by Malik Sharrieff

Created on: September 08, 2009

There are three things that are essential to reducing customer dissatisfaction and ensuring high customer service. First, have the right person for the job. Second, make sure your staff has the right perspective. Third, make certain that the company has the right goal in mind. Secure these three aspects of your customer relations strategy and you will convert nine of every ten customer complaints into customers for life.

The first and most critical aspect of any customer service or customer relationship management model should be the staff members who directly address all customer concerns. Whether you have a customer service department of 500 or more, or you wear the customer care hat along with all the others; what is important is whoever serves as the point of contact between your firm and a dissatisfied customer is up to the task.

This means the customer service representative should be intelligent, resourceful, creative, sensitive and resilient. This individual will need to understand most aspects of your business operations; including a detailed understanding of the marketing mix (product, promotional, pricing, and distribution knowledge). Service staff will need to be sufficiently empowered to handle 99% of all customer issues. Nothing destroys a customers' relationship with a business faster than being put on hold or transferred around.

The best staff will be able to actively listen to the customer, ask any questions necessary to discern the real root cause of the customers' dissatisfaction, and design a resolution that improves the brand image in the mid of the customer, even beyond the position prior to the complaint. Your complaint staff should have the ability to empathize with the customer. Remember, when off the clock, we are all consumers, and we've all had the same problems. The key is to give your customer the service you wish you had when you last complained.

Representatives also need to be thick skinned. After ten years in the customer care and relationship management arena, I can tell you that the industry adage is true, "If you haven't been sweared at, at least once today, then you're not taking enough calls!" Successful service agents will have the skills to move past the obscenities to the customers' real concern and address it in a way that makes the customer feel better about the purchase experience than before the original purchase took place.

The second secret to satisfying customers is ensuring your staff has the right perspective.

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