With each passing day, competition in the business world seems to get fiercer. When you consider how quickly technology advances, it’s important to remember that your competitors are constantly working to change the game. To stay ahead, you have to ensure that other companies vying for the attention of your customers are unsuccessful. To do that, it’s imperative you make your customer service regimen the best in the business.
What are your plans to step up your customer service in 2019? Remember that most consumers value their customer experiences more than they do the products and services they buy.
Eliminate negative speech.
“I’m sorry I can’t do that for you”. “It’s against our company policy”. “Unfortunately, we don’t offer that.”
While all of the above statements may be accurate responses to requests your clients make of you, it doesn’t make them the right things to say. Try to change up your verbiage in 2019 and become more of a positive speaker. In exchange for the previous replies, try something along these lines: “While I understand you’d really like that service, what I can do for you is provide you with an excellent alternative.”
“Customer service is about resolving problems,” writes Justyna Polaczyk of LiveChat, “Clients don’t contact you because they want to have a chat, they want you to explain something, fix something or do something for them. Sometimes, they might be upset. Using positive communication is so important for them and for you as it helps to reduce negative emotions and stress. This will help your customers to feel comfortable!”
Do more listening than talking.
A true customer service specialist is able to address and satisfy the specific needs and concerns of each of his/her clients. The only way to do that is through attentive listening. When offering customer service, it can be easy to talk someone’s ears off – especially if you have a lot of expertise in any particular field. What you know matters less than what your customers want. Listen out for what that is!
“When a customer is complaining, it can be incredibly tempting to stop them in their tracks (but it won’t do much to resolve their issue),” says Victoria Kenward of Haley Marketing, “A better option? Develop better listening habits. Effective listening skills help you and your staff prevent misunderstandings, strengthen business relationships and improve service recovery.”
Keep your cool.
No matter how excellent your customer service style may be, you’re bound to encounter an irate customer. Whenever you do, remember it’s an opportunity to showcase just how superior your company is over its competitors. Keep a cool head. Staying calm while dealing with a particularly rude and obnoxious individual will go a long way in helping your business grow and maintain its reputation as a customer-centric brand.
“It is too easy to lose your cool and start to be defensive or worse – to argue with a client,” notes Polaczyk, “We all know how easy it is to become angry and frustrated once you have to help a rude customer. But it’s your job as a customer service professional to keep emotions under control and manage the tone of a conversation.”
For a dose of MeloTel’s customer service style, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the Live Chat feature on our website! Be sure to ask us about our VoIP-based Commercial Phone Services!
