By Team Learning Minds
Your customers do not want to be treated as another statistic in your accounts. They want to be treated with respect and given top priority. And, it is vital that your customers realize how central they are for your business. Customers want their complaints registered, their calls returned, their suggestions taken seriously. Once customers form a concrete impression about your business, it becomes very difficult to persuade them otherwise. Thus, brilliant and well-thought customer service births customer loyalty, which is the act of choosing one business’ products and services consistently. Businesses must steadily meet and surpass customer expectations in order to attract and maintain customers.
An exemplary example of such a business is Southwest Airlines. At Southwest Airlines, it is customer appreciation day every day. Their mission statement, “…dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride and Company Spirit” reinforces this notion. They say, “We like to think of ourselves as a Customer Service company that happens to fly airplanes”. And, they deliver as promised as they rank the highest in customer satisfaction among low-cost carriers according to the J.D Power 2018 North America Airline Satisfaction Study.
Southwest attends to customer problems inside a 10-15-minute response time. Moreover, they carefully measure the time taken until the customer receives the initial reply, the resolution and the customer reaction. They ensure that the customer is receiving a quality resolution. This depicts the utmost importance that is given to customer grievances so as to maintain a superior and active customer service presence and not lose these customers to competitors.
Businesses must strive towards enhancing their customer service skills as one of the things that customers are most likely to remember is the quality of the direct interaction, they had with them. This can be done by following 3 key methods.
- Seek Customer Feedback –You need to identify and understand customer needs and what their expectations are. This can be achieved through customer service surveys and reviews through social media platforms or email. Moreover, you can establish a forum where customers can register complaints and ask questions. Good and bad reviews will give you an understanding of where your services need to be polished and what practices are well-liked.
- Train Your Customer Service Professionals –These people are the face of your company and must be educated on how to address customer complaints, deal with many customers together, empathize with them and create solutions based on what suits them best. Every customer is different and the way they are dealt depends upon the professional’s ability to adapt to each customer’s personality. Also, clarity must be present when information about products and services is being communicated.
- Go The Extra Mile –To be successful, going an extra mile for your customers is crucial. It can transform ordinary experiences into ones that are worth remembering and retelling to family and friends. This not only creates a permanent brand image in the customer’s mind, it also markets your business to potential customers. This will help your business create long-term relationships with customers and boost their loyalty.