Geared Up 2020 Issue 4 | Page 58

Wow Your Customers :

3 Keys for Delivering Great Customer Service

2020 Issue 4 | GearedUp

The term “ customer service ” evokes different images in people ’ s minds . One image could be that of friendly , smiling , helpful employees who go out of their way to serve you . Or it could be the opposite – indifferent , unfriendly employees who can ’ t wait for you to leave or hang up the phone .

Most people can recall many examples of poor customer service . Whether it ’ s the help desk employee that puts you on hold for 20 minutes or the store cashier who engages in a personal conversation instead of ringing up your purchase , poor customer service can make people feel frustrated and vow never to do business with that company again .
On the other hand , great service feels like a gift . It makes us want to continue to do business with an organization over the long haul . That alone is the secret to business success – retaining customers by providing great customer service . With so much competition out there , customer loyalty is the single most important attribute your business can have . You achieve loyalty by doing “ the little things ” that make customers want to deal with you again and again and recommend you to their friends . The real difference is how a business makes their customers feel . If customers feel valued , most will remain loyal . If they feel undervalued , sooner or later they will defect to a competitor .
Several reasons why customers defect from a company exist . The customer may move away , a competitor may lure them away , or they may leave because they are unhappy with the product . However , a recent study found that a whopping 68 percent of customers who defect do so because of poor service . That ’ s a sobering statistic . The study further noted how customers defined poor service : “ an attitude of indifference on the by Dennis Snow part of employees .” So , while bad service certainly causes customers to leave , indifferent service can be just as detrimental .
With every two out of three customers citing poor customer service as a reason for leaving , what can your company do to achieve customer loyalty ? Assuming your business products and prices are competitive , you need to focus on providing superior customer service in order to gain loyalty . To do that , here are three simple steps to help you make sure your customers stay with your company .
Look through the “ lens of the customer ”
No matter what industry you ’ re in , chances are that you interact with customers at some level . Realize that customers can be
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