Friday, December 6, 2013

A View into Current Customer Service Trends - 101

One of the first lessons learned would be, the customer is always right! This may sound extreme and not always appropriate, but it goes a long way toward customer service. We all need happy and returning customers to prosper no matter the nature of our business. A good rule to remember is to always put yourself in your customer’s shoes.

A positive first impression is a friendly voice on an answered call or a smile in person. When we are knowledgeable and clients know we enjoy sharing information with them, answering their questions and solving problems, a relationship is built. We enjoy meeting new customers, and being allowed to work with them. 

Being genuine and getting to know our customers will build a relationship. This will assist in remembering names and information that will reassure them that we are truly interested. As everyone tends to be so busy and preoccupied, we find our clients appreciate an employee taking the time to learn their name, discover their needs and let them know we genuinely care. We assure them that our staff is trained and knowledgeable. If they have a question, we have the tools and resources to find it quickly. Our clients are always a priority.

Example:

NEX21 Partners recently had an opportunity to explore storage options when we no longer met the minimum charges with the company currently providing this service to us. We had to look elsewhere and contacted Stacey Elliott, owner at Source One Records Management, Inc. Stacey has called, emailed, and answered question after question. And, Greg, their warehouse manager, has called to introduce himself and to offer assistance. Just this morning, an email with questions was returned with answers within five minutes. Their response was accompanied with a pleasant note as well. Extra effort will go miles and miles with customer service as Source One Records Management's team responded quickly, they are friendly and above all they are consistent when explaining the services they offer. They have truly gone above and beyond.

Our goal is for a customer to be an acting part of our business.  Just as we are courteous to visitors in our home, we welcome clients into our business. We show them in, make them feel right at home, and anxious to return. We remember that a customer is choosing our service or product. Clients will feel so welcome that they will be excited to contact us again, as well as share their experience with others.