The nature of time is that there aren’t many things that last. Trends come and go. New technologies replace old ones. Companies rise and fall. And whole industries sometimes transform into new ones altogether. If there is but one constant thread throughout all of this change and upheaval, however, is that customer service remains as important today as it ever was. Here are some tips that have stood the test of time:
Have Empathy and Patience
One of the most common problems that customers mention when describing a poor experience is that they didn’t feel respected. In the end, it doesn’t matter how good your products are or how well they are priced: if your customers are disrespected, they’re not coming back.
This is why it’s so important for employees to listen to customers when they have a need or concern. Acknowledge it. Be patient as sometimes people just need to vent. And also, be prepared to help in any way that is reasonable, which means taking ownership of a situation and seeing to it that each customer is well taken care of.
Use Active Listening
But you can’t be empathetic or patient without being a good listener. Even more important is being an active listener, more than just a passive sounding board. This means really considering what the customer has to say, so that when it comes time to offer products, solutions, or answers to problems, these ideas can be linked back to what the customer said.
You don’t want to be offered a bunch of add-ons and up-sells if they’re not relevant to what you’re looking to buy. And if you have a complaint, you want the solution to directly address the problem, right? In order to accomplish these goals, employees have to really listen and have a conversation with the customer. Participate!
Stay Informed
In a world that’s ever changing, you have to stay on top of what’s going on. This is even true within your own business, as even long-term employees’ personalities change. Some of us mellow. Others grow impatient or bored. And many others get better at their jobs and become ready for more responsibility.
Keeping an eye on your employees involves more than watching the sales receipts or hoping you see important issues mentioned on a comment card. The most consistently accurate way to monitor the development of your staff or the overall quality of your customer service is through mystery shopping. By having impartial, third-party members of the public interact with your business, you’re able to identify trends as they begin to form, and even head off a developing problem before the situation becomes dire.
The Brandt Group specializes in mystery shopping, of course. And we offer it in multiple flavors, too, to suit whatever your business needs are. We can do on-site, in-person shops, or we can do them over the phone or online. And we can even do comparative ones as well, where we send the same shopper to your business plus a competitor’s to see how the two compare. Knowledge is key, and with our services, you’ll be able to ensure your business avoids going out of style in an ever-changing world. Reach out today.
