1. Be better than average. Amazing companies don’t always deliver “Wow!” type experiences. No, they are just a little better than average – all of the time. All of the time is the secret. Anyone can be good or great once in a while. It’s the consistency that makes them amazing.
2. Pay attention to details. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest impact. Figure out the details that your customers enjoy and make them a routine part of doing business with you.
3. You may not be the owner, but you should care like you’re the owner. Not all owners or executives make great leaders, but the ones that are should be emulated. Watch how they take pride in how they deal with customers and employees. Then copy them. Act and care like you are the owner.
4. Analyze when things go right. When a company receives a complaint people usually have discussions to find out what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. Next time you receive a letter of praise, meet to find out what went right and how it can be repeated. Don’t, as the cliché goes, just learn from mistakes.
5. Focus on 100% wallet share. A loyal customer is a repeat customer, but may still buy from your competition. The ultimate loyal customer is a repeat customer that buys what you sell, but only from you, and not your competition. So, what are you doing right now that is going to make sure the customer, the next time they need what you sell, will come back – the next time, every time?
6. Use social media to enhance your customer service by sending value added messages, creating users groups and monitoring what others are saying about you.
7. Create a consistent experience. One sure way to erode loyalty is to deliver an inconsistent customer service experience. One time it’s great. The next time it is barely average. And, the next time it may be great again. Inconsistency creates uncertainty. Uncertainty erodes confidence. Lack of confidence leads to lack of trust. All of that leads to giving a customer a reason to consider your competition.
8. “Peoplize” your business. (I made that word up.) People do business with people. Make it personal. Customers should want to do business with you because of you and your employees. Make your customers “feel at home.” You may have a great location, cool displays, great signage, etc. That’s all great, but if your people can’t make your customers feel welcome and appreciated, all of the other “stuff” doesn’t matter.
9. Experience your own customer service. If possible, personally mystery shop your own company. Find out how easy you are to do business with through your own experience. Sure, you can hire a company to do surveys and mystery shopping, but learning through your own experience can be an eye opening experience.
10. Create a customer service culture, and it starts by setting an example and practicing what I call, “The Employee Golden Rule” which is: Treat your employees the way you want the customer treated – maybe even better. By the way, everybody should practice this as when it comes to customer service, everyone is a leader.
Bonus: Don’t forget to say, “Thank you!” It would be remiss of me not to remind you to show appreciation. You can thank a customer in person, on the phone, with a thank you note, an email… You get the idea.
Now it’s up to you. Choose one customer service strategy to start with. Have a meeting around it. Discuss how to implement it. Then, do it!
Here’s to 2012 being your best customer service year ever!
Shep Hyken is a professional speaker and New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling business author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For information on Shep’s speaking programs, books, and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
(Copyright ©2012, Shep Hyken)
Love the new verb, Shep. “Peoplize” That should catch on quickly. OK is I use it, too?
Great list of strategies! Thanks for sharing, Shep. I especially like “The Employee Golden Rule” because if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers!
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thanks for these new year tips they are really helping me in my customer service class.
thanks for these customer service tips it is really helping me in my customer service class.
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The cepcont of up-servicing is a good one, however it needs to be balanced with a few realities:If you asked them, most executives would state that that providing superior service is something they want to do. The issue is the need to balance this with the ongoing pressures in most industries to manage costs or even reduce them. This does not mean that providing better service is not an option. Rather it means that companies take into account the value it delivers directly to the business by increasing the customer relationship and the resulting value the customer receives. Additional factors include understanding what information the company has that they might provide to the customer, and the value that has to the customer. I agree that a simple “is there anything else I can help you with” is not enough. More often than not the customer won’t know what you can do to help them. The key is to understand the customer and their relationship with your company, and to provide guidance so that they gain greater value from your company. For example, a subscriber reaches their cable operator to inquire about a bill. The operator notices that although the customer has subscribed to the new movie package with access to thousands of movies, they have not viewed any films. This is an excellent opportunity to inquire if the customer has had trouble using the service and to work with them to directly resolve any issues. Here, the benefit is direct to both the customer (greater value from their subscription) and the company (happier customer means they do not bolt to a competitor at first sign of trouble).Another way companies can up-service their customer is by giving them access to information that was previously unavailable and in ways that are convenient to them – not just your business. An example is the area of self-service. Gone are the days in most industries where self-service is a way to simply reduce the service cost or cost per interaction. Yes, it is still true that the cost per transaction is substantially lower in self-service than calling a call center or visiting a store. Just as important is that changing consumer expectations are that people want direct access to a wealth of information – at anytime, anywhere. And if they do not receive it from you, it can be the reason they leave for a competitor – even if your customer service was adequate or even superior in all other ways. Look no further than the rapid growth of smart phones and smart devices. Companies would be well served to understand their customers use of these devices and expectations and to meet and exceed them.