by Janice Heath

Created on: June 13, 2010

Providing such strong customer service that your customers never even dream of shopping anywhere else for their goods and services should be the goal of all clever organizations.  Given that many companies sacrifice good customer service for the sake of their internal processes, or to cut costs, there are great opportunities to differentiate your business from those who try less. The following are some tips to strengthen your organization's customer service.  Don’t limit yourself to these though, add your own ideas and watch your reputation for excellence grow.

1.  Set an example and ensure all the managers in the organization are doing so.  Show in your behaviour as well as your words that you are committed to providing the best possible customer service and that you expect staff to do the same.

2   Know your customer.  Loyalty is built when a company pays attention to the customer’s individual needs.  What did they order last time?  Do they want more of that or something else? Is there a new or improved service you can offer them?  How can you make their life easier and more convenient?  What other things could you do for them?  How can you offer them more than they expect?

3.   Keep checking that you are providing what the customer wants in the way that they want it.  Ask them.  Ask your staff what they see could be improved to provide better customer service.

4.  Treat customer complaints like gold.  They are taking the time to give you feedback on your business.  Listen to them.

5.  Employ the most customer-focused staff you can find. Customers need to feel welcome and important when they call or visit.  You can train people in technical skills and product knowledge. It is far more difficult to train a customer-hostile person to appreciate customers and serve them in a helpful and friendly way. 

6.  Keep training your customer service staff (which is actually all of your staff).  Keep their industry and technical knowledge up to date along with their customer service skills.

7,  Continually check internal processes for possible improvements to your product and the way it is marketed, delivered and if applicable, serviced.

8.  Know your industry.  Join the applicable industry organizations, go to seminars and trade fairs. Make sure you are offering your customer the latest and the greatest form of whatever you are producing and/or selling.

9.  If you do not already do so, spend some time taking customer calls or serving customers in person – this is the quickest way to find out what customers’ concerns are and whether your company is addressing them.  If they are not happy, you have a great opportunity to immediately identify and fix the problems.

10.  Appreciate your customers.  Without them nobody has a salary.  Think of ways in which you can ackowledge them, perhaps with small gifts or extra services.

When you listen to your customer’s wants and needs and do your utmost to fulfil them, then you are providing strong customer service. It’s really an easy way to build great relationships with your customers, grow your business and as a bonus, develop a competitive advantage for your company.

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