a human touch to your communications, instead of giving stock standard responses to their queries.
Have information about each of your customers available on file, so that it can be accessed by all employees. This alleviates the need for your customer to explain their situation all over again when they contact you.
Use active listening to show your customers that you understand their needs and are here to help them. Good communication skills allow you to connect with your customers, and go a long way towards them feeling confident and happy with your organisation.
3. Under Promise and Over Deliver
When a customer is looking for you to meet a deadline, it can be tempting to oversell yourself to keep them happy. The opposite, however, is true. For example, your client may wish for a project to be completed by next Wednesday. You know that you can probably complete it on Monday.
By promising it for Thursday and delivering it on Monday the customer will get a pleasant surprise – and if you fall behind schedule, you still actually have three days in which to complete the project and still keep the customer happy.
4. Increase Your Sales Through Great Service
Find out what it is about your services and products that your customers like, and how you can better serve them. Answer phone calls and emails promptly. If they have put in a request, acknowledge that it has been received. Deal with any issues straight away.
Don’t assume that you are meeting your customer’s needs. Check in with them frequently to ensure that they are happy. You can also have your customer service team conduct anonymous surveys to get extra feedback.
The Goal as a company is to have Customer Service that is not just the best, but Legendary.
Sam Walton
5. Think Long Term
Think long term about your customer service. Your aim is to have your customers for life. Going the extra mile and giving more than what is expected will result in grateful and happy customers. It also means that you will come to mind when they require future services, or are asked for a referral.
In Summary
Looking after your customers is one of the best ways to increase your organisation’s growth. Teach your team these 5 keys to Customer Service Excellence, and you will retain your existing customers, plus have them refer new customers to you.
Training in Customer Service Excellence will help your business to thrive.
Need help with Customer Service Training?
Corporate Training Options helps train your staff to provide the best in customer service standards. Our Customer Service Excellence course is suitable for staff of all levels, from reception and support staff through to senior management.
In the Corporate Training Options Customer Service Excellence course, you’ll discover:
- The value of caring for your customers
- trends in customer service
- how the human touch can make a difference
- face to face contact skills
- active listening benefits
- how complaints can be valuable for your business
- customer relationship management techniques
- how to deal with difficult customers
- how to increase customer loyalty
- methods of increasing your sales through great customer service
- the nature of persuasion
- and more
Enrol online or contact us at Corporate Training Options for more information about our Customer Service Excellence course today.
About Corporate Training Options
Corporate Training Options (CTO) is a Business Training Company, which provides you with training in essential business skills via onsite and online business and professional development courses.
The courses provide a cost-effective way of ensuring you and your team develop strong skills in:
- Leadership & Management
- Strategic Business Planning
- Project Management
- Marketing & Sales
- Customer Service & Relationship Management
- Business Administration
- Finance & Accounting
- People & Culture
- Computer Training
- Personal Development
We look forward to working with you, to build your confidence, improve your efficiency and maximise your potential.
For more information on the range of Business Training Courses available, please visit the CTO website – cto.com.au
Rosy King
Corporate Training Options
Professional Training – Exceptional Results
