Thread: Best Tips for Improving Customer Service

Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it.
It is what the client or customer gets out of it.

So here are some points which can improve the customer service quality:

Hire Good People

Invest in Customer Service Training Programs

Empower Employees

Get Customer Feedback

Surprise and Delight Customers


That will surely help to all of you...

Thanks...

Customer service is the most important things... If the customer satisfied with us... So we will get more & more references...

1. Hire people who have a service attitude. Some people
simply enjoy serving others, their organizations, and even
their communities. The spirit of service dominates their
personality. This attitude of service has nothing to do with
money or background, and people who have this attitude
are not necessarily the most outgoing or bubbly. This type of
person will move your business forward. These people
make the best salespeople as well.
2. Make the customer's time with you an experience. You
have but a few short moments with customers. You don't
have time to complain about your day or anything else. Ask
yourself, "How can I make their experience better?" Can I
refer to them by name and how can I ask without being too
aggressive? How can I control the environment in this
company? How am I affecting their 5 senses? Exceed their
expectations just a little with their senses and with your
attitude to serve and please, and you will have created a
memorable and compelling experience. Of course, all you
really have to do is visit your competition, see what they are
doing and then top them. But would that be cheating? No,
that's comparative shopping.
3. Regularly inform all your employees about what's going
on in your company. Employees need to know what's
happening.
What new products are you offering? When will they be
available? What kind of advertising will take place in the next
month? Will any physical changes be happening in your
offices? Will new branches be add? The more they know,
the better they can serve your customers.
4. Make every decision with the customer in mind. Ask
yourself questions such as, "Do our customers like what
we're doing?" and "Would our customers like this type of
promotion?" Change the way you look at things from having
it centered around you to focused on whether the customer
would approve.
5. Make the customers an agenda item at every staff
meeting. Present their point of view and ask these
questions: What would the customer think of this? Would
this move be fair to them? How can we serve our customers
better or differently?
6. Empower your employees to do the right thing. And don't
hold it against them if the situation doesn't turn out perfectly.
That means giving employees the power to do whatever has
to be done to make a customer's experience a WOW
experience. They will make mistakes, but each time they will
learn - with your help.
7. Continually ask yourself how you can improve and add
value. If you don't keep asking and pushing yourself, you'll
start to slip behind the competition. Customers have more
than one choice and your competition is aggressively
marketing to them. They know what is being offered by
others. Be ahead of the curve by asking what you can do to
add value to your customer's experience with you.
8. Create an atmosphere of excellence. Let it be known that
everything you and your employees do has to be the best,
and you won't accept less. Remember that winning
organizations are always raising the bar. If you aren't
pushing to do better than yesterday, you will be left in the
dust of your competition.
9. Continually do the unexpected. Have the reputation for
doing the unexpected, and customers will always expect
something different and exciting from your company. This
doesn't mean that you have to have dancing clowns in your
lobby, but having the same lollipops that everyone else
gives out is not at all unexpected. Do something different.
These are the things that customers talk about.
10. Never let an untrained employee have customer contact.
Your employees represent you, your company, and your brand. Working with
customers is the most important thing they will do. Give
them the tools necessary by giving them adequate training
to handle customers.

Thanks for providing useful tips that how we can improve our business sale. Thanks again.

Hello Friends,
Customer service is the single most important factor in maintaining good relations with customers and developing new business. Companies that strive to provide exceptional customer service are companies that have a much better chance of surviving economic changes and corporate restructuring. Customer service skills for all employees have to be continuously enhanced and reviewed in order to maintain a level of exceptional customer service.One of the golden rules is to learn as much as you can about your customer. It could be something as basic as something about the customer with respect to his/her likes and dislikes to something more complicated like the details of the allocation of his monthly remuneration. One such question could work wonders for you and could help you build a whole new strategy in your sales and marketing arm.
Thanks.

Customer service says a lot about a company. How you deal with your clients reflects on what kind of company you really are.

This post is a copy paste from 10 Customer Service Tips - Customer Service

1. Remember there is no way that the quality of customer service can exceed the quality of the people who provide it. Think you can get by paying the lowest wage, giving the fewest of benefits, doing the least training for your employees? It will show.Companies don't help customers... people do.

2. Realize that your people will treat your customer the way they are treated. Employees take their cue from management. Do you greet your employees enthusiastically each day; are you polite in your dealings with them; do you try to accommodate their requests; do you listen to them when they speak? Consistent rude customer service is a reflection not as much on the employee as on management.

3. Do you know who your customers are? If a regular customer came in to your facility, would you recognize them? Could you call them by name? All of us like to feel important; calling someone by name is a simple way to do it and lets them know you value them as customers.

Recently I signed on with a new fitness center. I had been a member of another one for the past ten years, renewing my membership every six months when the notice arrived. I had been thinking about changing, joining the one nearer my home and with more state-of-the-art equipment. So when the renewal notice came, I didn’t renew. That was eight months ago. Was I contacted by the fitness center and asked why I did not renew? Did anyone telephone me to find out why an established customer was no longer a member or to tell me they missed me? No and No. My guess is they don’t even know they lost a long-time customer, and apparently wouldn’t care.

4. Do your customers know who you are? If they see you, would they recognize you? Could they call you by name? A visible management is an asset. At the Piccadilly Cafeteria chain, the pictures of the manager and the assistant manager are posted on a wall at the food selection line and it is a policy that the manager’s office is placed only a few feet from the cashier's stand at the end of that line, in full view of the customers, and with the door kept open. The manager is easily accessible and there is no doubt about "who's in charge here". You have only to beckon to get a manager at your table to talk with you.

5. For good customer service, go the extra mile. Include a thank-you note in a customer's package; send a birthday card; clip the article when you see their name or photo in print; write a congratulatory note when they get a promotion. There are all sorts of ways for you to keep in touch with your customers and bring them closer to you.

6. Are your customers greeted when they walk in the door or at least within 30-40 seconds upon entering? Is it possible they could come in, look around, and go out without ever having their presence acknowledged? It is ironic it took a discount merchant known for price, not service, to teach the retail world the importance of greeting customers at the door. Could it be that’s because Sam Walton knew this simple but important gesture is a matter of respect, of saying "we appreciate your coming in," having nothing to do with the price of merchandise?

7. Give customers the benefit of the doubt. Proving to him why he’s wrong and you’re right isn’t worth losing a customer over. You will never win an argument with a customer, and you should never, ever put a customer in that position.

8. If a customer makes a request for something special, do everything you can to say yes. The fact that a customer cared enough to ask is all you need to know in trying to accommodate her. It may be an exception from your customer service policy, but (if it isn’t illegal) try to do it. Remember you are just making one exception for one customer, not making new policy. Mr. Marshall Field was right-on in his famous statement: "Give the lady what she wants."

9. Are your customer service associates properly trained in how to handle a customer complaint or an irate person? Give them guidelines for what to say and do in every conceivable case. People on the frontline of a situation play the most critical role in your customer’s experience. Make sure they know what to do and say to make that customer’s experience a positive, pleasant one.

10. Want to know what your customers think of your company? Ask them! Compose a "How're We Doing?" card and leave it at the exit or register stand, or include it in their next statement. Keep it short and simple. Ask things like: what it is they like; what they don’t like; what they would change; what you could do better; about their latest experience there, etc. To ensure the customer sends it in, have it pre-stamped. And if the customer has given their name and address, be sure to acknowledge receipt of the card.

Thank you

I know this verges on the kind of statement that’s often seen on a sampler, but providing good customer service IS a simple thing. If you truly want to have good customer service, all you have to do is ensure that your business consistently does these things:
1) Answer your phone.
Get call forwarding. Or an answering service. Hire staff if you need to. But make sure that someone is picking up the phone when someone calls your business. (Notice I say “someone”. People who call want to talk to a live person, not a “fake recorded robot”.) For more on answering the phone, see Phone Answering Tips to Win Business.
2) Don’t make promises unless you WILL keep them.
Not plan to keep them. Will keep them. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say, “Your new bedroom furniture will be delivered on Tuesday”, make sure it is delivered on Tuesday. Otherwise, don’t say it. The same rule applies to client appointments, deadlines, etc.. Think before you give any promise – because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.
3) Listen to your customers.
Is there anything more exasperating than telling someone what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasn’t been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? From a customer’s point of view, I doubt it. Can the sales pitches and the product babble. Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.
4) Deal with complaints.
No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, “You can’t please all the people all the time”. Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time - and position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service.
5) Be helpful - even if there’s no immediate profit in it.
The other day I popped into a local watch shop because I had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When I explained the problem, the proprietor said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to my watch band – and charged me nothing! Where do you think I’ll go when I need a new watch band or even a new watch? And how many people do you think I’ve told this story to?
6) Train your staff (if you have any) to be ALWAYS helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable.
Do it yourself or hire someone to train them. Talk to them about good customer service and what it is (and isn’t) regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, “I don’t know, but so-and-so will be back at...”
7) Take the extra step.
For instance, if someone walks into your store and asks you to help them find something, don’t just say, “It’s in Aisle 3.” Lead the customer to the item. Better yet, wait and see if he has questions about it, or further needs. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people.
8) Throw in something extra.
Whether it’s a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. And don’t think that a gesture has to be large to be effective. The local art framer that we use attaches a package of picture hangers to every picture he frames. A small thing, but so appreciated.


Thank you

Some more tips for improving customer service..


Communication is key

Exceed customers' expectations

Focus on feedback

Simplify your systems

Measuring the metrics

Follow-through is fundamental

Create a culture of customer service

Make it personal

Hope that can be useful to you..
Thanks..

Well i do believe that customer is a king and if you provide quality and timely services to him than i am sure you will get more reference and there should be grow in business too.

Empower Employees. Nothing hurts customer service more than an unempowered employee. Give your employees the authority to make tough decisions on the fly, even if you are not around. Never second-guess their decisions. However, it’s important to define customer service guidelines so they at least have a baseline from which to make their decisions. When an employee makes a good customer service decision, make sure to congratulate them on a job well done.

Thanks for the useful tips

Hello friends



Today I witnessed a customer service miracle in action. I took my son to our local fast food restaurant, so he could have some lunch and play in the indoor playground. While I was waiting for our food to be ready, a woman approached the counter with a crushed Styrofoam cup. She said, "This cup fell off of our table and broke. I need another drink and I need someone to come clean up our table and the floor." The tone of her voice suggested that somehow the restaurant was responsible for her broken cup. And of course, there was no, "Hey I'm so sorry, one of my horrible children was fooling around and caused you a mess."
It was then that right before my eyes a customer service miracle occurred. Rather than replying with the same nasty treatment they had just gotten from the customer, the staff quickly gave her a new drink. Then a man appeared with a smile and said, "I would be glad to clean that up for you." The staff never heard the words "thank you" from that customer, yet they acted as if they had. All were professional and conveyed an attitude that said, "We love having the opportunity to serve each and every person in this restaurant."



Thanks for sharing

Such a very great & huge tips for improving customer service.. Hope many people follow these & customer will enjoy the good hospitality...!!!

hi..........
Thanks for given your important and usefull tips.
Thanks