It has been said that a customer makes a decision to buy within the first 30 seconds of their experience, so good customer service skills are crucial.
That means that you must create an environment that is comfortable for your customer all within 30 seconds, otherwise you’re facing an uphill challenge to get that customer to have the type of experience that will keep them coming back over and over again.
Sound impossible? It’s easier than it seems.
You control the customer service experience
You have 100% control over the experience that customers have in your store because it is your home turf. You have the advantage of knowing your store and products inside and out and using that knowledge to prepare yourself for your customer’s arrival.
Establishing a comfortable and engaging environment for your customer is also easy because it does not require any special customer service training or customer service skills. It means being aware of your customer and having an understanding of their importance to your job and your company.
You can start right now. You don’t need week-long seminars on what makes good customer service. You don’t need to spend hours looking up quotes about good customer service. You don’t need to have seen previous examples of good customer service. You just need to define good customer service to you and then create a plan for putting that definition into action when working with your own customers.
By doing this you begin to develop your own good customer service tips based on the type of customers you see each day. Slowly you’ll begin to develop good customer service skills and with time will have your own good customer service stories to tell.
Welcome your customer to customer service
You customer service greeting is not just stating your name, the company’s name, or your agent ID. That’s not a GREETING. A true greeting in delivering good customer service is like welcoming a close friend. You are on the customer’s side. You are their agent. You are their lifeline. You are the concierge that will make sure that the customer’s needs are fulfilled.
You can engage your customer immediately by simply interacting with them in a way that shows that you care about their needs and have the knowledge to help them.
Meeting and greeting your customer from the moment they walk into your store sets the tone for the rest of their shopping experience, and is central to what is good customer service. By acknowledging their presence, they will feel important and will see that you are friendly and helpful.
Tom Richard, sales trainer and author, recently shared in one of his weekly e-zine articles on this site http://www.tomrichard.com:
The absolute worst thing you can do is make a customer wait for service or wander aimlessly around…to search what they came in to find. They may have driven over 15 minutes to get to your store just to find one item. When they get there, they expect to find exactly what they are looking for and expect that you will help them find it. Without your help they may become frustrated and lost, and may leave empty-handed.
The same would apply to your digital customer service experience. Don’t think good customer service applies online? How much did your marketing team spend to get your customer to click on your site? And now you’re going to act like you don’t care about them and do whatever you can to turn them away? No!
If, for some reason, it is necessary that the customer wait before getting service, do not let them feel neglected. Make them comfortable and let them know you will assist them as soon as you can, or give them an alternative resource for their questions.
Good customer service is a resource to customers
Immediately following your initial greeting you need to establish yourself as the customer’s resource. Your customer needs to know that you are the index of your store, or Web site, and that their experience will be efficient and pleasant with you as their guide.
Even if the customer is not ready for your help at the present time, it is important that you let them know you are available for questions and assistance when they are ready. If your customer feels like you are crowding them, they will likely want a few minutes to look around before they feel comfortable enough to allow you to help them.
Online this “looking around” may be just having a customer contact you for pre-sales information on the phone, through email, or live chat. Regardless of the type of question or where the customer is in the buying process, good customer service is critical. Establishing this positive good customer service contact immediately will let them know where to go when they do have a question.
Listen to Deliver Better Customer Service
When the customer is ready for your assistance, you must be ready to listen. Listening means discovering the meaning behind their words and the questions they ask. Too often in retail, salespeople try to find a quick solution, and dive into a speech about the first product a customer mentions. Take the time to allow the customer to reveal their unique needs and desires. Then you will be able to match them with a specific product that is perfect for them.
Listening to the customer will make them feel comfortable talking with you and ultimately, buying from you. They will feel understood and appreciated from your personalized service, and they will remember the experience.
The simple things mean the most for good customer service
It is amazing how simple these initial steps are when you understand their importance. They are easy to implement and so effective in creating a pleasant and welcoming environment for your customer as soon as they arrive.
So the next time you interact with a customer, pay attention to how they are treated within the first 30 seconds. Plan ahead a few ways to improve your greeting and put them into action as part of delivering good customer service to your customers.
So the next time your customer talks about their experience with you, you want to make sure they mention your good customer service.
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