Customer Service

Purpose

Ensure that our customer service is always exemplary

Background

Think about the last time you had a negative buying experience. Did an e-commerce site fail to respond to your email query Did a sales person at your neighborhood computer store fail to know the difference between a floppy drive and a hard drive Perhaps you were left on hold for an inordinate amount of time when you called a company’s telephone.

Negative buying experiences are almost always linked to shoddy customer service. Even though most businesses claim that they put people first, it’s rare to find good customer support.

Strong customer service is a business essential.

Scope

All Staff

Procedure

Commit to quality service. Everyone in the company needs to be devoted to creating a positive experience for the customer. Always try to go above and beyond customer expectations.
Know your products. Convey an articulate and in-depth knowledge of products and services to win customer trust and confidence. Know our company’s products, services, and return policies inside and out. Try to anticipate the types of questions that customers will ask.
Know your customers. Try to learn everything we can about your customers in order to tailor our service approach to their needs and buying habits. Talk to customers about their experience with our company, and listen to their complaints. In this way, we can get to the root of customer dissatisfaction.
Treat people with courtesy and respect. Remember that every time that we, our employees, and our colleagues make contact with a customer — whether it’s by email, phone, written correspondence, or a face-to-face meeting — the interaction leaves an impression with that customer. Use conciliatory phrases — “Sorry to keep you waiting,” “Thanks for your order,” “You’re welcome,” and “It’s been a pleasure helping you” — to demonstrate not only our commitment to customer satisfaction but our dedication to courtesy.
Never argue with a customer. We know very well that the customer isn’t always right. However, it is important that we do not focus on the missteps of a particular situation; instead, concentrate on how to fix it. Research shows that 7 out of 10 customers will do business with a company again if that business resolves a complaint in their favor.
Don’t leave customers in limbo. Repairs, callbacks, and emails need to be handled with a sense of urgency. Customers want immediate resolution, and if we can give it to them, we will probably win their repeat business. Research shows that the instance of repeat business goes up to 95 percent when complaints are resolved on the spot.
Always provide what we promise. Fail to do this and we’ll lose both credibility and customers. If we guarantee a quote within 24 hours, get the quote out in a day or less. If and when we neglect to make good on our promise, apologise to the customer and offer some type of compensation, such as a discount or free delivery. Overall, only make promises that we are confident that we and our business can keep.
Assume that our customers tell the truth. Even though it may appear that customers lie to manipulate a situation to their advantage, it is to our advantage to give them the benefit of the doubt. The majority of customers don’t like to complain; in fact, they’ll go out of their way — perhaps all the way to a competitor — to avoid it. If we hear unhappy rumblings from our customers, take their complaints to heart and do our best to appease their dissatisfaction.
Focus on making customers — not on sales. Salespeople, especially those who get paid on commission, sometimes focus on the volume instead of on the quality of the sale. Remember that to keep a customer’s business is more important than to close a sale. Research shows that it costs six times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. Moreover, happy customers are the best and most effective way to find new customers.
Make it easy to buy. The buying experience in our store, on our Web site, or through our catalog should be as easy as possible. Eliminate unnecessary paperwork and forms, help people to find what they need, explain how products work, and do whatever else we can to facilitate transactions.