Customer retention in this day and age of fierce competition is very difficult.
So how do you hang on to your customers?
The answer to this question is by simply providing excellent customer service.
While excellent customer service may not guarantee that your customers will not look askance to the competition, it sure puts you in the positionof putting up a good fight.
The Top Customer Service Tips
Here are some customer service tips that if implemented should give you a fighting chance at customer retention.
1. The customer is king.
This is one of the more common customer service quotes and it also serves as a customer service tip.
The customer is very important to your business, he determines your survival and should be treated as such.
The customer should be treated with dignity and respect.
You should also listen to them to find out what they want.
2. Listen to the customers even when they are angry and shouting.
Let the customer finish venting and when they stop apologize for any omission that may have been committed.
Do not compete with the customer as to who is right or wrong, just give the customer the benefit of the doubt.
3. Customer service quality is determined by the quality of the people offering it.
You should always hire the right people to do customer service as they are the direct contact with your customers.
Also, pay them well. If customer service employees are unhappy or unmotivated, it will show in their work.
Employees should also be treated the way you would like your customers to be treated, well.
4. Get to know your regular customers and well.
When they come in, greet them by name as this makes them feel valued and appreciated.
5. Go the extra mile for your customers.
If you exceed customer expectations, you are more likely to retain the customer.
Send thank you cards, or birthday and Christmas cards.
If they make a special request do what you can to make it happen.
6. Encourage your customers to give their opinions and thoughts on your product or service.
Ask them to make suggestions as to what you could do better.
This not only makes the customers feel valued but also helps gather useful information on how to better serve your customers.
7. You should always try to discover and anticipate the needs of your customers.
You can only do this if you get to know your customers.
