In the last post we talked about the first secret to building a solid customer service plan and how to decide what your vision is.
Today weâll talk about the second secret in taking your satisfied customers to raving fans. You must know what your customers want. Know who your customers are and you will know better how to serve them. Demographics are really important here. An upper-class woman in her 30âs is going to have completely different expectations than a blue collar worker in his 50âs.
There are four main areas you need to consider and plan when figuring out what your customers want:
- Listen to Your Customers
- Ask Your Customers Sincerely
- Offer More than Just a Product/Service
- Know When to Ignore Them
These are all important when deciding what your customers want out of their shopping experience.
Listen to Your Customers
You need to listen to both what they say and what they donât say. Customers may say they want one thing and really mean something else. For example, if you customers are begging for lower prices, you may find out their real priority is quick delivery.
Also, listen to your âsilentâ customers. These are the customers who donât bother to complain because the service is so bad theyâve just given up and donât feel like their voice matters. They feel unwanted and when a competitor shows up, theyâll be gone.
Lastly, you need to listen to customers who only reply with âfineâ. These customers are similar to the âsilentâ customers in that they are so used to bad customer service they only give a monotone response.
Ask Your Customers Sincerely
If you arenât sincere when you ask their opinion, they are going to see right through you. You may be thinking, âWhat about the customers who arenât saying anything?â You need to ask them sincere questions that get them thinking about their experiences. Make them feel like you really care ⌠and you should!
Offer More than Just a Product/Service
Your customers are looking for much more than a simple product or service; they are looking for an experience that makes them feel good. They grade you on every step of the process. When you take this into consideration and treat them like people, they will feel like they belong.
Know When to Ignore Them
You may think this goes beyond providing good customer service, but in reality, you canât give them everything and you will never make some people happy. You have to set limits and stick to them. If your vision and company donât meet the needs of the customer, they will be best suited somewhere else.
These are the steps and tricks to figuring out what your customers want and how you can use them to work on your customer service vision and plan.
If you get stuck, try our FREE test drive and let us help you through the process.In the last post we talked about how to figure out what your customers want out of a positive shopping experience. Today weâll talk about the concept of Deliver +1 and how this concept can take your customer service to the next level. Iâve decided to split up this post so the next one will cover the 1% Rule.
Consistency is the key to any great customer service experience. If you want to take your satisfied customers to Raving Fan status, you have to go above and beyond the average customer service experience.
There are three ways to develop consistency:
Avoid offering too many customer service options.
We sometimes get so caught up in giving customers what they want that we get away from our original vision. Instead, stay true to your vision and offer one or two solid customer service techniques that will set you apart from the competition.
You need to fine tune the current systems you are using before you can add anything to the mix. Thereâs nothing worse than launching a new program when you havenât even worked out the kinks of an old system.
Put solid systems into place.
Once you know what youâre going to offer, you need to have a system in place to execute it flawlessly every time. This system needs to involve the right people in the right roles and responsibilities and technology that guarantees a positive experience every time. Emphasis needs to be placed on the results, which ultimately is the satisfaction of the customer.
Good training is the key.
Once you have your system in place you need to train people to use it properly and efficiently. This helps your people deliver the results your customers are looking for. While training is essential for the system to work and for all your people to perform together cohesively, appreciation will go a long way.
I hope this has given you a look into what you need to do in order to have a quality customer service system in place. If you need help, try our FREE test drive and gain access to a wealth of resources, tools and coaching.