What kind of service is your company providing?

If I had to guess, I’d say it was indifferent. It’s not “that” bad, but it’s not “that” good either.

If it were my business, I wouldn’t want my customers saying that about my company, would you?

If the answer is no, what are you doing about it?

Ignoring it probably isn’t going to help the situation.

Neither is demanding better service from your employees.

How about educating them on how to do it?

It probably isn’t your employee’s fault. After all, what training did you actually give them on how to service your customers? I’m sure you taught them how to use your computer system, and taught them everything about your products and services. But what did you really tell them about how to treat your customers?

My guess is “not much”!

Have no fear. It’s not too late. Hurry up and implement these steps in your company, and you can go from indifferent service to exceptional service!

• Connect with your customer
  This is critical. This is where you establish rapport and begin a relationship with your customer. Do this by engaging your customer. Start by giving them your name and asking for theirs. Be interested in them and what they want. Ask questions. Listen. Respond appropriately. Have a conversation with them. Be genuine.
• Discover what they want
  If you have a genuine conversation with your customer, you will discover what they want. They don’t always know what they want. Or they might have trouble expressing it. Often people know what they want but they’re unsure how to get it. That’s where you come in. By asking the right questions and paying attention to the answers, you can discover a lot about your customer. You can help guide them to getting what they want.
• Give them what they want
  Give it to them when they want it, how they want it, and because they want it! They chose to do business with your company because they believed you could fill their need or solve their problem. So do it. And do it with a smile on your face.
• Follow up
  For some customers, this is the icing on their cake. It’s true for you too because it’s easy to do and doesn’t cost much, and yet it pays huge dividends in customer loyalty. Follow up with them and make sure they are happy. And if they’re not, do something about it! Fix it fast and they’ll respect you for it. And pay you back by telling others how you made it right.
• Thank them
  This often gets forgotten. Or it gets treated lightly. Too often when I hear a “thanks for doing business with us” it sounds phony, forced, or robotic. People often say it out of habit but they put no feeling or authenticity into it. Say it, and mean it. And don’t just thank the new ones. Thank the ones that have been with you for a long time. Remind them how much you appreciate them.

Follow these steps with every customer and you’ll find your level of customer service will increase dramatically. Coach your employees to understand and work through these steps (every time) and you’ll see your customer loyalty and customer retention go through the roof. Go ahead, I dare you!