Develop the ability to manage the expectations of customer complaints. Stay up-to-date with company policies to ensure that any promise you make to a customer can be delivered.
Surprise Customers with a Bonus
When people spend money on a product, the last thing you want them to think is, “Was it really worth?” To combat this, you should surprise each of your customers with a little bonus. Say for example, when paying the bill in a restaurant, if the waiter gives you a mint for free, you keep more tip than usual. Sometimes small surprises make big differences.
Listen Carefully
As a customer, there is nothing more frustrating than going to great lengths to explain your problem to a customer service representative only to discover that the other person wasn’t listening or that you have to say it all over again.
Give your customer space to talk and listen carefully while they speak. Don’t interrupt but offer appropriate responses to let them know you understand. By letting them tell you their problems, you can also come up with the best way to help them.
Don’t Over Promise
If you say you will deliver something by Friday then do so. Otherwise, don’t say it.
Reliability is a cornerstone of good customer service and nothing will disappoint and annoy your customers more than a trail of broken promises, missed deadlines and delays. As tempting as it might be to promise the world to your customer in order to win their business, only do this if you are 100% sure you can deliver to the required standard, within budget and on time.
Don’t let customers pressure you into committing on the spot. Manage their expectations by asking for some time to put a proposal or action plan together so you can really think things through.
Deal with Complaints
No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, “You can’t please all the people all the time”. Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time – and position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service.
Patience
If you don’t see this near the top of a customer service skills list, you should just stop reading.
Not only is patience important to customers, who often reach out to support when they are confused and frustrated, but it’s also important to the business at large: we’ve shown you before that great service beats the fast service every single time. Yet, patience shouldn’t be used as an excuse for slothful service either! Derek Sivers explained his view on “slower” service as being an interaction where the time spent with the customer was used to better understand their problems and needs from the company.