Your customers are the ones who keep your business running. Therefore, the essence of running your business must revolve around creating an experience for the customers who, in turn, become your brand ambassadors. Unfortunately, many organisations around the world fail to recognise this on time thereby land up in paying a heavy price for the same. You know what, when a customer moves away from you, it means he doesn’t move alone. He actually takes 10 – 15 customers with him.
Research says that it is the dissatisfied customers who bad mouth about you twice or thrice the number of people that a satisfied customer talks to. In short, you must have a sound customer service policy with a view to creating a difference. However, a policy isn’t enough. People facing the customers must be tactful to adopt the finest practices here so that people leaving your counter, for instance, can truly carry a unique experience and they talk about it in private and public. But, the million dollar question is how you do that for your business.
Here is a few tips.
- Understanding your product: Unless you know the product thoroughly, you can no way create an experience for your customers when they visit your counter, for instance. Having said that, we mean, you have to first get sold to the product before trying to sell the same to your customers and prospects. This, in turn, creates a winning proposition for you. You will be happy to know that such a situation will help you retain your customers more than anyone else in your niche market. You know what it is your conviction and reasoning ability that persuade customers and close sales.
- Knowing your customers: Like the five fingers of your hand, every individual is unique. So goes with your customers. You must have a fair bit of idea about the likes and dislikes of your customers for dealing with them successfully.
- Training and development: You must invest in the training and development of your people to manage customers better. This will help you differentiate your offering with others and get noticed. After all, being different, you command a respect for sure in the market.
You must remember that there is no ideal business situation. As such, there cannot be any straight jacket solution here. You have to do brainstorming for achieving excellence in customer service. However, it is a continuous process and you must evolve here with time to retain your customers over the years and across the geographies.
