by Sammy Stein

Created on: September 28, 2009

To deliver great customer service you need to know what your customers expect from you. To do this you need to first and foremost to listen to your customers and their feed back. If they are totally saisfied with your service, then great - pat yourself on the head and keep doing what you are doing well. However, most customers have a few words of wisdom to offer anyone who will listen and it is up to you to listen and take note if you want to offer even better service.

Of course, some customers will expect guilt plated service at no cost to them and you have to be realistic about what you offer. Make your services crystal clear. Tell people what they will get for the price they are paying and deliver this every time. Then, if someone has a valid point listen and make it clear you intend to do something aboutit.

For example, if someone says ,' I liked the meal but I had to wait 35 minutes between my starter and main course', see what you can do about it. Thank them for bringing this to your attention and make sure it does not happen again- see where you can improve.

The second thing to remember is that your customers have a choice. There is always someone offering the same or similar service or product at around the same price so make sure yours is the one they come back to again and again. Repeat business and new business from word of mouth cannot be overvalued in business and good client relationships are the key to delivering great customer service. Always remember they are paying you, you are the provider and you need to , well, provide.

Invest in your staff. Make sure they know what is expected of them and that they are quipped to do their jobs well. Listen to them too because sometimes, a person who is actually on the delivering end of a service can quickly pin-point how they might improve. Correct training targetted to suit individuals can be a really good investment and make sure good staff stay with you so always make sure your staff are happy and efficient in their jobs as well as polite and courteous.

Do everything as well as you can, listen to each customer and make sure they feel valued and special and you will find them coming back- and bringing their friends.

It is amazing how quickly new customers appear when they hear about service which is genuinely good and value for money. Equally it is amazing how quickly clients disappear when service is poor so make sure yours is always the best.

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