How to Provide Excellent Customer Service - 4 Tips For Employers to Improve Customer Service

Whether your business is an online store or a storefront downtown, providing excellent customer service will determine if you succeed in the long run. In today's economy, the businesses that will survive and thrive will be those that give each and every customer a better shopping experience than the competition. Win that battle. Grow your sales and your business by fine-tuning your store's customer service and by following these four key points.

Commit to High Standards and Communicate Them to Employees
Commit to and communicate company standards to improve employee performance.

Frontline Plus

Adam Williams*, a longtime human resources consultant, specializes in retraining business staff who have low levels of customer service. "Customer service starts at the very top," Williams says. "Set your standards high, and let your employees know they are non-negotiable." Williams adds that customer service requires a commitment from the employer as well as the employees, and notes it is the employer's responsibility to make everyone aware of these policies.

How to Provide Excellent Customer Service - 4 Tips For Employers to Improve Customer Service

Cathy Ward, an online retailer, agrees. "Communicating standards is critical," Ward says. "I inform employees upon hiring the conduct that is expected. I monitor employee phone calls and watch them work. If they aren't meeting our standards I explain to them why and correct the issue."

Show your company's commitment to customer service with the following tips:
Post a written copy of your customer service policy where every employee can see it. Routinely review your customer service standards. Hold monthly quality meetings and training seminars. Create an incentive program that rewards great performance. Tape notes by the phone with appropriate phrases and service messages.

Making these a part of your operations will help keep everyone on the same page and ensure consistency.

Maintain Proper Employee Attitude
Train employees to keep their personal and professional lives separate to improve their attitudes and win customers.

Maintaining the right employee attitude is key. Your employees are your frontline to winning customers and their attitude is conveyed in everything they do. It's in their body language when face-to-face with a customer, in their tone of voice when answering the phone, and in their word choices when responding to an email.

This is why Williams describes all workers as actors on a stage, "Your customers are your audience. They're looking to you to provide a great performance." That means personal problems, gossip, and private matters must be left at home. Williams adds, "If you are miserable for whatever reason, it can't show at work."

Attitude is especially critical when you or an employee have to tell a customer what they don't want to hear. "The ability to be brutally honest and direct without being perceived as cold or uncaring is important," says Bob Bryant, a merchant services provider. "Service reps that can patiently resolve issues with a disgruntled customer, while winning that customer as an ally, are few and far between."

Here's an activity that will get employees thinking about the right attitude:
Ask them to describe a specific time when they received great customer service and to explain what made the experience special. Ask them to describe a time when they received poor customer service and identify what they disliked about the experience. Have your employees share their experiences as a group and list key points from each experience.

This exercise is a great reminder that while many of us are not experienced at providing good customer service, we are all experienced customers. Training your employees to see the mindset of their customers will help them improve their level of service.

Keep Your Level of Customer Service Consistent
Maintain consistent levels of customer service to gain customer trust and repeat business.

A positive attitude will gain your business little if your customer service is inconsistent. "The reason people go back to just about any business is because of the way they were treated when they were there the last time," Williams says. One bad experience is often all it takes to turn a customer away from a business forever.

"You have to make an effort with every customer," Ward says. "You may get three difficult customer calls in a row, but you can never take that out on the fourth person who calls."

A frustrated employee who is curt with a customer may lose that customer in addition to others who will hear about the experience. Being consistent with every customer lets them know what to expect when they interact with your company, gives them reasons to come back, and can bring in new business.

Use Teamwork to Implement Your Customer Service Policy
Use teamwork to keep customer service levels consistent and to motivate employees.

Teamwork is essential to bring everything together. Cutthroat work environments will hamper productivity, increase turnover, and will sabotage your customer service efforts. Employees need to feel that by working together everyone benefits and that promoting their company is a shared responsibility.

When employers and employees work together, the result is a seamless experience for the customer. There is no conflict between what one employee says and another, policies are upheld, and customers gain trust in your business.

Excellent Customer Service Can Grow Your Business

If you and your employees can commit to work together to consistently create a positive performance that meets and exceeds the expectations of your customers, you will win the battle to grow your business. "Everyone wins," Williams says. "Your employees are happy, your customers are happy, and they will reward you with repeat business and new word-of-mouth customers."

*Name changed due to confidential requirements of employment.

How to Provide Excellent Customer Service - 4 Tips For Employers to Improve Customer Service

Brian Cross has been an active freelance writer and content researcher for small and independent businesses since 2007. While preparing this article he consulted with Cathy Ward, a wedding accessories retailer and owner of BridesVillage.

Relate Link Best Buy Genuine Expansion Tank Cheap Price Buy Drapes For Dress Kit Black Velour Sale Best Buy Septls4706125 Weather Tough Padlocks Cheap Price

Improve on Your Customer Service - The 5 Outstanding Qualities of a Service Superstar

Every once in a while we will cross paths with what I refer to as a customer service superstar. They are like diamonds in the rough. We never know when we will be served by one of these superstars. They are dispersed throughout the marketplace and look normal on the outside. But take a closer look and we will soon discover that these people are a breed apart from your average everyday customer service representative.

What is the secret that makes these customer service superstars win us over? What is their key in consistently giving each customer an outstanding service experience? One of the first and foremost secrets in their winning ways is that these superstars make their customers feel valued. These people simply treat each customer as if he or she was the most important person on the planet. Customers walk away feeling as if they were the owner of the organization.

Customers soon recognize that these special people are living a life focused on others. This in turn makes each customer walk away feeling that the service was more than simply following a job description in order to receive a paycheck. If customer service superstars were to wear a tee shirt, the caption on the front would simply read, "It's not about me."

These customer service superstars are the best because they also understand the mindset of the customer. They are sensitive to the needs and feelings of what customers think as they walk through the door. These superstars have a way of understanding the customer and making their experience as enjoyable as possible. By understanding the customer's point of view, they also begin to capture new ways to make the service experience more pleasant. Let's now look at the five qualities that define these customer service superstars:

1. Superstars maintain a positive personality

The secret in offering great service is to stay away from an uninviting attitude. Having a positive attitude is a major key in providing each customer with a great service experience. These will always go together. Customers will want to return simply because of the attraction that a positive attitude creates. These customers will also want to return and tell others because of the positive memory of the service being offered. By being positive, these superstars make their customers feel welcomed and accepted.

Remember that the perception in the customer's mind is what really matters. If a customer feels that their service experience was below average, then it was below average. In reality we are in the customer perception business. This is why it is paramount that we periodically take an attitude check and maintain a positive atmosphere for our customers.

2. The superstars are enthused about serving

The poor service experiences that we remember are typically the result of being served by a person who lacked enthusiasm. This perception that the person was not excited to assist us made the overall experience below average. But our perception takes a complete turn when we feel that the person serving us was enthused during the whole process. It is important to remember that the secret is to show our customers that we want to assist them. One easy way to achieve this is to be enthusiastic about giving them our best service. This important key will instantly make customers walk away feeling that the service was outstanding.

3. The superstars know how to respond quickly

Because we live in a fast-paced society, our customers expect to be given quick and efficient service. Without this efficiency, the customer will more than likely walk away and remember the service as average. The goal should be to show that we respect our customers by simply respecting their time. The perception of the service will then automatically improve as a result of being quick and efficient during each transaction. Customers will then walk away not only feeling respected, but will more than likely rate us higher because of the efficiency of the service provided.

We will always appreciate service where we feel that the person serving us respected our time. The best memories of five-star service will consistently convey efficiency during the transaction. The service representative gave the impression that our time was valuable and swiftly took great care to quickly meet our needs. Remember this little gem and your customers will walk away and remember the service as being outstanding!

4. The superstars strive to be their best

Another feature of customer service superstars is their ability to excel in their chosen profession. They desire to be their best on the job by giving their customers outstanding service. Their work ethic stands out because of the motivation to perform at a higher level. These superstars do not need to be motivated from the outside. Their inspiration is driven from within.

It is a pleasure when I get the rare opportunity of being served by one of these customer service superstars. They always give the impression that they genuinely enjoy serving me. I leave with the impression that they truly enjoy their position. These experiences are a result of a person who simply gave 100% on the job.

5. The superstars are attentive

Comparable to being efficient with our customers, giving them attention also expresses that we care. By simply being attentive, we are telling our customers that they are important and deserve to be treated with respect. The power of giving attention is that it also conveys a certain level of respect. We must also remember that most customers enjoy playing this role because of the anticipated attention that they are hoping to receive.

Teach these five excellent traits into your training and begin to see your service improve instantly. Your team will begin to outshine the competition and your customers will also become your best advertisers simply because of the exceptional service received.

Cary Cavitt is a professional customer service speaker and has written several books on the topic, including Customer Service Superstars. He is available as a keynote speaker and for onsite seminars throughout the United States. Look for more customer service articles and authored customer service books at http://www.carycavittconsulting.com