Let us start with the basics, what is good customer service?
Good customer service consists of multiple factors and different patrons and clients will value certain aspects more than others.
The typical aspects of great customer service include:
- Minimal wait times
- Great communication
- Skilled and Knowledgeable staff
- Helpful staff members that go above and beyond
- A relaxed and welcoming environment
- Attentive and accommodating staff.
- Trusting relationship
Great customer service aims to create a lasting experience where the customer feels relaxed where they can enjoy themselves, where your customers feel valued and that their time was well spent. After all, the most valuable thing in life is time.
But why is custom service worth upskilling in? Upskilling your staff in customer service skills is an investment. When your customer feels valued, comfortable, happy, relaxed, entertained and so on they are more likely to spend more, return a second time, and best of all recommend your business.
Providing amazing customer experiences for your customers is what is going to grow your business. Nowadays more than ever a single bad experience from a customer can hurt your business in so many ways and lose your future business. Think how damaging a negative review on Facebook and Google is to your business.
Studies have also shown that providing high-quality customer service to customers also retains staff, but how you ask? By upskilling your staff, you are showing them that you care about them, you care for their career growth and future. Skilled staff who are engaged and fully embrace the mission of the company are more likely to stay with your business through thick and thin.
Do you have a poor custom service issue? There are signs you can look for to identify them. The simplest way to identify them is obviously to watch your staff in action another great way to identify them is to ask your customers for a valuation and feedback.
As soon as a customer walks in the door, are they attended to? Did your security team welcome them as they walked in? When being seated are they asked if they require anything straight away? Make sure that all orders are noted down and recorded to eliminate forgotten orders.
Have you received multiple negative reviews? Have you seen a decline in repeat customers? A clear sign you have a customer service issue is when you start to see less and less of regular faces. Also, when your customers walk out the door were they smiling? Did they leave a tip or thank your staff?
Tips to improve customer service. There are lots of ways that you can improve your customer service, ranging from some quick fixes to long-term strategies. It is important to remember that while these can seem intimidating, the result will be happier customers, happier staff, and a more lucrative business.
Make staff training a priority. Upskill your staff as mentioned like any skill your staff needs training on customer service. It takes skill to deal with people as everyone is different and your staff needs to learn to accommodate all to all types of customers.
Provide a tailored service to your customers. In 2021 personalisation is the new normal. Delivering consistently high levels of service does not mean that every customer should receive an identical experience. Ensure your staff get to know regular customers by name, and ensure they look after those customers. It’s important to reward repeat customers, not just new customers. A lot of businesses forget this and spend way too much money trying to obtain new customers when they could work half as hard on keeping their current customers coming back.
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