Keeping Your Customers Happy - How to deliver outstanding service

Customer service, we all know it needs to be good. If you keep the customer happy, ultimately they'll make you more money.

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but delivering bad customer service has become the norm. That means if a company has a good standard of customer service, it seems exceptional. Imagine what it's like if you have outstanding customer service. That would really make you stand out from the crowd!

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of delivering great customer service, lets focus on the most important element of any business, that's YOU.

Be X Do = Have

There are two factors when it comes to getting what we want. You have to be the right person, and do the right things. One without the other simply doesn't work.

We all know someone who works themselves into the ground, but they're not happy. They never seem to get the results for the work they put in. They're negative and spend their time complaining about their circumstances. They're doing all the right things, but they're not acting like the right person to get where they want.

On the flipside, do you have a happy-go-lucky friend who's always positive but they never seem to get where they want? They talk a good talk and always have ideas of how to improve their life.  But they never walk the walk. They're the right person, but they're not taking the action.

What exactly do you want to achieve in your business? Once you figure it out, follow up with who you need to be and strategies you need to implement to get that outcome. Then it's time to move on to the delivery of your service.

How to Deliver Great Customer Service

Why do companies fall short on customer service when it's so important? I think there's a few reasons.

Firstly, don't make promises you can't keep. You need to remember you're the expert. Let's say you own a construction company. You have a client who wants a new kitchen and bathroom fitted in two weeks. But you know the job is going to take three weeks. What do you do? Do you say it will be finished in two weeks and risk the quality of your work or missing the deadline?

No. Tell them it's going to be done in three weeks. Keep your standard of work high and keep your integrity intact. That's a huge part of customer service.

Another reason is forgetting to do the little things. We get so busy getting the job done and forget simple pleasantries. Are you turning up on time to your jobs? If you work in a shop, are you greeting every customer and saying thank you even if they didn't buy anything? These things go a long way when it comes to customer retention.

Focusing on Returning Customers

On the surface it makes sense to focus on new customers. The more people who buy your products, the more money you'll make, right? Not necessarily. Did you know returning customers actually spend more money per transaction? Some studies have shown a customers fifth purchase is as much as 40% more than their first!

Returning customers will promote you too. You must have a company you use repeatedly for a specific service. Let's say you go to the same garage to get your car repaired because they always do a great job. Your car comes back cleaned, working perfectly and with a complimentary air freshener. You keep going back because of the value the company offers.

When your friend says they need to get their car serviced, who do you suggest? The company you go to! That's exactly what your customers will do for you. It's free promotion.

How do we get our customers to come back for more?

ASK THEM. Keep in touch with your customers. With the new GDPR laws, you need to make sure they've opted in for future contact. Once you've done that, there's loads of ways to stay in touch! You can send them by post, via email, or even social media. Try some of these:

-Follow up on their purchase

- Birthday cards

- Anniversary cards

- Social media competitions

- Emails about new products

What I'm trying to get across to you is that with a little more effort and action, you can easily improve your results. But it all starts with how you deliver your service to your customers.

What do you think is great customer service? Have you learnt anything from this article? I'd love to know in the comments!