How to provide the best customer service

Providing the very best customer service is vital when starting and running your business. You need to be fast, accurate and as helpful as you can to resolve any issue or question a customer has.

Remember, a happy customer will tell 1 person, an unhappy customer will tell 5 people.

Some key things to keep in your mind when responding to customers are:

• Be empathetic towards them and respect their issue.
• Don't think everyone is the same. Some people have anxiety and any situation can become incredibly stressful for them - bare that in mind.
• Be quick - in this day and age people expect fast replies.
• Set your customer service times and make it obvious to people who contact you when they can expect a response.
• Go above and beyond to help people, even if it costs you more.

Why is customer service so important?

Without customers returning again and again your business will struggle, so ensuring your customers return to purchase is important. But how do you do that?

Open communication is a great part of customer retention. If you have hit a roadblock with a delivery or had an issue with supplies not arriving on time, talk to your customers, tell them about the issue and that you are working to resolve it and how it might affect your service in the meantime. People can sympathise with your struggle, and typically understand that in life things go wrong.

A happy customer will typically tell one person about their fantastic experience but an unhappy customer will tell upwards of five people, so if you can repair a relationship with an unhappy customer make sure you try. It can often take a gesture of good will, such as replacing an item, or offering a discount to retain that customer.

Speed is a very important, where possible, part of customer satisfaction and is often the reason why people will return to spend again. If your response time is as short as possible customers are often happier regardless of the answer they receive. When using things like Facebook Messenger, set an automatic message with your opening times so customers are aware when messaging outside of these times when to expect a reply.

What should I avoid saying?

There are always things that can be frustrating when dealing in written words, as we are unable to see the facial expressions of the person communicating with us. Remaining calm and taking a deep breath before replying to a particularly challenging message is always a good idea. Try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think about how you would feel and want to be treated when raising a concern or asking a question.

Avoid any phrases where you put the blame onto the customer, and make sure to listen to their concerns and take it on board. Without negative and constructive criticism your business will not be given the opportunity to grow.

Communication, openness, and speed are huge and vital parts of customer service to ensure your customers return and your potential customers join them. Show them not only how amazing your products are but also yourself.

Summary

Customer service doesn't have to be complicated. Just treat everyone as individuals and as you would like to be treated. You will then be recommended and praised for your help, this will help to generate new customers.