Every company big or small needs to maintain a personal level in their customer service. This is the ultimate key to keeping existing customers loyal and satisfied as well as developing new ones.
Yet, it so happens that while most companies do start off with good customer service, as they become bigger they tend to lose touch with the all-important customer. Alas, the first sacrifice towards growth is personalised customer service.
But, there can no excuse for providing less than top-notch customer service. In fact, it has become all the more important during the current rough economic weather. With every company outdoing the other in price cutbacks, your number one differentiating factor can only be stellar customer service.
What’s more, creating a favourable impression on customers will not only influence their future purchase decisions and win them over for life, but also induce them to spread the word. On the contrary, customers are becoming smarter and any glitches in the level of service will immediately push them to move elsewhere often right into the lap of your competition!
Therefore, companies should never even think of skimping on their customer service budgets. Keep investing in customer resource management solutions and look for cost cuts elsewhere. As Mr Nelson, Vice President of research and advice firm - Gartner says, “Just because times are tough and budgets are being cut, companies should not think that this means no CRM investment!”
Planting a culture of personal service: What is actually happening is that companies are becoming more and more distant, impersonal, mechanical and sometimes even menacing. Most customers complain that customer representatives are just for namesake, as they appear too busy to be bothered, sometimes not even acknowledging the presence of a customer.
Again customers have to jump through endless hoops to get their voice heard, let alone solve complaints. They have to wait through inexorable telephone queues, navigate twisted automated phone systems, bounce around from department to department only to receive robotic replies that are anything but satisfying. Most often, complaints go unanswered, as the company never even bothers to respond.
Little wonder then that the disgruntled customer reaches the end of his rope and dejectedly chooses to walk away from the company forever.
The only recourse left for companies is to go back to the basics and re-start personalised customer service.
Putting ‘personal’ back in your customer service requires very simple things like greeting with a smile, politely saying, ‘Hello’, ‘Please’, ‘May I help you’ and ‘Thank you’, giving courteous replies or maybe just opening a door. Now that isn’t much to ask for and yet it can transform the most routine interactions to friendly, engaging and infinitely memorable.
So, start being proactive at every customer touch point and provide dedicated support wherever possible. Like, when a customer approaches you face-to-face, endeavour to understand his needs and then offer the best thing that suits him instead of blindly pushing the most profitable product for sale.
Create a simple company website that is easy to use and also provides straightforward information. Also, automated phone systems may save time and money, but they can be customer-unfriendly.
So, as far as possible try to ensure that there is always a real person to answer customer calls and he does so in a warm, friendly and helpful manner. He should also be knowledgeable enough about the company and products to be able to satisfactorily answer questions and solve problems, without sending the customer on a wild goose chase around the company!
Then again, keep in mind that every customer query deserves an answer even if it spells trouble. Make it a point to respond immediately to all customer calls, letters and emails. Also, ensure that your response is clear, satisfying and personal instead of resorting to stock replies or sidestepping the blame.
Apart from this, maintain regular communication with all customers to keep in touch as well as keep them informed. Show that you appreciate the support even if a customer has purchased only once. Another tip comes from Peggy Morrow, author of Customer Service: How to Do It Right! “Calling customers by name is critical. You serve many people, but when you name someone, it tells them you still care about them as an individual.”
Towards this end, it will help infinitely if you have a dedicated customer service team that is purely focused on customers and their needs. All they have to do is come across as sincere, caring, competent and always willing-to-help to leave a lasting impression.
Therefore, customer service should form an integral part of every company as personal service instantly filters down to the bottom line. This can be tough for a growing company especially during today’s trying times.
Yet, as it has been rightly said, “Don’t get so busy as you grow that your customers feel unimportant. Personalised service is probably what made you grow in the first place!”
PAYAL CHANANIA
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