In today’s competitive world, every Business is looking for alternative ways to perform better than competitors. If you give a closer look at some of the world’s most successful companies such as Apple, Amazon, and the likes, you will notice that customer service is at the core of their daily operations. Therefore, whether you want to establish a new business or expand the current one, customer service remains to be a key marketing strategy towards achieving success.

A popular misconception by many business startups is that they only need to practice excellent customer service when trying to win a new client. However, customer service involves providing support before, during, and after customers purchase products or services.

By treating them well and convincing them that your products are of top quality, customers are willing to spend money and they will want to come back. Also, after a purchase, a follow up with the customers will make them feel appreciated from time to time and make them feel that they are an integral part of your business.

So, what are the basics of excellent customer service?

If a customer is not satisfied with the kind of service you offer, she will seek better service elsewhere. Some key characteristics of quality customer service include the following.

Friendliness

You must be very keen on how you address your clients. This begins from the moment you start talking to them whether it is on phone or face to face. Your language should be polite and no matter how rude the customer is, you must always remain calm as “the customer is always right”.

Timeliness

Do you need to pass any information to your clients? Be prompt to communicate with them and respond to their queries in time. If the customer has been sending requests to get some help and you are hardly available to give a response, they will be turned off. For example, employees at Nordstrom are taught to answer calls on no more than the second ring, and if you need help locating an item in their store, a representative will instantly walk you to it, no matter how busy they are.

Honesty

Never lie to your clients as they will finally know the truths which will definitely not be good for your business. If you are not sure about something, take some time to find out the details the customer needs to know, rather than giving misleading information.

Know Your Product

There is nothing that puts off a client more than a person who does not know what she is selling. Ensure you know all the nitty gritty of whatever products or services you are offering in order to build credibility with your clients.

Client Responses Help Build Reputation

Sometimes clients will be furious and bursting your shop or social media profiles with rants and complaints. During such times, a calm composure and approach to the pain points is important. By listening to what they are saying patiently, it is easy to professionally address the issue at hand which will eventually lead to customer satisfaction and good reviews.

If several customers have contacted you citing dissatisfaction with your products or poor services, there must be a problem which must be addressed efficiently or else you will lose customers.

The importance of customer service is always to ensure satisfaction and to edge you closer to the customers. Not only will you be able to solve product related problems, but you will also discover skills that need to be improved for you to offer proactive customer service.

Here are some awesome customer service stories that will inspire you to do your best!

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