How to Leverage Customer Service to Improve Your Bottom Line

Your business revolves around customer service, but are you doing what it takes to leverage customer service to improve your bottom line?

Customer service is a multi-faceted concept, and it’s quite possible that you could be missing some key factors in the art of customer service. Here are a few tips for making the most out of the customer service aspect of your business to improve your bottom line:

Customer Parking © Rachael Voorhees

• Don’t blame your rules and regulations – Nothing loses a customer faster than, “I can’t do that for you because it’s against our rules.” Customers want to know they are special and valued, rather than secondary to seemingly illogical “rules.” Instead of training your customer service reps to say no, allow the rules to be flexible enough to give alternative suggestions. For example, if you can’t take back a beauty product and refund the credit card account because the safety seal has been opened, could you offer to send them a face cream from a different line?

• Remain patient and listen to the client – Instead of waiting for the next opportunity to begin talking when you are in a confrontation with a client, take a step back and simply listen to your client. Often times, the client simply wants to vent; other times, they want to feel like they’ve been heard. In other words, don’t participate in the banter; instead, listen carefully and then respond accordingly.

• Take the time to get to know your customer on a personal level – You may be busy with the demands of your business, but one of the most important aspects of customer service is customer retention. The easiest way to keep customers long term is to make them feel like more than a number. Talk to your customers, understand their wants and needs, and make a habit of taking the time to really get to know the people who’ve made your business what it is.

• Always make feedback part of the customer service experience – Feedback is, by far, the easiest way to gauge the customer experience. Contact your customers after the sale (by mail or email is usually the best method) and ask them about their experience. Customers will always be more than willing to let you know if they had a good experience and a not-so-good experience. Use this information to remedy any problems with the customer, and to use it to improve your future customer experiences.

• Always make sure your employees are as knowledgeable as you – One of your most important jobs as a business owner is to provide your customer with an excellent experience, whether it is with you or your employee. Therefore, it is important to take the time to properly educate and train your employees to ensure the best possible customer experience, each and every time.

Your customers are your bread and butter, and it’s important to treat them as such. By listening to your customers, finding amicable solutions, and valuing them as people, you can strengthen customer loyalty – and your bottom line.

Write to Grace Carter at grace@creditdonkey.com

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