6 Steps towards creating happier, more loyal

customers

There’s a lot of advice around about how to provide great customer service. You could read a hundred books on the subject, with plenty of ideas but much of what’s written is not new. 

Treat others as you would like to be treated - exceed expectations, build relationships and deliver what your customers really want. The problem is remembering all this good stuff. You might need a system of behaviour to make sure you achieve these goals with every customer.

Here’s six steps to follow in order to get it right every time:

1. Know who’s boss.

We are in business to service our customers so everything we do must ‘connect’ with them. Establish rapport and build trust. Introduce yourself, learn their name and be genuinely interested in them. In fact, if you’re not genuinely interested, put up a ‘closed’ sign and move to the coast! People know when you are genuine and they’ll respond accordingly. Make sure your customers know how important they are to you.

2. Discover what they want.

If you have a genuine conversation with your customer you will discover what they seek. At first they may not know or be unsure of how to express it. Sometimes they’ll know, but are unsure how to ask. This is where asking pertinent questions and listening carefully to the answers will provide you with the information you need. You can guide them towards getting exactly what they want. Exceeding expectations is not so difficult once you know what the customer’s expectations are. This will help ensure your customers come back again. “The customer may not always be right but the customer must always win.”

3. Know what you can do

We can’t be all things to all people. Sometimes the customer will be seeking what we can’t do (or sometimes what we’ve chosen not to do). Every business has a niche and it should match what it is you do best. The secret is knowing what you do best and how it relates to the needs of your customers. Make sure you understand what business are you really in?

4. Do it?

This sounds easy in theory but it’s often where many businesses fail. They don’t do what they say they’ll do because they don’t manage the process of ‘doing’. That is: planning, performing, measuring and monitoring. What gets measured gets done. You need to convert your customer’s wants into actions you can measure. Then set up a system to measure the results and how you achieved them. This will make it easier to produce great results for the next customer.

5. Follow up.

For customers this is the icing on the cake. This is good for you also because it’s easy to do and yet it pays huge dividends in customer loyalty. Make this part of your plan. Encourage customer feedback and suggestions. But also make sure you follow up with them via phone, letter, email, a visit or whatever works in your situation. The more direct and personal the better and because most businesses don’t do this consistently, it will help you stand out from the crowd.

6. Say thank you.

This often gets forgotten so put it in your plan. It’s not just a matter of printing “Thanks for doing business with us” on your invoice. You don’t want to sound robotic or phony. Be real about it, be genuine. Thank them in a number of ways - a phone call, a card or even a text message! First impressions are important but last impressions last.