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.
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