Stop Overcomplicating Your Customer Service

According to Albert Einstein, the definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple, which makes us wonder why so many business leaders still try and over-complicate one of the most important business operations out there: customer service. If you haven’t realised that customer service is one of the most important areas of your business when it comes to keeping and attracting new business then we suggest read a blog about that first, and then come back and read this before you fall into the same trap so many others have.
To put it bluntly, there is no need for you to spend more than you have to on customer service. Yes, there are tools that can help you make things more automatic and efficient and holistic. But there are also a ton of tiny actions you can take that will have a huge impact, improving your customer service almost immeasurably. It is often called the ‘Thank you Effect’.
To help you get a better understanding of what we mean by this, we have pulled together a list of small actions you should start using in your business that we guarantee will have a big difference on your customer’s experience.

1. Always, always, always use some form of gratification in your response to a customer, whether it be thank you, gracias, much obliged, merci or even danke. You’ll be amazed at how much influence this two-word phrase can have.
2. Ensuring that you solve a customer’s problem is a fantastic commitment to make, but following up a few days – or a week – after the issue has been resolved is even better. It is just a really personal way of saying that you haven’t forgotten about them and that their contentedness is a concern of yours.
3. Create a more personal bond between your employees and customers through the use of names, which is easier than you may think. Have your employees wear name badges so that they aren’t just a face but a person, and have them learn your most loyal customer’s names so that they can bond with them. As Dale Carnegie so eloquently put it, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
4. Existing customers are your most important asset when it comes to your bottom line. As such, you should make it a priority to maintain a relationship with your best customers. The best way to do this is to create a schedule that ensures you speak to them at least once a month and see how they are and if there is anything you can do to improve their experience.
5. Take note of what your customer’s preferences are so that you can add little personal touches to the service you offer. It could be that you have a note of when their birthday is so that you can send a card, or perhaps they mentioned their favourite colour was blue, in which case why not wrap their products in blue paper.