Customer service standards - part 1
Let's go back to school and remind ourselves why customer service is so important and review some of the basics. We live in an era of technology and when used right, it can be a great help to salespeople. However, technology should never replace customer service; those standards should always remain high. So let’s begin there, reviewing customer service standards.
If you say it, do it: There’s nothing that is going to send a customer running to your competition faster than a broken promise. You’ve spent a great deal of time developing a relationship of trust with your perspective customer. Don’t blow it because you simply forget to do something. No matter how small you think it might be, if you tell your customer that you are going to do something, do it!
Satisfy every customer: Every customer that you encounter immediately turns into a walking advertisement, good or bad, for your business. It is up to the salesperson to deliver the level of customer service that leads to a good advertisement. You are not going to be able to sell to every single customer that you come into contact with, but your level of customer service should never change.
Keep your personal problems out of business: We all have personal problems, but they have no place at work. Ninety percent of the customers that you come into contact with do not care about your personal problems, and the only thing you accomplish by discussing them is driving those customers away. Your prospects want to talk about themselves and what their needs are, and it is up to you to meet those.
Use their name: Customers, all people really, love to hear their name. There’s nothing more personal than someone’s name and you should use it whenever you get the chance. Most prospects will offer you their name once you introduce yourself, allowing you to use their first name. Just be careful that you do not use their name so much that even they get tired of hearing it. A good rule to follow is to use their name at the same rate you would use a friend’s name in a casual conversation.
That’s a start, more customer service standards next time.
Brad Huisken - President, IAS Training
Copyright 2011 Author retains ownership. All Rights Reserved
