Work Wonders For Your Business By Focusing On Customer Service
Since customers are the backbone of any business, you should consistently work for keeping them satisfied. There should never be any let-up in this. Only then, you can succeed in your business. If you look at the track-records of all the successful entrepreneurs, you will find that they have always been bestowing special attention on customer service. If you ask them to reveal the secrets of their success, the foremost point in their list will be "customer service". This rule applies to all types of businesses. If you do not satisfy your customers, you can shut your shop. You can remember the following few points for keeping your customers satisfied and succeeding in your business.
- You should shift your focus from customer service to customer loyalty. Customer service has a limited scope but when you focus on customer loyalty, your moves should be several notches above what is required for customer service. You can have loyal customers only if you develop a rapport with them. This is much above having business and working relationship with them. Knowing the customers' full names, their family backgrounds and other personal details will form a part of this. A few people may question the ethics behind knowing all these details but it is perfectly ethical to try and have all these details about them. It is not that you are spying or indulging in any espionage activities. You are attempting to have a good rapport with them. Showing your genuine concern about their personal welfare is perfectly justified and converting them into loyal customers and getting a continuous business from them are just by-products.
- Your customer service activities should be much more than usual. In the present-day world, competition is rampant in every field and your industry may not be an exception. All the players in your industry will be trying to provide their customers with an excellent service. So, you should use your creativity, think out-of-the-box and provide more personalized service to your customers to make your company unique. You should always be thinking of new ways and methods to do this. You should understand that each customer is different. So, you can not adopt the same set of rules uniformly to all the customers. Personalized service will do a world of good to improve your business.
- You should respect the axioms "customer is God" and "customer is always right". You should never attempt to prove your point right. Sometimes, you may feel that the demands of customers are completely unjustified. Even then, you should not try to prove that they are wrong. You should sincerely attempt to fulfill their expectations and if you feel that you will not be able to do so, you should express honestly but politely your inability to fulfill their demands. If there is a mistake on your side, you should try to modify and correct it free of cost. It is better to bear the loss instead of losing a customer. Customers are the very purpose of your business and by pointing out your mistake, they are in fact helping you. You can effect the corrections permanently and this will improve your image in the market. These satisfied customers will certainly do word-of-mouth publicity for your business.
- A mistake you should avoid at all costs is to promise what can not be delivered. If customers want a certain product or service and if you feel that you can not fulfill their demand, it is better to tell them the truth honestly. You should not make false promises. This will spoil your reputation and these disappointed customers will never come back to you. They will pass on this information to other known people also.
- Your employees should also be imparted with suitable training to respect customers with the same sincerity with which you do. Your company will be viewed in totality. Customers will not view you and your employees separately. Even if one employee is not responsive, it is like adding a drop of poison to a whole container of milk. So, every employee should be made to understand the importance of customer service. They should be equally concerned about customer satisfaction as you are. You and your employees should never forget the old adage “If you are not taking care of your customers, your competition will.”
You can definitely succeed in having a loyal customer base and this customer base will keep expanding if you consistently work with the above tips in mind.
