10 steps to successful customer service
Well, good news, there is a map. It has 10 steps which can be summarised by the word SUCCESSFUL – each letter representing an important step. While the details of each business’s journey to customer service excellence will vary, these 10 steps are guaranteed to keep you moving in the right direction…
Smile and connect
What about the visuals? If you have a bricks & mortar premises, what does the layout and decor say? What do your clothes say to customers? A staff uniform may be tempting (at least customers will know who is staff and who isn’t) but there are pros and cons – consider what’s best for your business and your customers.
Understand the customer's situation
Active listening techniques such as paraphrasing and summarising are highly useful; as is understanding a little about the components of communication: words, tone of voice, and body language.
Clarify and empathise
Create solutions
Explain next steps
Seek ways to add value
It’s finding such extras that often make the difference between acceptable and great customer service.
Summarise
Follow through
Learn from each encounter
To explore these ten steps in detail and find the best ways to use them in your business, check out our one-day workshop ‘Successful customer service‘ or give us a call on 01582 463464. We’re here to help!