The life blood for any business are their customers. And, the holy grail for any business owner is having a team that can deliver exceptional service to their customers.
Anyone working in an interface capacity with clients becomes a brand ambassador for that business, and therefore is crucial.
For example, in a restaurant where you would expect the quality of food to be the main draw, the ambiance and the levels of service provided by the staff, are equally important.
Having great food alone is not enough. The restaurant needs to feel inviting, and the staff must be welcoming.
It is this combination that brings a customer back regularly to that establishment.
An intangible in any eatery for example is the energy you feel when you walk in.
That energy – the feeling of vibrancy – comes only when the restaurant has staff who are buoyant and ready to assist.
Customer service professionals are ultimately responsible for clients having a good experience, and to ensure that their needs are met by the business. Here are a few ideas that will help you become a better front-line customer service professional.
Get your mindset right, first
No one should start any front-facing job without their "head screwed on right."
Understand that you must like people, you must enjoy interfacing with them, you must be ready to face tough questions, you must know your products or services well, and you must do all of this while emitting welcoming vibes.
If you are unable to get into this mindset, you will struggle with any front-line customer service job.
You must be friendly
This is arguably the most important rule to follow. Your face is the window to your business. To provide an excellent experience for your customer, you must be friendly. Greeting customers with a smile while being courteous and respectful is the way to start any interaction. Then, you must be proactive and pay attention to their needs, even while you are busy. Offering help or recommendations before they ask is the mark of a customer service professional who takes their job seriously. Remember that being kind and empathetic to your customer, although they are upset with something, is the benchmark for you to meet.
Develop persuasive speaking skills
The most persuasive speaker in your organisation would be someone from your sales team. Persuasion has long been recognised as an important sales skill, but it can also be invaluable for your customer service. Research shows that 74% of consumers say they have spent more with a company because of positive service experiences. This is purely because of the quality of service they receive. So, make sure you can speak confidently, stay positive, and offer the kind of compelling narratives that lead to conversions - sales. This is how you increase you value within your organisation. Know your products or servicesYou cannot speak persuasively if you do not understand your services or your products intimately. To offer your customers excellent service, you should know every aspect of the product or service you are selling. You must be able to discuss its features and uses, show your customers the advantages they get from using your product or service, and troubleshoot anything that is not working correctly. This is true of any industry. Always remind yourself that a customer will only "buy" when you can proactively persuade them about "what's in it for them." Be it a product that your company manufactures, or an item that your shop sells, or a drink that your serve in your restaurant, your customer needs to recognise the benefit for themselves if they purchase it.
Have empathy
Empathy is the capacity to appreciate another person's emotions and to recognise their point of view. Over 70 per cent of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. It is not only about whether a problem was solved, or if a refund was offered. This is important, but customers always remember how you made them feel. It is the emotional connection they have with a business that brings them back repeatedly. Often, as a customer service professional, you will find that emotions are more powerful than facts.
Make only promises you can keep
If you are able to keep your promises to your customers, you will build a strong relationship with them to show you respect them and that you are worthy of their trust. It's important to remember that any commitment is a promise, whether it is written on your company website, mentioned in social media, or if you told them over the phone. Customers will remember what you committed to them, and will trust you to deliver on that promise. If a mistake happens, and they do, you must make sure to offer something to make up for that broken promise, to rebuild the trust.
Strong customer service is founded on solid leadership and empowered employees. Do you see yourself as a customer service professional?
