If you run a business, you will understand that your customers are the most important people in the world to keep happy. If they have a problem, it is vitally important that they can talk to you about it swiftly, and obtain accurate information, guidance, or advice, to help resolve their issue and ensure they come away feeling valued.
Listen Carefully to Understand the Problem
Your customer service team understand your products inside out and have been trained to be able to talk knowledgably about every aspect. Your customers however, have not had this training, so may find it difficult to tell you exactly what problem they are experiencing. Do not try to second guess what the problem may be after a few short sentences. You are only going to add to the customer’s frustration, if you start talking about a solution that has no bearing on the problem he has. The best customer service people understand, that to effectively deal with any customer problem, that the most important tool they have available in the early stages are their ears. Allow the customer to fully explain, to ensure you really do know what the problem is. If your team aren’t doing this, or your office is only 9-5, check out www.receptionhq.com to find an immediate 24/7 solution.
Acknowledge and Empathise
The customer wants to know that you have his attention and are understanding him. It is good to assure him that you are sorry for the problem and that you do understand his position. While you have not yet presented your potential solution, the customer will appreciate that you care and are trying to assist.
Offer a Real Solution
It is a good time to put yourself into the customers shoes and ask yourself what you would be happy with, were your positions reversed. If you don’t have an immediate solution to hand, you may want to ask the customer themselves, what they would like you to do, which may be a whole lot less than you were initially thinking. If you can provide what they want and add a little extra, you are seen to be going the extra mile, which is always great for customer loyalty. Keep away from what you can’t do, and focus on what you can. It is preferable to resolve the complaint in a single call, though if you cannot, make sure the customer knows what follow up action, you will take and ensure that it gets done without fail. These are all steps in the customer journey map where you are trying to provide the satisfaction, you would look for yourself.
Thanks, and Reinforcement
Make sure that at the end of the call, the customer is aware that you are happy to have him as a customer. Ensure that he knows he is welcome to call back if he requires any additional help in the future, and it may be a good idea, where possible, to provide him at this time, with some advice on what he might be able to do himself, which will further improve the situation, and feeling of well-being.
This is when you are generally likely to get feedback from the customer, which will tell you if have been successful.
