Do you remember the old adage, “Actions speak louder than words”? That saying rings true, because it is. What we do tells our customers and our prospective customers a lot more about our company and values than anything we can ever say. In a great online article at Inc., Why the Best Companies Always Have the Best Customer Service, the author, Chris Haroun, offers examples of four companies known for great customer service: Apple, Amazon, Costco and SalesForce. The specific examples he provides have little to nothing to do with the products, but each example has everything to do with the way employees behave. In other words, it’s what the companies “do” that tells their customers what they value, and it’s what they do that builds amazing brand loyalty and successful businesses.
Now ask yourself – what do our customer-facing employees actually do? If you aren’t sure, you might have more of a problem than you think. In fact, given the simple reality that there is a competitor for just about every single service or business out there, excellent customer service might be just the thing that can separate you from your competitors.
The secret to delivering great customer service isn’t magic, either. It all starts with a great attitude that’s focused on the satisfaction and experience of your customer.
We’ve all experienced poor customer service, and a simple online search for customer service “hall of shame” will reveal a series of companies that share similar traits AND behaviors. For the customers of these companies, it’s hard to talk to people, get quick easy answers to questions, and deal with questions or issues with billing. In other words, the things these companies “do” tells customers the customers are not really valued.
So you have a choice, and the choice seems pretty clear. Value your customers and treat them like you care. That means you need to take care of your customer-facing employees and teach them effective customer service skills, techniques and give them the tools to be successful. In the end, the success of your business depends upon it!
To learn more, click here to get access to a demo code of ServiceSkills Customer Service Training solution!
©ServiceSkills.com We encourage you to distribute this message to colleagues. When you’re ready to empower your staff with proven customer service and team building skills, please let us know.