Kenny Chapman – The Blue Collar Coach/Sales & Marketing Coach
If there’s one thing I love to hear it’s the sound of a happy customer returning. Repeat customers mean something – that you’re providing amazing customer care.
And it’s really not that difficult. You just have to take the time and effort to go that extra mile and deliver outstanding customer service.
Now, I’m pretty sure that, like me, you’re eager to build strong relationships with your customers and keep them coming back for more. That’s why I’m going to give you a helping hand by sharing my 5 best insights for going the extra mile.
- Contact is Key
Staying in front of your customers helps to maintain that ever important “top of mind awareness” so that your company is the first (and hopefully only) company that they consider calling.
This can be done via social media, phone calls, newsletters, postcards, etc. This does not necessarily mean constantly offering discounts; sometimes it’s just a matter of keeping in touch and offering helpful information. Give your customers value and information, threading in offers and promotions here and there.
For example, the newsletters we send our customers are full of interesting articles and information. They aren’t always related specifically to our industry, but contain useful lifestyle tips like household ideas, recipes and healthy living strategies. Then, we include a coupon or offer on the back page.
We want to be a trusted resource, and customer trust is built over time, through interactions with our company. Social media is also a great way to let customers get to know us better. Post tips and ideas, along with mentioning any community projects you’re involved in, tech reviews, company anniversaries, and so forth.
- Seek and Incorporate Feedback
I’m a great believer that, no matter how great you are, there’s always room for improvement.
That’s why you need to start seeking feedback from customers. Maybe there’s this tiny mistake or issue in your company that you are unaware of but customers are getting irritated by.
A follow-up phone call, or “happy call” as we refer to them, is a fantastic way of identifying these flaws and allowing you to address them. This is just a simple phone call to the customer asking a few basic questions about their experience with your company.
These “happy calls” aren’t just about uncovering complaints or areas of improvement. They’re also a great chance to find out what your customers love about you and reinforcing this with your team members.
Understanding what you are doing correctly and incorrectly in the eyes of your customer is vital to your success. It also helps you figure out what areas need attention so that you can focus on them in your training meetings.
- Stay Organized
I’ve worked in busy workplaces where you’re being bombarded with phone calls and emails for 8 hours straight.
It’s easy to lose your head in this environment and forget to carry out a seemingly tiny task, but believe me, it’ll be that one tiny memory lapse which comes back to bite you!
Therefore it’s vital that you stay organized.
How do I stay organized? Simple: with a neat list containing all my ‘To Do’ tasks. There are certain tasks that need to be accomplished each day, but there are even more that come up unexpectedly and need to be addressed. Don’t rely solely on your memory; keep a running list throughout the day so that nothing slips through the cracks.
Follow this list closely and you’ll find you never let a customer down.
- Consistency is King
Your customers like to know what to expect, and they also want to know that each time you come into their home it will be a similar positive experience.
The best way to create consistency for your customers is to create consistency within the organization. The best way to accomplish this is through regular training of all team members, from your CSR’s to your technicians and salespeople.(Ensure that every one is informed-achieved through training).
Communicate your values to everyone in the company, ensuring that they all understand the image you want to portray and the high level of customer service that is expected. Check up on how well this is being executed in the field by incorporating ride-alongs into your weekly activities.
- Establish Your Customers’ Needs and Wants
All your customers’ needs are very different, so you need to make sure you assess each customer individually. (Just like you cut the cloth according to your size).
For some customers, it may appear that money is no issue but time is of the essence. For other customers, though, it might be the other vice-versa.
You can try treating both customers the same, but it simply won’t work. This can actually upset them. Instead, it’s best to communicate with each one of them to find exactly what they want and how you can deliver the services required.
Just to point out this, in our case, we have external and internal customers (Both very important)..You definitely know who the internal customers are, “it’s us”, we are customers to each other and we should strive to offer the best services as Charity begins at Home.
This is best accomplished through questioning by the technician regarding equipment usage, lifestyle, age of the home, etc. Then, the answers from these questions can be reflected back during the presentation process.
