How much do you
enjoy hearing an automated answering service say, “Listen carefully as our menu
options have changed? Press 1 for . . .
.” It’s not once but a series of, “We
need a little more information in order to solve your problem.” By the time you have negotiated the automated
jungle for fifteen minutes and still have not reached a human, the frustration is
at its maximum. If you pressed one key
wrong in the process you may have to start over. Heaven forbid if the call is dropped in the
automated chain of events.
Authentic, caring
and personalized customer service invites rather than repels business. Humanizing your business puts the service
back in customer relations and fills a customer satisfaction need.
Automation saves the company money
Does it really? BI
(before the internet), a happy customer told three and an unhappy customer told
ten. Now with the social media platform,
an unhappy customer can tell hundreds with a few keystrokes. It is not a savings if it irritates customers
so much that they leave.
Social media can be a positive or a negative. You can
humanize your brand by personally responding to customers in a prompt
manner. If they wrote telling you that
your app is not loading correctly on their smart phone or that your purchase
link is broken on your web site, you know the problem and can immediately offer
a “work-around” solution while you correct the issue. If instead you issued the canned, “We are
sorry for the inconvenience, how can we help you?” response, they immediately
know it was a pre-written standard message.
So what can you do?
Personalize your customer service by returning calls, emails and social media
communication promptly with a human response rather than a canned reply. Set up an online chat room and staff it more
than a few hours a day. Use follow up
“how did we do?” emails or surveys; they can be as short as two or three
questions. Even better, make a telephone
call to inquire about their experience.
Show customer appreciation by sending a note card. Even two lines on a handwritten card can make
or break a relationship. Thanking
someone is good but thanking immediately is double the positive impact. Thank them even if their comment was not
positive. The fact that you cared enough
to send a note will do wonders to bring them back into the fold. If the conversation is agitated, take it
offline to work through the details and find a solution.
In Tough Economic Times, Tensions Rise
This can be one of
the most challenging
customer service issues. Customers
who always paid on time are now running late and customers who had a record of
paying late may not be paying at all.
Customer service
will shine or crash in challenging economic times. Customers are naturally more edgy when the
bottom line goes red instead of black.
Sometimes they are looking for someone to blame, anyone except
themselves.
Reach out to them with a helping hand. Call with the genuine motivation of asking how they are doing. Be willing to extend caring without
attempting to sell or collect any past due amounts. Starting a conversation with “How much can
you pay?” will be a conversation stopper. Create more of a business partner than a
supplier/purchaser relationship. If they
say they need to bring in more business, offer low cost ideas which will truly
help. PrintPlace.com has the freedownloadable design templates for postcards and brochures. These templates will allow them to create
their own designs and receive professional results without the professional
creation price.
Suggest mailing to
the customer lists already in their database rather than purchasing new
lists. Hand distributing brochures to
local businesses and existing customers would increase their customer
connection and keep costs to a minimum.
Caring customer
service can cement the relationship and assist them in getting back on their
financial feet.
