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Top 7 Steps to Building
Great Customer Experiences
By Robert
Moment
Any businessperson knows that the success of a
business is entirely reliant upon the regular participation of
customers. Therefore, to ensure the success of your own business, it
is important to ensure that you build a great customer experience
for each of your customers , to ensure their return, and that they
will spread the word about the quality of service you provide.
Building a great customer experience means that you work closely
with you clients and build a strong relationship with them. "How?"
you ask. By using the following 7 vital steps:
1) Always be Approachable and
Friendly - this applies in person, on the phone, and over the
Internet, for example, using email. Being friendly, polite, and
courteous in all of your interactions with your client will make
them feel as though you're someone who cares, and you're there for
them when they need your help. Naturally, there will be times when
the last thing you feel like doing is to be friendly to a customer,
but it is important that you develop the ability to overcome that
sensation, and keep a clear head so that you'll be able to best
respond to your client's needs and wishes and ensure that great
customer experience.
2) Clearly define your Policy for Customer
Service - though this may not be the first thing on your mind
when you first start your business, it should be something
considered a priority as soon as the "essentials" have been covered.
In fact,sooner you get your clear customer service policy in place,
the better it will be for you in the long run. The earlier you
start, the more time you'll save, the more time you'll have to
fine-tune it as you find better techniques, and the more customers
you will be able to provide with a great customer experience. Once
you have a customer service policy, make sure that everyone knows
it, and that it is readily available for reference in case it is
needed. This helps you and your team members to deal with customer
issues quickly and effectively, and minimizes the need to pass a
customer from one person to the next- a practice despised by
customers.
3) Pay Attention to the Little
Things- there are many little niceties that your business
can practice without taking a great deal of time or money. For
example, sending
Personalized birthday or holiday cards to your
clients, or a personalized confirmation email for service or
registration are all great ways to show your customers you care.
They needn't be lengthy or too detailed, but a note written from
scratch (as opposed to from a template) or even by hand can make all
the difference for making a customer feel valued and
wanted.
4) Anticipate Needs and Do what it takes to
Help - this is the ultimate level of
understanding and
achievement in building a strong relationship with your customers.
This is similar to the last point, but is more specific to the
unique needs of your customer. It means that you have to pay
attention to what is being said, and then take extra steps to
provide great all around service with all of the extras in order to
fully impress your customers to the point that they'd remark to
their friends and colleagues about how helpful you are. This is not
only great for business, but it makes you feel fantastic by the end
of the day.
5) Meet in person when possible -
certainly this isn't always something possible,
especially if
you're running an e-business from New York City, and your client is
located in Australia, however , if possible, meeting face-to-face is
a very nice touch for a business. It can be rather daunting, and
causes many people to experience a major case of butterflies in the
stomach, but when it all comes down to it, your clients will be able
to relate to you faster and better if they've met you, shaken your
hand, and can put a face to your name, instead of just a voice on
the phone , or a font over email. Clients aren't expecting you to be
perfect. However, they do want to see someone who is calm,
confident, and who is willing to take the time to ask about, and
provide them with what they need.
6) Communicate often and
quickly - little is more frustrating to a customer than
contacting a company and waiting days for a reply. No matter if
a message was sent over email or by phone, make sure to respond as
quickly as you can, not waiting any longer than one business day.
Furthermore, try to anticipate communications from clients, by
keeping them up to date on a regular basis, regarding a contract you
may be working on , upcoming sales or promotions you're offering, or
new products you've taken on.
7) Always Honor Promises you've made
- this is the most vital point of all 7. It is
also the
simplest. When you promise to do something , do it. By breaking a
promise, you are certain to disappoint your client, which makes
achieving a great customer experience much more challenging.
Certainly, there will be times when a promise will have to be broken
through no fault of your own. In this case, tell the client the as
soon as you know that you will not be able to keep your promise for
example, that you cannot meet a deadline because a delivery to you
was late apologize immediately, and tell the client what you are
doing about the issue, by offering them options, or providing them
with a new date.
Robert Moment is an innovative customer
service consultant , business coach and author of "Invisible
Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service". Visit
http://www.customerservicetrainingskills.com and sign-up for the
FREE e-course , Creating "Wow" Customer Service
Experiences.
Source:
http://Top7Business.com/?expert=Robert-Moment
Customers like you
make doing business a real pleasure.
Work smarter, not
harder
What is one of the best ways to work
smarter without working harder? The answer is outsourcing.
Whether you need occasional or ongoing assistance, outsourcing
can save you money and time. Graphic designers, copywriters,
bookkeepers, website programmers, office assistants, and other
types of professionals are all readily available. And,
there's a new way of hiring people - the World Wide Web
connects independent professionals and small businesses that
don't need or want full-time help. Try typing "Virtual
Assistant" into a search engine. You will find a vast array of
online resources. According to the International Virtual
Assistants Association, "A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an
independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative,
and/or technical services. Utilizing advanced technological
modes of communication and data delivery, a professional VA
assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own
office on a contractual basis." This means you can
find a virtual assistant for almost any type of work. Are you
a plumber who needs accounting? Or a professional speaker who
needs help arranging your appointments? Perhaps you would like
some help writing proposals, designing a new website, or
sending out press releases. You can find someone online for
all of these services. For many "around the office"
types of jobs, virtual assistants get paid $20 to $50 an hour.
More specialized services such as programming, legal
assistance, graphic design, or coaching can cost $75 to $125
an hour. This may sound expensive at first. However, if you
are not in need of a person in your office 40 hours every
week, it becomes a very cost-effective solution. While
I realize, costs fluctuate widely, let's look at some sample
numbers to compare the typical costs of maintaining an
employee versus outsourcing: Sample
costs of a full-time employee Employee Salary: $36,000/
$17.31/hr. ·Two-week paid vacation: $1,385 to cover your
employee's role (more if a temp is hired) ·Health Insurance
(employer portion for 12 mos.@$150): $1,800 ·FICA Taxes
(7.65%): $2,754 ·Worker's Comp. (.61%): $220 ·Unemployment
(State & Fed): $309 ·Misc. costs (Vision, Dental,
Disability & 401K Matching, Profit Sharing & Stock
Options): >$3,000 ·Office Space, Equipment, and Software
(100 sq. Ft. @ applicable rate): $2500 ($25/sq. ft. is
conservative) ·Annual Bonus (1 mo. salary): $3000 ·Sick Time
(10 days/year): $1385 ·Other intangible costs (furniture,
testing, training & fees, sick children, etc.): $1200
Total Typical Costs: $53,553/ $25.75/hr. total effective
hourly rate at 100% productivity At a 75% productivity
level, this employee's cost for actual work becomes
$34.33/hour and at a 50% productivity level, it's $51.50/hour.
A full-time staff person is very unlikely to be 100%
productive because of idle time, errands, tasks, personal
matters, and a learning curve for certain functions. This is
combined with an employer's inability to generate work due to
distractions, staff meetings, company functions, lack of time
to delegate or supervise, and sales fluctuations. So,
depending on the productivity level of a full-time employee,
you may be paying up to 3 times his or her actual salary! You
do the math! What's the wise choice? Does an in-house employee
save money? In most small businesses, this method simply is
not the most cost effective. Entrepreneur, get your life back!
Outsourcing will save you money, time, and energy.
Virtual assistants and other out-of-office professionals own
their own equipment with the latest software, they pay their
own taxes and benefits, they are experts in their field, they
don't require morale building or training, and they aren't
going to bring their personal problems into your work space.
Virtual assistants and outsourced professionals offer even
more advantages: they are loyal to their client companies and
will support your goals - they will help you generate ideas
and allow you more time to make your business more
profitable. So, if you have employees that you are
happy with, then of course that's perfect for your business.
Don't fix what ain't broke. However, if you find you are
paying too much overhead or spending too much time managing,
try a virtual assistant. If you need a new type of service,
but don't have the in-house expertise, outsourcing is a great
option. There's a world of online help available at your
fingertips. Wendy Maynard, your friendly marketing maven,
is the owner of Kinesis (http://www.kinesisinc.com). Kinesis
specializes in marketing, graphic and website design, and
business writing. You can visit her marketing blog, Kinetic
Ideas at: http://www.wendy.kinesisinc.comWant
to harness the power of kinetic marketing? Sign up for Kinesis
Quickies, a free bi-monthly marketing e-newsletter:
http://www.news.kinesisinc.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Maynard |
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