Power of Customer Satisfaction

In today's world of Subscription Economy, the customer is an embedded part of success of any type of a business. Irrespective of whether you do a service and/or sell a product, it is important to maintain a Customer & Technical Support Teams to make sure that you retain a customer and/or create a returning customer.

With or without "Customer", "Service" & "Support" in as a part your designation, you must assist Customers

Understand Your Customers

Each and every individual is UNIQUE, and our customers are those unique people. Mostly each customer thinks that the PROBLEM and/or REQUIREMENT they have is also UNIQUE to them.

You may think that the above diagram nowhere near depicts anything related to customer service. Yes, it is more than that. Customers evolves faster and competition become stronger where you need to be innovative and go beyond the boundaries to make sure that your internal or external customer is satisfied.

Now, let's go back and have a look into the above diagram.

STEP 1. Evaluate the Needs, Wants & Demands

Most of the customers start with the demand, in this competitive world we cannot stop them from doing it because there are enough and more similar service providers and/or products that you can choose.

It is you who knows that what customer deserves, based on the service level, product bought and question at hand, what customer going to get.

But, listening would not make you little. Try to analyze the customer demand and you will find what he/she really wants.

Listen to the customer as you try to understand your grandparents or your child, which will make you understand the real need.

You can't always get what you want, You get what you need.

STEP 2. Categorize the Customer

In my experience, you can categorize the customers into four (4) main categories. This may look a little unconventional categorization but irrespective of the vertical, domain, internal or external you will be able to find these types and respond correctly.

• Lost Ones, this category has no idea even whether they are talking to the right person. Ex: You just brought a smart phone and try to access Facebook, which you get an error. First thing that comes to your mind is that to call your Telecom Service Provider.
• Geeks, this category know more than you on the subject. Most probably ex-employee or someone has an educational or professional qualification on the matter.
• Empathizers, this category over the phone or in-person will looks like very nice people but, they will try to bring you down by spreading out the lapses on the content of the discussion.
• Regulars, this category mostly the easiest handle. They have a loyalty to the product or service because someone has converted them from one of the above categories.

STEP 3. Solution, Advisory and/or Redirect

When someone approach you internal or external, you could ideally do 3 Things.

1. Give a Solution - This will be the easiest, which you have the solution that the customer is looking for. Without confusing the person, better start with what it needs to be done and send them along the way happily.
2. Play a role of Advisory - You will need a lot of patience here. You are playing an advisory role because the customer is lost or maybe you know that you don't have a particular solution.
3. Find the Right Person or Place - This maybe most difficult option, because most probably you are lost here.

STEP 4. Follow-up

Follow-up would be nice to have. Which builds the Loyalty of the Customer to the organization or the person.

Make Customers Happy, whether they are Internal or External, You will be able build a group of people loyal to you and the organization.