Customer Service Tips
By Peggy Brockman
Have you ever been to a business and received great customer service? Really bad customer service? I can recall many stories of both as I am sure you can. What made it great and what made it bad? Whether you own the business or simply work in it, good customer service is very important for both internal customers (staff) and external customers (clients).
Mahatma Ghandi wisely said: “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”
Here are some tips to remember:
- Smile….be positive…leave your bad attitude outside.
- Never blame another employee or department. We succeed as a team and we fail as a team.
- Don’t put off dealing with a complaint. The faster you resolve it the easier it will be on all involved.
- Don’t be abrupt with people and don’t interrupt them.
- Don’t let NO be your first answer. Say “Let’s check in to the possibility” or “We’ve never done it that way so let me give it some thought.” Then if you have to come back and say no, it is not as hard for the customer to handle and they will feel like at least you tried.
Difficult Customers
- Don’t go in to problem solving mode immediately. A really angry person will still act angry even if you can “fix” the problem….They need to be heard. Yes, they want it to be “fixed” but most important – THEY WANT TO BE HEARD AND LISTENED TO and have their upset and emotional state recognized and acknowledged. Make sure you address the feelings first, THEN move to fix the problem – YOU MUST DO BOTH.
- Acknowledge their pain/emotions first. Use one of these phrases or something similar:
– “It seems you’re pretty upset over this and I don’t blame you. Let’s see what we can do.”
– “It has to be frustrating to be told you have to wait….”
– “Most people would be angry if they had to wait longer than expected…”
Steps to Follow
- Let them know you are sorry
- Validate their feelings
- Offer a solution to help and give hope
- Let them know you are pulling for a resolution
- Ask if you can assist them further
- If appropriate, follow up with a call to check on them
These are just a few tips to remember if you want to deliver great customer service to both your internal and external customers.
