H ave you ever experienced extraordinary customer service that just made you go ‘WOAH’? The Japanese are generally well known for their impeccable attention to detail when it comes to providing the best for their customers, and we mean only the best.
While saying ‘Welcome’ and ‘Thank you’ and other essential civilities to start out with are great, try to engage your customers with more human interactions and conversations. They’re the most important people in your business, after all.
If you’d like to brush up in this area to help your business, read on for some of our tips on delivering better customer service!
1. Always, always, always keep a conversational tone.
Error. Error. Your. Customers. Are. Not. Robots. Treating them as if they are one isn’t going to make the customer experience very pleasant. Instead, smile and talk to them to understand what they’re looking for, their interests, colour preferences and so on.
If you run a clothing store, genuinely compliment customers on what they’re currently wearing and see if they’d be interested in similarly styled products that you have to offer.
2. Don’t stop at Yes, No, or Okay.
Don’t give monosyllabic answers. Elaborate on your answers when your customers make enquiries. Giving monosyllabic answers only creates an abrupt end to a potentially rewarding and insightful conversation. It could come across as being lazy, unwilling to help and seem slightly rude to some.
3. Don’t be like Serious Cat.
Instead, try and look out for hints in their questions and find out what they’d like to know so you can provide them with relevant information.
4. Always welcome questions.
Better customer service means never shying away from welcoming all kinds of inquiries. The more a customer asks, the more you should offer assistance. It’s known that customers who ask plenty of questions, though annoying, have a higher chance of purchasing. Answer their questions and win them over!
However, if a lot of customers ask the same thing repeatedly (online), it may be beneficial to get an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) typed out for your staff to use on your social media channels.
5. Learn to say No. At the right time, in the right way.
If you are unable to carry out a request or answer a question from customers, you have every right to say no. You can do so politely, but insist when you really cannot help them.
You can do so privately and quietly in-store, or via any social media channels you’ve set up. Firmness and tactfulness go hand in hand and your customers will likely respect your stance on the topic.
6. Always get back to your customers on a decision.
When you’re faced with a build-up of enquiries from customers, always tend to them as soon as you can.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a store owner is to ignore or procrastinate a decision that involves a customer.
7. Don’t judge a customer by their looks.
All customers deserve attention regardless of the value they bring to your store
Just because your shoppers aren’t the richest looking folks, it doesn’t mean they can’t afford your goods. Be attentive to the needs and requests of all your customers as looks are usually deceiving anyway. The only time you should be wary is when you see customers acting suspiciously.
Use your judgment when it comes to the security of yourself, your staff and your business. Just remember that customers are still parting with their hard earned cash – make them feel good about what they’re buying!
8. Always backup your “I don’t know” with “… but let me check with my colleague, or let me check it out for you.”
Whenever you’re unable to answer a customer right away because you don’t know and need more time check, you can’t simply tell them ‘I dunno’ and leave them hanging. Tell them you’re going to check with someone else or specify a time (if it will take a while) when you’ll be able to get back to them with an answer.
That way, they’ll be prepared for a response and have a good impression of your store’s ability to follow through.
Great customer service often means providing clear, accurate assistance in a timely manner.
For others, it means going above and beyond the line of duty. Not many people offer that, but if you do, for your customers, you’ll surely become a memorable and respected business owner that knows exactly what your priorities are.
