Rules for great customer service

We all expect great customer service these days wherever we go and whatever business we come across with. Whether that be online and having an email query or in a shop and want some more information about a product or service.

Perhaps you telephoned a company to purchase something or with a change to an insurance company and well, it just didn't work for you.

Were the people short of product knowledge, did you have to wait a long time before someone attended to you, did you feel frustrated with the outcome or just gave up and went somewhere else

We all experience poor customer service everyday, but what can we learn from our own experiences to implement with our own business? Is the customer always right ? Read on.

Creating excellent customer service

Here are some areas to think about when developing your own customer service for your business :

1. Knowledgeable customer facing staff - how many times do you talk with staff in a store, garage or on the phone that just don't have the right knowledge about products on display ? It's something basic to put right - so either invest in training or put the right staff in front of customers.
   
   
2. Have courteous customer facing staff - there's nothing more frustrating than arrogant staff when you are discussing an issue. You want someone to listen to your issue and be courteous to you. After all, you are the customer. Train staff to be positive and to treat customers with respect.
   
   
3. Assume your customer is right - Although there are some people who are just the most demanding in the world and some that try and trick you out of profits, most people are honest and simply want a amicable solution to their issues.
   
   
4. Provide timely solutions - We all have limited time these days and are in a hurry so if someone has a question or sends you an email try and answer it as fast as possible. After all, someone has taken the time to contact you - most people simply give up and find someone else if they have an issue - and that's a lost sale.
   
   
5. Focus on lifetime value - Most people think short term, but everyone remembers poor service and tell a lot of people about their experiences. Remember that most customers you bring on will buy from you over and over again - so think of the value of each customer you acquire in that the profits will be more than one simple sale over the course of say 12 months.
   
   
6. Make everything easy - We all get frustrated when we can't find something so make it easy to undertake everything on your store. That is, easy to buy, easy to contact and easy to find products and services.