Customers are the lifeblood of any business, and therefore ensuring that are taken care of is the most important thing you can do. If customers are not happy, they will not put money into your cash registers, and if that doesn't happen, you will not have a business for too long. How can a company enusre customer service?
1. Make sure that every customer is treated as if they are a member of your own family.
An effective sales person is able to connect to the clientele that they serve. This means being on a first name basis, and really getting to know who the person is that you are selling too. A customer that sees a sales person as a friend rather than just a person making a sale will make a customer more inclined to buy a product.
2. If a customer has a question, make sure you take the time to answer in a respectful manner.
Nothing makes a person feel worse than thinking that a sales person isn't taking them seriously. Nobody wants to go into a store and walk around for several minutes and not be able to find what they need. A good sales person will spend as much time as it takes walking the customer through whatever needs to be dealt with without making the customer feel stupid. Also, don't take the time to pitch more products such as an extended warranty, especially if the customer just wants a fifty dollar printer.
3. If a customer has a complaint, be an advocate for that customer.
Every business will have complaints from time to time. Every so often, you will find yourself with an angry customer who may have read an ad wrong, or read a tag for the product on the next shelf up. It makes no sense to further fuel the anger of the customer. It is better to be understand, assure the customer that you understand that they are upset, and explain to the customer how you will rectify the problem.
4. Be aware of the environment around you while you work.
Is it raining outside? If it is, have some umbrellas handy. If it is snowing, make sure the parking lot is salted and shoveled. Do you have motorized carts for the elderly or disabled? Making sure you can assist customers who may have special needs is crucial to building rapport with the customers. While I understand there are laws already covering this, you would be shocked how many companies seemingly don't care about how the store is presented.
5. Make sure that all product is well stocked, and that the customers know how to find what they need.
Speaking of presentation, it is ninety percent of what a customer looks at when they purchase goods. A fully stocked shelf screams "buy me", and creates the perception of freshness. Also, make sure that all aisles are clearly marked, and some sort of directory, or employee is around to make sure that customers can find the goods they need.
6. Don't pay employees with commissions.
Commissions just encourage employees to sell, and not serve customers. Most people come to the store to buy a tv, not to buy an extended warranty. Consumers are not stupid, they know when sales people are just trying to sell, and to treat them as a means to an end is wrong. Sure, customers do provide the cash that businesses need to suceed, but to milk the wallets of customers dry is not a good way to win the long term business.
7. Always be aware of the buying needs of customers.
While trying to sell every last product to a customer is not always good business, asking questions never hurts every now and then. For example, if a customer comes to the grocery store, and has a meal to prepare, it is good to ask who is coming, what the theme of the dinner may be, etc. This helps the customer identify what they need, and it helps the business find out what customers buy, and therefore what to stock. It is a win-win actually, as the customers is provided with good service, while the business can build a base for the business.
8. Make sure that your employees are always visible.
Whlie nobody likes rude customer service, what is even worse is when there is nobody around at all! So many sales are lost simply because a customer has nobody to turn to for service. The key to great customer service is to have a presence on the sales floor at all times, this helps customers feel comfortable in the store.
9. Always keep the check out lines open and running smoothly!
While plenty of sales can be lost because there are no employees on the sales floor, another place where sales are lost is at the check out lanes. This happens for a variety of reasons, sometimes because someone forgot an ID for a beer sale, or due to not having cash on hand, but there is one other important reason this can happen. Customers expect to be able to go the store at 11PM for the milk they need for cereal tomorrow, and not have to stand in line for an hour. Not only does this potentially lose sales, in can make customers angry in an area where they need not be angered.
10. Smile, smile, smile.
The most important weapon that a sales person has in making sure a customer is happy is the ability to be happy themselves. If they come off as friendly, knowledgeable, and happy, that will rub off on the customer. It seems odd, but I have seen it happen many times where a customer will leave a store with a smile because everyone at the store had a smile and was in a good mood. Who wouldn't want to come back to a place like that? This helps create a positive atmosphere, and a customer in a good mood is more likely to spend money.