nsBizTip #4
On the Fourth Day of Business Tips Network Solutions said to me
Serve your customers well.
Defining customer service excellence is different for each business. Knowing what exceptional service entails for your small business is essential to establishing the vision and procedures to deliver it. Ask yourself — is it lower price? Keeping appointments on time? Or, making certain that service reps are always courteous and polite? Knowing how to meet and, more importantly, exceed expectations will allow you deliver exceptional customer service consistently.
Understandably, many small businesses may find it difficult to pinpoint what exceptional customer service really entails. If you’re not sure, ask. Conduct focus groups with your customers to see what they really value. Listen to customer feedback to identify topics that are frequent targets of dissatisfaction. Often you’ll find that the quality of your product or service may be good, but it’s the overall experience that really defines customer loyalty.
Training is an important part of creating a culture for customer service excellence. Beyond hiring smiling, friendly faces, small businesses must train their employees about the products and services they offer, including what the product or service can or cannot do for the customer. Employees should also beware of comparisons with your competitor’s products or services.
Share with employees information about customer buying habits, particular needs, interests and other data. This can be stored in a central location and easily shared. The more employees know about customers and their needs, the better they can develop skills to deliver the level of service customers desire.
Training involves everyone, not just sales, marketing and other front line employees. Reward top performance and invest the time and expense in any sort of training that may help employees carry out and maintain high performance standards.
Consistently delivering exceptional customer service can be a challenge. Remember, what’s appropriate for one customer may not always work with another. Empower employees to interpret a situation and react accordingly. Give employees a budgetary allotment to use, as needed, to address refunds or other unexpected costs associated with giving customers the benefit of the doubt.
The truth is, exceptional customer service doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a commitment that takes time. Make errors a part of the journey by acknowledging and reacting to them accordingly. For example, if a customer receives an imperfect item, don’t stop at making sure it’s corrected. Apologize for the problem and really listen. Beyond satisfaction, this will build customer confidence and loyalty.
Stay tuned for more 12 Days of Business Tips. In the meantime,
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the Twelve Days of Business Tips Holiday Sweepstakes
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on a classic holiday favorite. Prizes awarded daily.
Day 4 Prize:
Design/Develop™ Support Consultation – one 60-minute Web design evaluation and support consultation from Network Solutions (prize value: $120.00)
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