5 Easy Ways to Improve Small Business Customer Service

3. Answer

It is important that the customer feels your customer service representatives are listening and understanding their issue(s), so repeating a customer’s concerns back to them is often very effective. This ensures there is no misunderstanding between service provider and customer. If the encounter is in-person, always maintain eye contact. If the encounter is on the phone, pay special attention to the tone being used.

4. Resolve

Once a customer’s concern has been identified, the service provider should start working toward a solution. If the concern is complicated and not easily solved, a supervisor should be notified to assist. Not all problems can be resolved at the first line of defense.

Moreover, a customer should not have to repeat their problem over and over again. That works against your small business and all the other consumers who are watching and listening.

5. End on a High Note!

After solving the problem, end your encounter on a high note. By staying calm and continuing to stay focused on the customer, keep your smile. This will help them feel their experience with the company was an agreeable one.

If the customer believes that your company was genuinely committed to the service and/or product you are providing, he or she is more likely to return.

In these sluggish economic times, small businesses continue to search out customer retention tactics to protect market share. One fail-proof way to keep existing customers coming back is to implement an exceptional customer service strategy, or S-H-A-R-E.

Not only is the application of this approach easy, associated costs are minimal. As your company focuses on getting back to basics and putting customers first, you and your staff will be amazed at how many customers you can capture by simply S-H-A-R-E-ing. And you can share in the success by celebrating the noticeable growth in your bottom line during the holidays and beyond.

Remember: “One customer well taken care of could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising (Jim Rohn).”

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Photo Credit: Theory, Bloomingdales

Denise Price is a communication consultant who has trained and managed customer service employees for over 15 years. She lives in San Diego, CA, with her husband and two children.