Customer service is an important part of any business, big or small. Excellent customer service may be the very thing that helps you grow your business. Word of mouth travels far!
When looking at customer service, sometimes it comes down to the extra steps someone takes to acknowledge a disgruntled customer. When you have time for individual attention, it will show through. Sometimes with larger companies, when they are busy, people start to feel like a number, rather than an individual. Often times you’re left cold with their standard canned replies, and their lack of attention or concern for your needs.
Let me point something very simple, most people want to be heard. Read that again…most people just want to be heard. Acknowledging a client’s frustration, is sometimes all they want.
The bigger they are – the harder they fall. This rings true with the larger companies and their customer service. Call a big company with a complaint and you’ll rarely get a satisfactory resolution. In fact, you might hang up before you even reach a human because they keep you embroiled on their automated system until you finally feel defeated and chalk it up to a lesson learned. Of course with some companies, you may not get a live person for awhile, and have to deal with an automated “press thins button” response. After enough, many people just hang up.
When you get through, you’re often left with “policies” that must be followed to a tee.
This is where the small business shines, because there’s sometimes more wiggle room to work with an unsatisfied customer. Letting the customer know you care and are able to work something out that benefits you both, will take that once unhappy customer, and turn them into a customer for life.
I was unhappy, they worked with me because they care about my business, so I’ll return. A timely response will keep the customer feeling acknowledged and happy. Exceed your customer’s expectation, and in return, he is going to share that experience, and you may gain new customers.
Sometimes you’re faced with a client who will not be satisfied even if you’ve offered the moon. You did your best, and you probably don’t want that customer to become a regular headache. Do your best, let it go, and move on. We can’t please everyone all of the time. We can be timely in our response, we can be polite and exceed their expectations in many cases. Above all, trust your instinct and do what feels right.
Customers and clients want to feel valued. Value and respect your client’s time and needs, and you’ll have a faithful repeat customer.
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