How many times have we walked into a Restaurant full of expectations, only to walk out disappointed?
How many times have we walked into a Shop with enthusiasm, only to walk out feeling dejected, or full of anger?
You certainly don’t like these feelings. What makes you think your customers, be they external or internal, like these feelings!
Statistics from a survey conducted by an American firm, Bain & Company shows a company averagely lost about 10 to 15% of its customer base every year. And 84% who left do so because of poor customer service.
Bain & Company’s statistics also show that it costs a company 6 - 7 times more to find a new customer than to retain one. This statistic reaffirms the importance of giving good service to our customers, or delighting our customers so that they do not have an excuse to jump ship. Furthermore, according to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, for every 1 customer who lodged a complain, another 26 others never bothered to lodge any. And what do they do? They tell all their friends about their bad experience.
Therefore, it makes more business sense to treat customers as our highest priority.
It should be noted that Customer Service starts from the first encounter. The minute the receptionist picks up the customer call or the minute the customer approached our front desk personnel. However, not many companies or Management understand the importance of giving proper training to their front-liners. They are unaware that by saving a few thousand ringgit on training cost, the same person may cause the company to lose thousands or millions in lost sales.
HOW TO DELIGHT YOUR CUSTOMERS?
Every customer has 2 different sets of needs.
- their Practical Need, and
- their Personal Need.
Their practical need is the question they ask you. What Do I Get in return for my money?
Their personal need is – How Do You Make ME Feel. They want to feel good.
BUILD TRUST RELATIONSHIP
Good Rapport
We must always give our customers undivided attention, listen to them attentively - I mean listen to understand, not listen to answer. | Most people tend to listen to half of the conversation, then they start preparing for the answer or response. However, should you have listened to the full conversation, the message you had assumed may be different, in fact most of the time your assumption is different from the intended message.
Be Sensitive, Empathize
Show sensitivity when the situation arises. For example when an elderly customer comes into your shop to buy a PC, even though he may ask basic questions that sound silly to you, keep your patience, explain to him in detail. To make him feel better, you can also let him know that you have previously gone through the same situation - just to assure him that his questions are not silly.
Understand your Customer
Another critical point in customer service is to really Understand your customer requests and needs before attempting to offer solution.
To really understand your Customer, you must open up your EARS.
E - explore by asking questions
A - affirm to show you’re listening
R - reflect your understanding
S - silence, listen to your customer
Explore - when in doubt ask questions until you understand completely the customer’s needs.
Affirm - let you customer know you are listening to him by using the appropriate vocal or body language.
Reflect - repeat your customer’s need or request to show your understanding.
Silence - speak only when it’s your turn. (if two persons are talking at the same time, who is going to do the listening?)
By listening attentively, we get to understand our customers better because it is critical for us to understand our customers’ requirements in order for us to cater correctly to their needs.
"Every Company’s greatest assets are its customers because without customers, there is no Company" - Erwin Frand |