So, how is your customer service? We have discussed various aspects of customer service over the past blog postings. Also, we have discussed how to evaluate your customer service, what good customer service is, and what bad customer service is. Right now, stop and be honest with yourself; how is your customer service? Is your personal customer service better or worse than that of your business?
Is good customer service the same as giving the business
away to increase your customer base? No,
sometimes a business must “fire” a customer, but that is a topic for another
time. So what is “good” customer
service? How do we provide it without
sacrificing our core values as a business or as a person? Good customer service begins with our core
values, that is, if we have ever thought of those. Have you considered what your core values
are?
How do you treat customers when you first meet them? Do you have the means to show them your
products or services and the costs involved? I know someone recently who was shopping for
a service for her business and found only one company who had a pre-printed
price list for their offerings. Only one
other company could even print a price sheet when she requested one. She was told by one business owner, “Well,
it’s not that hard to remember.”
What does the customer think when they first see your
business? Is your store, if you have one,
clean, welcoming, and easy to find? Is
parking easy, convenient, and safe? Do you
welcome them in a friendly manner, making them believe that you appreciate
their possible business? Do you have a
pre-printed price sheet with all your offerings, in an easy to read, and
understand, format? Do you find out what
someone needs before you try to sell them what you have?
What have we said about making it easy for people to do
business with you? Professional
businesses have a valid product or service for a valid price with a listing
that customers can see and have if they want to do so. Perhaps someone needs to research various
businesses and write a proposal for someone else in order to finalize a
business relationship; maybe they just need to think over their decision to buy
from you or not. Maybe they are
concerned about you, or your employees, misquoting, or changing, the price
before the decision is finalized.
Is the buying process easy to follow and understand? Is the delivery process easy on the
customer? Will delays hamper your
ability to deliver the product when the customer wants it? Is there a way for the customer to track the
product delivery? Is there a way for
problems to be rectified if necessary?
Is the customer service department necessary to correct problems, and
how difficult are they to reach? Can
they make decisions to correct problems?
What about your return policy? Do you even have one, or are all purchases
made without the possibility of return?
Is the policy clearly spelled out to everyone, even to employees? Is the policy followed, or are there exceptions? Why are there exceptions? Does your business take ownership of
mistakes, make corrections visible to everyone, and honor everyone’s commitments? Everyone makes mistakes; no one is immune to,
or beyond, making errors.
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