by Dorothy Skinner

Created on: March 15, 2008   Last Updated: June 22, 2009

How to be Customer- Service Friendly.
The old adage "The customer is always right" is a good starting place.
We are all customers at some time and we know what we want from a business.
The first thing we all want is to be taken seriously, so ask your customers what is important to them. Arrange a customer survey; in house if your customers visit your premises or by mail when they buy something from you. Do not phone them. It might be inconvenient, and they get fed up with unsolicited calls.

Staff training is the most important company policy you can introduce. Some see it as an inconvenience, keeping them away from the pile of work on their desk, but regular training to keep them up-to-date and motivated can be fun as well as productive. There is nothing like a good half hour session for bonding and team building. This feeling of euphoria will be retained and transferred to the customer interface.
A word of warning: not all employees have the social skills to deal directly with customers, particularly young people fresh from college. Take time to coach them if they are to deal directly with customers. Arrange a buddy system. Your customer will be pleased to help anyone new if they know they are still learning and will be patient. If they don't know, it can lead to dissatisfaction with your service.
You should also make sure that departments treat each other as customers and with the same courtesy. The sales department send their orders to their internal customers, dispatch and accounts. The human resources department has internal customers in all other departments.
It is said that managers, like great leaders, are born and not made, and there is a great deal of truth in that. A manager who cares about and supports employees will be given respect and loyalty in return. So, take care when you choose your manager. They must be empathetic yet professional, approachable yet authoritative, and above all, must have an in depth knowledge of the business and its requirements. A manager must ensure that employees are in the right job, are doing the job conscientiously and delivering the goods or service to the customer promptly.
Write a Code of Practice so that employees know what is expected. It should include, expectations on appearance (company uniform, neat and tidy), behaviour (never rude, always smile), knowledge (product information, customer recognition), and complaints procedure. If customers do have a problem, they will remain loyal to the company if that problem is swiftly and efficiently resolved. Your Customers are also entitled to a Code of Practice so that they know what to expect and how they can get redress if they are not happy. Copies should be made available to them.
Finally, your product must meet the customer's needs, so ensure that your goods or service are periodically audited for quality and reliability. Check also that your after sales service delivers as promised.

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