Delivering the Best Customer Experience
Shep Hyken recently posted another invaluable article recently, “20 Tips on How to Deliver an Amazing Customer Service Experience”. Let’s do a deep dive on a few of his points to really reinforce the importance of emphasizing customer service above all else, even before the products your business sells. Shep begins by describing the positive results of delivering great customer service. Here are our favorites:
More Loyalty
You’ve heard the adage that it costs more to acquire new customers than it does to keep the existing ones. The cost is more than money, too, because of al the time and creative energy you’ll need to spend. Keeping your existing customers helps ensure recurring business, as well as helps with our next favorite point:
Word of Mouth
As Shep describes it, “Word of mouth referrals from happy customers (your evangelists)” can do so much new-customer acquisition for you without having to spend a dime on advertising. If you spend anything, make sure to reward your clientele for those referrals with a genuine thank-you card or phone call, as well as something like a gift certificate.
Higher Sales Per Transaction
Increasing your guest check is the fastest way to improve your overall profit. This means appetizers, non-refillable drinks, and desserts in the restaurant business, of course, but every business can benefit from this principle. Add-ons like extended warranties and product accessories improve the overall customer experience, and help enhance your earnings.
In addition to these three, Shep has seven other items on that list that are also important, including how great customer service results in happier employees with lower turnover and more. Be sure to read those closely.
Next up, let’s discuss a few of his tips for delving a great experience:
Smile
This seems like such a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised by how many employees fail to do this consistently. Whether it’s from the hustle and bustle of being busy, running low on energy after a long day, or even bringing in baggage from their personal lives, the reasons employees sometimes fail to smile are many. Nevertheless, the manager must keep encouraging them because smiling projects a welcoming and friendly environment, which will help set the tone for the whole visit.
Own the Problems
Mistakes and oversights happen. There’s no need to deflect blame or get defensive, especially because of how unprofessional that looks. When the problems arise, make sure your staff looks at these as opportunities to deliver even better customer service. Nothing builds a stronger trust between businesses and clients than making wrongs right. You do so because it shows how much you care about their business. Speaking of which:
Act Like You Care
The last tip we want to highlight is the importance of caring about the customers’ needs and showing your appreciation for their patronage. Remember that they have many options for dining or buying products like yours. If you want to retain those customers and encourage them to evangelize for you, make sure they feel how much your business cares about getting everything right. Doing so will build a reputation that will serve your business well for many years to come.
Shep mentions many other tips, so be sure to review the others like showing up on time, under promising and over delivering, and the importance of building rapport.
As you might have gathered from the length of his lists, there’s a lot that goes into delivering great customer service. If only it were as easy as asking your staff to just treat customers the way they would want to be treated themselves, then this would all be easy. But since it’s not that simple, we’re here to help. Reach out to us at The Brandt Group today and we’ll help design a comprehensive training and accountability program for your employees using our many services, including mystery shopping and dining.
