These day’s consumers who are looking for a bargain shop around to see who is offering the best deal before a decision is made to purchase. To encourage customers to buy businesses have quickly embraced the customer loyalty concept because inevitably return business means more sales. Generally, providing exceptional customer service is still a vital ingredient for any business but in difficult times such as a recession or downturn in the economy, it is only natural for customers to look for a supplier or business that is selling the item they want at the lowest price.

In an effort to attract even more customers, customer loyalty programs have swiftly taken off in popularity with many small and large businesses in all types of markets. For example niche businesses like specialty chocolate cake shops and butchers shops can provide a loyalty rewards card for their customers that can be stamped every time the customer spends more than $20 on each visit. With a total of 5 stamps the customer is then rewarded with a free product. This type of customer loyalty program is now run by many small type businesses such as tyre retailers, DVD rental outlets and book stores.

This simple business strategy targets customer’s who have a tendency to buy the same or a similar product from the supplier on a regular basis. Many customers also like the idea of being offered a reward or free product for their business and encourages the customer to return for repeat business.

In a large corporate type business, attractive customer loyalty programs can be offered to customers in return for a long-term contract for those who sign up for a fixed period of time for the use of the company’s products or services. For example this could be a mobile phone company, broadband internet service provider or a television company. The attractive benefits used to entice customers to sign up to a long term contract are generally offered at the time the contract is signed. For example a mobile phone company may offer new customers a free $200 cell-phone in return for signing up to a 12 month contract. This style of rewards program can be very beneficial and customers are enticed through mass media publicity on the advantages and benefits they can enjoy from being a part of such programs.

Another common customer rewards scheme is the combined loyalty program which works by several businesses joining together under the same customer loyalty program. This popular type of program has the advantage of businesses offering its loyal customers benefits such as VIP customer discounts on a large range of different products and services through a wide variety of retail outlets.

Today, businesses have found that the key to having an effective customer loyalty program is in making the extra effort and time to connect with the customer.

Without the patronage and business provide by cash paying customers many firms and businesses would not be able to stay in business. Many employers know that it is imperative to have staff trained in good customer service skills if they are to survive in a competitive market. Providing new staff with proper guidelines to follow is therefore important in educating them on how to interact with customers. By doing so customers will feel looked after through exceptional service that will leave them with a feeling of satisfaction and a desire to deal with your business again in the future.
The following are 6 helpful customer service skills that may assist new staff on how to effectively interact with customers –

1. Upon arrival of a customer, client or visitor always acknowledge them with a friendly smile and warm welcome. A simple “hi” or “good morning” or “good afternoon” is perfectly acceptable.

2. If you are busy or dealing with another customer and unable to attend to the needs of incoming customers, inform them you will attend in a minute or two. Customers will understand your situation and by letting them know you are aware they are waiting will indicate they have not been forgotten and you are keen to assist them as soon as possible.

3. If a customer asks for a product, item or service you can readily supply then under normal circumstances it will be a simple matter of getting it, packaging the item and making the sale. However, if a product is unavailable, sold out or not in stock then the key is to try and do something about the situation. For example this could be managed by making inquiries to find out if you can source the product required from the supplier or another sister store.
At all times keep the customer fully informed of what you are doing and what is happening. If you exhaust all avenues of inquiry make sure the customer is informed what you have done. By doing so you are making the customer aware you have gone the extra mile by using your customer service skills, even though you have not been able to help in the end.

4. The key is to be courteous, positive and friendly at all times.

5. If you have completed a sale for a customer always thank them and ask whether there is anything else you can do for them. Alternatively, if you are unable to help a customer ask whether there is anything else you can do to help as this may lead to the sale of an another product or service that would suit the customer’s requirements.

6. Never forget that every customer is a potential future return customer who could in turn influence other people such as family members, friends and work colleagues to visit your store or business. For this reason it is therefore extremely important to always value your customers business.
Although the customer service skills as outlined above are designed for new employees, they can of course be applied by any employee in position where interaction with customers, clients or others to your business is necessary.

These days, businesses realize how important it is to have employees trained in good customer service skills working in their contact center if they want to enhance their reputation. For example training staff in problem solving and the ability to multi task in areas such as navigating complex databases and switching between different computers to find information for the caller is now becoming a routine function in a modern contact center. It is therefore an advantage for call center employees in today’s workplace to have the ability to think quickly on their feet so they can deal quickly with involved information while working under pressure.

In many workplaces, the modern contact center (often referred to as a “call center”) is a businesses first point of contact for the customer. Today the majority of contact centers that deal with inbound calls from customers are now operated from in-house, this means that if a contact center is not equipped, managed or staffed properly it can make or break a company’s reputation with its customers.

Providing the necessary training and support for call takers by a business is therefore vital in today’s challenging technologically advanced work environment. To ensure contact center staff have effective good customer service skills to carry out the responsibility of working a rotational roster 24/7 that many workplaces now operate, employers are finding it necessary to look more closely at who they recruit.

Recruiting Agencies and employers are finding there is a wide cross section of people such as working mothers, students and mature people who are happy to work flexible hours for work-life balance reasons in a contact center environment. Although older workers are generally not as adept with modern computer technology as younger workers they often become very dependable, reliable and efficient employees in the workplace with on the job mentoring and training. Absenteeism can also be a problem in contact centers and juggling a roster in such situations can be a challenge for management particularly when a number of key call takers are absent from work through sickness and other problems that may arise.

Overall most employers want their call center staff to be trained and mentored so they have the experience and good customer service skills to provide service to the customer. After all, the customer is the life blood of any business and losing customers through negative poor customer service will not only damage a businesses reputation but will also have an impact on sales and income.

Companies are therefore finding it necessary to effectively train staff so they are properly equipped with good customer service skills and the experience to handle any incoming inquiry from a customer.

The following key tips for good customer service will help staff provide superior quality service to business clients, customers or members of the public.

At the first Point-of-contact
When addressing customers always try to be attentive, respectful, and listen to what they are saying.
Customers will feel valued and comfortable knowing you are paying attention to them.

Some tips for good customer service are where appropriate to address the customer by name as often as possible as it will signal a personalized element to your customer that you value them as a person.

Addressing Customer Requirements
One of the most frustrating problems many customers face is being past from pillar to post when there is a problem.
This can occur in many ways, for example in face to face situations, over the telephone, or through an online customer service link. It is therefore important problems and issues are dealt with quickly and professionally with the minimal waste of time to the customer.

Try and make the customers experience of buying from your business or using your services as smooth and hassle free as possible.

Providing Professional Customer Service
Customers or clients who are paying for a service expect to receive value for money. It is vital therefore when dealing with customer enquires that you or your staff have knowledge of the service or product provided, the prices involved, terms and conditions, guarantees, promotions etc.

If this information is not readily at hand the customer needs to be reassured that you will find out the answer. Some tips for good customer service in this area are, if you are unable to provide an immediate answer reassure the customer that you will find out the answer as quickly as possible.

The golden rule is “never make a promise to a customer unless you know you can deliver on it.”

Understanding the Demanding Customer
There will always be customers who will be difficult to please no matter how hard you try to please them. In such situations the golden rule is to remember they are ‘right’ so it is important to listen carefully to what they are saying without interrupting.

Treat customers in a caring and warm manner as this will help to build trust and confidence.

Also – try to understand the customers concerns and questions. By offering excellent customer service, the demanding customer will feel valued and if their problem is resolved will return for repeat business and recommend your business to other people.

Dealing with Difficult Customers
This can be a nightmare for most staff working in the customer service area. There are a number of tried and true tips for good customer service that can be used to calm and resolve problems involving difficult customers.

The most important ones are to

1. Listen and take an interest in what is being said as some customers will be angry or upset and will try to take out their frustration on the first staff member they speak too and can result in the customer yelling, swearing and making threats.

2. Remain quiet until the customer is finished telling what their problem was as it will help to calm the situation. You will then be in a better position to communicate with the customer.

3. Write down what the customer is saying while he is talking to you as it will help to reassure them that you are interested and making a record of what happened. This will in turn help to calm the situation and make the customer feel valued.

4. Apologize for what has happened and reassure the customer that you will do your best to help sort the problem out.

5. Try to resolve the complaint or problem quickly as possible. It is well known that customers who are treated with respect and honesty will receive loyalty in return and repeat business.

I hope these tips for good customer service will help provide you or your business with high quality and superior customer service.

These days many retail stores and outlets employ young shop assistants to sell products such as shoes, handbags, groceries, beverages, clothing and a variety of other merchandise. Shop owners therefore have to place a lot of faith and trust in their staff to provide exceptional customer service so that customers are left happy and satisfied with the service they have been given. This can sometimes be very difficult because some customers can be argumentative and intimidating, so no matter how accommodating or helpful you try to be they will never be satisfied with the service provided. Fortunately, the majority of customers don’t cause any problems because they either enter a store to have a look around or to buy something.

Although all customers should be valued and provided with good customer service at all times, it’s only natural that attending to the ‘buying’ customer is usually the person who is given priority. Let’s face it, customer’s buying goods from a business will mean an injection of cash that will help a business to pay overheads, outstanding debts and staff wages.

For example, handling a customer in a menswear store who has found the shirt he wants to buy is generally just a matter of accepting the customer’s credit card and packaging up the shirt. This may seem a simple exercise; however a good salesperson handling such a sale can take that extra step in providing exceptional customer service. The following are several customer service tips that will explain how this can be achieved.

1. When the customer approaches the sales counter with a product to buy always be cheerful and helpful
2. It may not always be possible but try to build a rapport with the customer.
3. While wrapping the item ask if there is anything else you can help the customer with.
4. If your store has a loyalty program ask the customer if he/she would like a loyalty card. This could help to entice the customer to return for repeat business.
5. Inform the customer that if the product bought does not fit then they can return it and exchange it for the correct size.
6. Always thank the customer. Most people appreciate being thanked after they have spent money purchasing products.
This article provides customer service tips for retail store businesses on how shop staff can generate return business by providing exceptional customer service

In times of recession and hardship customers worldwide are becoming more frugal with their money and are looking more carefully at products before they buy to ensure they get better quality and value for their money. Despite this fact a high percentage of customers will still remain loyal to businesses they trust and who provide them with good customer service.

Retailers and businesses have therefore found it necessary to refine and improve their customer loyalty programs in order to retain the trust of their loyal existing customers through improved customer service and to attract new customers.

If you want to increase business turnover and sell more products off the shelves then the obvious overall aim would be to get customers to buy more products. By implementing tried and true customer loyalty ideas and programs that are already being used successfully by other enterprises, businesses are finding that they have another strategy to attract and get customers to buy more often and therefore provide return repeat business through loyalty.

Customer Loyalty Cards are becoming increasingly popular as an effective business tool to attract and retain customers through a loyalty program that rewards customers for their business. For example, there many supermarket chains provide shoppers with loyalty cards that offer discounts on a wide range of products, coupon specials and petrol discounts. There are also loyalty card programs offered by bakeries, sandwich bars, cafes, butcher shops and a wide range of specialty stores all designed to give the customer something free after a certain number of purchases.

Another popular customer loyalty concept designed to attract customer loyalty is through a combined loyalty program where a number of different businesses band together in one customer loyalty program. This concept has the advantage of offering customers a number of benefits and discounts on products that can be obtained from a wide variety of different businesses.
Businesses have clearly discovered that building long-term connections with the customer is vital and a very important customer loyalty concept.

With producers finding better and cheaper methods to produce good quality and more environmentally friendly products onto the market, businesses are looking to implement better customer retention tactics to keep their consumers more informed so that they will continue to retain them as valued customers.
One of the most widely used customer retention techniques used by businesses these days is by using the consulting skills of a proven marketing firm who are able to utilize mass media advertising through Newspaper, television and radio campaigns.

This type of customer retention marketing strategy through advertising can be costly for a business but because it has the potential to reach a high percentage of the population but in terms of attracting buyers it can generate and improve sales and increasing bottom line profits.

There are of course other customer marketing techniques that can also be used such as offering free interest on the purchase of big ticket products, discounts on goods and buy one product and get the second free type arrangements.
The question of retaining customers after all the expense and hard work has gone into attracting them in the first place to the business should not be overlooked.

The following is one of the best customer loyalty strategies that can be applied to ensure loyal customers will want to return to your business.

1. Make available for customers a small loyalty card so it can be easily slotted into a wallet.

2. The loyalty card can be printed with a total of 5, 10 or 20 small squares and are stamped by the shop assistant each time the customer buy’s a product or is provided with a service over a specified value. This could be anything from $5 to $100.

3. When the total number of stamps on the card reach a designated number (from 5 upwards), the customer would then be entitled to a free product from the store, again set at a specified value

4. By providing a loyalty card, customers will be encouraged to shop at your business knowing they will after 5 or 10 visits the opportunity of getting a free product

5. A container of the loyalty cards should be easily accessible for customers on the front counter
The above are some of the key customer retention strategies that any business can adopt to help ensure customers are provided with exceptional good customer service.

Providing good customer service should be a number one priority for any company or business because in very simple terms without them we would not be able to survive.

In simple terms it is vital for small and large businesses to have in place proper guidelines for staff members to follow so that a customer leaves the place of business satisfied with a feeling he has been provided with excellent service and a desire to return or continue doing business with your firm.
In many cases a customer’s first experience with a business is through telephone contact. The following are a few telephone customer service tips that will assist staff at first point of contact.

1.  Be friendly, welcoming and build a rapport with the customer by informing the caller your first name so they are not left with the feeling they are just talking to a voice.
2.  Be attentive and listen carefully to what the customer wants.
3.  Explain what your business can provide if necessary so that the customer is kept up to date and assured their requirements can be met.
4.  If your business is out of stock of a particular product or is unable to provide the service required ensure the client is informed of the reason why and try to find an alternative that might satisfy the customer’s requirements.
5.  Lastly, always thank the customer for calling.

A call center can be another problem area for businesses particularly where they need to rely on this type of arrangement to take messages by telephone. Here are some key call center customer service tips that can be followed to ensure customers are felt valued by your business.

5 Call Center Customer Service Tips

1.  Calls should be answered promptly.
2.  Staff should always be courteous and friendly.
3.  Avoid switching a customer to another staff member to sort out a problem. Place the customer on hold and try to find out the answer for the customer yourself.
4.  If a customer is placed on hold (for example while the person the customer wants to talk to is on another line) ensure the customer is informed every now and then what is happening and the reason why their call cannot be put through.

The above customer service phone tips as outlined above are only a sample of what staff can do to provide good customer service. Remember, any improvements or changes that can be made to existing systems or processes in a business that will have the positive impact of eliminating poor customer service should not be overlooked.

This article provides customer service tips in call centers and why it is important staff at businesses provide friendly courteous telephone service to customers at all times

Having spent all of my working life providing service to the public, I discovered from a very early age that providing good customer service is the key to sales, productivity and long term customer loyalty.

I enjoy working with people and I have over time developed the skills and a number of tried and true techniques that I’ve used very successfully to enhance and improve customer service wherever I’ve worked.

I assure you the techniques I’m going to write about here, can be very easily used and adapted in any work situation.
For example it’s well known that the key features of effective customer service are –

• identifying key business activities
• recognizing what the customers’ needs are
• delivering quality service
• following-up service

However, there are two other key features that are often overlooked when discussing ‘what is good customer service’. They are valuing customers and earning customer loyalty.
In fact, when I’m asked “what is good customer service?” I generally say –

“Good customer service is to satisfy a customer’s requirements by providing helpful friendly advice and assistance by various means before, during and after a purchase or service”.

So if you want to improve and maximize customer service at your business by finding out what is good customer service and how to value customers and earn customer loyalty, then I invite you to sit back with your cup of coffee and read on.

Earning customer loyalty

If you want your business to stand out amongst your rivals and competitors there are a range of different options that can be used to earn loyalty and return business from your customers.

Offer discounts on products and services to loyal customers (some businesses of course may have in place a loyalty card that offers discount incentives).
Have a invitation only mail out especially for your loyal customers advertising heavily discounted items on for example a ‘one-day-only’ bargain day
Provide a free end of year free gift calendar for your customers and complimentary sweets for young children on special days throughout the year

Following up with customers after providing a service or sale (mainly big ticket items) through Email, phone or letter will also pay off in customer loyalty and in most cases adds a welcome personal touch.
Lastly, if a customer has a problem always try to remedy it as this will lead to customer loyalty and give you and your business a reputation for going the extra mile.

Valuing the customer

An important customer service technique often overlooked is a failure to thank customers for their business.

It is not uncommon to find many employees at the point of sale can find under pressure to deal with customers hurriedly so they can complete the sale process. In such cases always make an effort to genuinely thank your customers for their business and ask if there is anything else you can do for them.

This very simple friendly gesture shows your customer you value their business and can sometimes result in more turnover and customer loyalty.

When dealing with any customer, always use it as a golden opportunity to provide that person with a sense of personal satisfaction so you can deliver what the customer wants.

I’ve found that the secret to effectively manage this is to put into practice a number of tried and true techniques on how to provide good customer service.

To assist you (and your staff members) on how to provide good customer service I recommend you follow the following key techniques -.

Building a Rapport With Your Customer

This is one of the key principles because by having a friendly positive relationship with your customer from the outset it helps to build a rapport and trust.

You can do this for example by engaging the customer in friendly conversation by introducing yourself to the customer and asking whether you can help them. This indicates to the customer that you are interested in them and what they want.

Customers usually choose a particular store or business for a reason, so if they come to your business always be polite and be genuinely interested and most importantly LISTEN to what the customer has to say.

If you display a genuine interest and are friendly the customer will sense this and is therefore more likely to develop confidence with you.

Finding Out What The Customer Wants

Most customers will know what they want or what they are looking for while other customers new to the store/business may be confused or unsure on how or where to find something. This is another opportunity to build a relationship with the customer so approach and offer to help the customer by guiding and assisting them to get what they want.

I’ve found the best technique is to politely talk with the customer. Then when the customer is relaxed you can ask pertinent questions as this will help to break the ice so you can better assist the customer.

A satisfied customer will remember the friendly helpful service you have provided and may lead to repeat business if your customer recommends you and your business to other folks.

Be Well-Informed About the Business

It’s not always possible to provide customers with what they want for a number of reasons so it’s essential to know what your business can and can’t offer.

One of the best tried and true methods on how to provide good customer service is simply through displaying your knowledge of what your business has to offer and what you can do for your customers. This very basic technique has the effect of making customers feel valued and grateful for the service you’ve provided.

Enhancing Service for Customers

It’s important not to become too complacent when things are going well in any business. If this happens customer service standards can slip and provides the competition with an opportunity to gain an edge.

Another excellent and effective customer service technique used these days is to run regular training programmes (in many cases facilitated by professional consultants) to remind staff about the importance of providing exceptional customer service.

Learning effective techniques on how to provide good customer service through improved training programmes, businesses are able to put in place up-to-date processes and methods so they can consistently deliver what the customer wants.