What is the most important aspect of customer service?
A question continually asked by many business owners wanting to improve their Business is what can I do to improve my business and generate more income?
Having spent some considerable time researching customer service in various environments including Retail and Financial Institutions I believe that I have started to identify the secret. So what is it? How difficult will it be for me to implement? I have heard it all before and it doesn’t work! Well let me share iot with you.
The secret is listening to your customer, I continually visit various institutions and continue to be astonished by how few people want to get to know me and listen to me. People want to deal with people like them, I want to interact with people like me, I want to have the opportunity to talk about me and I want people to be understanding and empathetic. I am not alone, virtually all the people I know want the same.
If you treat your customer with respect and relate to them then you have a fantastic start, don’t talk about yourself, don’t sell to the person telling them what they want or what they should have ask them a simple question…..
- Tell me a bit about what you are looking to achieve?
- Tell me a bit about yourself?
- What is on your agenda? What do you want to get out of todays meeting?
- What is it that you are looking for?
All are simple “open” questions and far better than “Can I help you?” so make a commitment no more closed questions!
A live example to illustrate the point, earlier this week I visited a financial institution to undertake a “mystery shop” I had a clear brief and went into the meeting, the advisor started to tell me what he could do for me I had lots to say and share but he never asked me, if he had I would have shared it with him! He didn’t want to know me he just wanted to sell to me, that was so clear. I left the meeting, frustrated and disappointed, he probably left thinking it was a great meeting! If only he had aked about me, understood who I was and what I wanted maybe I would have made a commitment.
Does this sound like you? Does this sound like your staff, could this be the service you are providing?
So from now on get to know your customer, ask about them, relate to them and start to build a rapport they will value it and they are likely to give you their business.
So now you know the secret to providing outstanding customer service implement it!
At Small Business East Midlands we provide customer service training to you and your staff as well as undertaking research on the service you or your competitors provide, we have vast experience and can help make a difference to your business. For further information please contact us on 01162889716 or through our website www.smallbusinesseastmidlands.co.uk