Knowledge: Customer service
Listen, respond, delight
Knowing your customers’ needs and meeting them is key in any business. But,
how good is your business at listening and responding to customers’ needs?
Nikki Wyatt, NAPIT’s customer service manager, considers the importance of
quality customer service with a step by step approach
Step 1: Understand your customers’ needs
To deliver a reliable and professional service, the first thing you need to
do is to understand your customers. You can achieve this by listening
to their needs through various channels such as email, social media
and conversations over the phone. It is key to record any responses
that you receive about your business and then you can act on any that
require your attention.
With good lines of communication by listening to and
understanding your customers, it makes it easier to anticipate what
they expect. Discussing the contract with your customers before and
after the work is completed could be incredibly useful for ensuring you
are delivering the best possible service and putting your customer at
ease, both of which could lead to driving repeat business.
Step 2: Meet your customers’ needs
Ensure that any products or services that your business provides
match the expectations of your customers. This could include setting
out timescales for any work to be completed with your customer and
then meeting those deadlines. If you are unable to meet the agreed
deadlines, then make sure you are open and honest with customers
about what has changed to reach a solution and continue to manage
any expectations they may have.
By constantly asking your customers for feedback and using it
to keep your services up to date to their needs, you make it simple for
people to do business with your company, which could lead to being
recommended more for your services.
Step 3: Delight customers
The road to delighting your customers can be as simple as treating
them fairly and ensuring you get your product or service right the first
time. It is important to remember that the customer is always right and
occasionally, by going that extra mile, you can turn a satisfied customer
into a delighted customer, making them more likely to use your
services again. Simple measures such as offering free checks while
you’re repairing something in a home can make the world of difference.
Also, if you ensure your post-sales service is of the highest quality,
it will vastly improve the relationship between you and your customers.
If you make a focussed effort to ask for feedback, it shows your
customers how much you care and improve the quality of your service.
Step 4: Create loyalty
By adopting the three previous steps, your company can then instil
a sense of loyalty with your customers. A company that listens to its
customers, meets their needs and strives to delight them will maintain
a fantastic relationship with their customers. By pushing to create
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loyalty, this can lead to repeat purchases and therefore constantly
generating business for you. With increased loyalty comes a willingness
to recommend your services to others and therefore increasing the size
of your customer base within the local area and beyond.
Result: Successful business
Building quality relationships and improving your customers’
experience strengthens your brand within the industry, increases your
business opportunities in the local area and, most importantly, leaves
people happy with the service you provide. Listening and meeting the
needs of anyone interested in using your company has never been
more important.