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Customer Service Information |
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Customers - What They Really Want - 6 Secrets of Customer Service
What customers really want can be divided into two areas. Firstly - they want the core service of your business tomeet their needs. They expect your product or service towork.If you say you're a plumber, then the customer expects youto fix their leaking pipe. If you say you're an accountant,then they expect you to resolve their tax details. They also expect your product or service to represent valuefor money.If I buy an expensive pair of winter boots I expect them tokeep out the cold and wet and also look good. Naturally if Iwas to buy a cheaper pair I wouldn't expect them to last aslong. Customers expect your after-sales service to be efficient.If my new winter boots start to leak when I wear them forthe first time, then I expect the shop to replace themimmediately. However, none of this will make customers loyal or causethem to tell others how good you are. They take this coreservice as a given. You wouldn't see me running aroundtelling people that my new winter boots didn't leak. This is the Second and most important point - What customers really - really - really want and what willmake them loyal to your business and say wonderful thingsabout you to other people are: 1. Warm and friendly responses - When customers make contactwith you face to face or over the telephone, they want awarm response. It can still be businesslike but you and yourpeople need to look and sound - friendly and likeable. (This may all sound like common sense to you but think aboutthese factors the next time you're a customer and askyourself if they're happening to you. Then ask yourself ifyour customers or clients are experiencing this from you andyour people) 2. They want to feel important - They know that you have lotsof other customers and clients but they just love it whenyou make them feel special. 3. They want to be listened to - Customers often get theimpression that the person dealing with them is not reallylistening. You must keep working on your listening skills.Keep good eye contact with people and concentrate on whatthey're saying. Keep an open mind and resist the temptationto jump in with an answer.It's also important to show that you're listening. Open bodylanguage and head nods when face to face - lots of Uh - Hu'swhen over the phone. 4. Someone to know their name - A persons name is one of thesweetest sounds they'll ever hear. If you use a customer'sname when you talk to them, it indicates that you recognisethem as an individual. Don't use it too often as it canbecome irritating, but definitely at the start and the endof a conversation. 5. Flexibility - Customers hate to hear the word "No" or "itcan't be done." It's not always possible to say "Yes" to acustomer or do exactly what they want; however, it isimportant to be as flexible as you can.Tell customers what you can do - not what you can't. 6. Recovery - When things go wrong, customers want you tosolve their problems quickly. They don't want to hearexcuses or who's to blame or why it happened, they just wantit fixed fast. Customers will often judge the quality of your service bythe way you recover. They will even forgive your mistakes ifyou recover well. Say, for example, you served a meal that wasn't cookedproperly or wasn't hot enough. You would need to apologise,assure the customer it will be fixed and then do it quickly.Then tell the customer that they won't be charged for themain course or give them some wine or a free desert. Then,when that customer talks about your restaurant, they'll tellpeople - "There was a small problem initially but when Ipointed it out, they really moved themselves and theycouldn't have been more apologetic." Don't be afraid when something does go wrong; it's often agreat opportunity to show customers just how great yourservice really is. Overall, customers just want to feel good. They want to feelbetter after they've dealt with you or anyone in yourbusiness, than they did before. If you can create thatfeeling, then you're well on the way to - giving customerswhat they REALLY want. Discover how you can generate more business without havingto cold call!Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Saleswithout Selling". This book is packed with practical thingsthat you can do to get customers to come to you! http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
MORE RESOURCES: AI Chatbots Are Ready to Talk to Customers. Sort of. The Wall Street Journal Pricing, AI, DPA, Customer Service Tools; Bill Emerson Interview; Training This Week; STRATMOR CD Workshop Mortgage News Daily Samsung Electronics Canada Customer Service Wins Bronze in ‘Best Use of Omni Channel' at International CX Awards 2024 Yahoo Finance Qme secures $3M funding to streamline customer service across Africa Techpoint Africa Building Competitive Advantage in Customer Care Through AI The Business of Fashion 311 Customer Service Center City and County of San Francisco FTC Finalizes Order with H&R Block Requiring Them to Pay $7 Million and Overhaul Advertising and Customer Service Practices for 2025 and 2026 Tax Seasons Federal Trade Commission News Samsung Electronics Canada Customer Service Wins Bronze in ‘Best Use of Omni Channel' at International CX Awards 2024 Business Wire Ikea expands integration with assembly services platform Chain Store Age JEA is inviting bids for 19-story downtown tower that used to be its headquarters The Florida Times-Union American Lamprecht Enhances Visibility for Air and Ocean Shipments Using Descartes Solution Supply Chain Dive Women in Fintech: A Conversation About Loyalty Ecosystems in Financial Services with Becky Hill Finovate Neterra Enhances Its Customer Service Monitoring System Total Telecom Gladly Named a Leader in Constellation ShortList™ for Digital Customer Service and Support PR Newswire QueueKiosk™: Saving Thousands of Active-Duty Man Hours & Improving Customer Service at the MPF Office Kiosk Marketplace Finally, hard data on a real-world AI business use case: It’s huge for customer service Sherwood News Liverpool reinvents customer service through digital platform ComputerWeekly.com CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom Firm to expand customer service in Yorkshire with new service centre Golf Business News Textron Aviation to Open New Service Facility at Essendon Fields Airport, Expanding Capabilities in Australia Pittsburg Morning Sun Help Department of Taxation and Finance Six Game-Changing AI Customer Service and CX Strategies Hospitality Net Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) New York State Department of Health Cigna's customer-centric strategy could ripple across the sector Modern Healthcare Major AI Success Story: Giftify Achieves 40% Faster Customer Response Times with Enterprise AI StockTitan How banks can build consumer confidence with stellar customer service Insights by Samsung Contact Us About Your Bill myclearwater.com Customer Service Center apps.tampagov.net 311 - Birmingham’s Customer Service Center City of Birmingham (.gov) Palm Coast Utility Department Celebrated for Enhanced Customer Service City of Palm Coast 70% of customer service to rely on AI by 2028: Gartner Outsource Accelerator DESCO's meeting held to enhance customer service and power reliability The Business Standard Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University 3 Ways To Quickly Make $50 GOBankingRates Delta’s annual profit-sharing day spotlights ‘people first’ strategy The Atlanta Journal Constitution Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside (.gov) Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside (.gov) Which companies have the best customer service? Amazon, Shein, Costco among top-rated brands USA TODAY Con Edison Proposes Investments to Meet Growing Demand for Clean Energy, Enhance Customer Support T&D World Contact Reverb Support Reverb Charter Names Robyn Tolva Senior Vice President, Customer Service Reliability | Charter Charter Communications America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2025 Sprout Social Attorney General Bonta Demands Better Customer Service for Californians California Department of Justice AI for Customer Service Market worth $47.82 Billion by 2030 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™ PR Newswire Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist Permits–customer services King County Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications Federal Communications Commission Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf President Biden Announces New Customer Service Actions, Targets Subscriptions and ‘Doom Loops’ CX Today 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Launch of New Districtwide Customer Service Platform The School District of Philadelphia Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University Summer EBT | Department of Human Services Governor Tom Wolf Video Quick Take: Intercom’s Brian Donahue on How AI Agents Can Be Your First Tier of Customer Service Support HBR.org Daily |
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