It’s a fact that customer service-committed businesses are more profitable, have lower marketing costs, suffer
fewer customer complaints and enjoy more repeat business than those
with little or no commitment to customer satisfaction.
Whether in the smallest town or the largest city,
you are your practice. Everything you say and do impacts your image
positively or negatively. Therefore, everything about you – from
your personal appearance to the way you deal with your customers –
is a billboard that advertises you. Here are some customer
satisfaction tips to help you attain or polish a positive image and
retain valued customers:
Knowledge of the customer
Go straight to the source. Ask your customers what
they want and expect from your business. Learn which details have the
most positive or negative impact on your customers’ satisfaction.
Once you inquire, you’ll find that your
customers will generally evaluate your service quality on the
following factors:
-
Reliability: The ability to provide as
promised, dependably and accurately. -
Responsiveness: Helping customers eagerly and
in a timely manner. -
Assurance: The competence, trustworthiness
and courtesy that is shown. -
Follow-through: Paying attention to details
often ignored.
Reliability
Good customer service does not mean doing the
impossible. The tendency is to promise the customer the moon to cut
off the competition. There’s one problem with this approach: It’s
impossible to deliver the moon. Attempting to achieve the impossible
too often may ultimately result in a service failure. You may wind up
with a customer who doesn’t return or, worse yet, tells others
about their unhappy experience.
Conversely, being reliable puts you in a position
to shape your clients’ expectations to match what you can provide.
It’s in your best interest to educate your customers regarding your
work requirements, timetables and processes. There will be occasions
when circumstances will not allow you to meet a customer’s needs.
If you have dealt reliably with that customer in the past and explain
your situation, along with your unwillingness to disappoint them,
then your customer will know that you have been honest and concerned
about his or her satisfaction.
Responsiveness
Timely response is always important. If your
customer leaves you a message asking for a call back, attempt to
gauge your customer’s urgency so that you can respond to his or her
message appropriately. Dissatisfaction is usually a byproduct of
uncertainty. Be specific on your voice mail as to when you will be
returning calls and give customers an option to reach an assistant or
peer who can help them if you are unavailable.
Assurance
There’s no substitute for competence. Good
customer service is built on attention to detail and customer needs
and knowledge, confidence and know how-how. Good reputations are
built on assurance, the substance that makes your customers believe
you will deliver marketing and industry knowledge, listening skills
and sales and negotiation skills.
Follow through
Send a service evaluation form to your customers.
The information you get from the form will help you gauge your
successes and it will leave your customer feeling as if his or her
future satisfaction is truly your goal. Similarly, a sincere and
timely thank-you note to clients can create a positive impression and
boost your image and to help earn repeat business.
In a world long on hype and short on quality, most
people are willing and eager to share their discovery of good
customer service. Maintaining good customer service is maintaining
your good reputation – the most effective and least costly form of
advertising available.
Indianapolis-based Coles Marketing Communications is a full-service public relations, marketing, communications, Word of Mouth and creative agency. Visit Coles Marketing Communications online at www.colesmarketing.com and www.colesmarketing.com/blog.
Coles Marketing Communications is on Facebook and Twitter: @colesmarketing.
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