In today’s business world, this old axiom may not be entirely true. According to Inc.com, this may be because today’s best customer service is not something that can be easily faked. Customer service and handling customer complaints should be a more personalized experience within a new company; just take a look at Zappos.com. They use customer service as their number one best feature, and it really works! So let’s take a closer look at the art of customer service so you can improve your handling of customer complaints and continue to grow and improve your business.
1. Act like a teenager again: break the rules
This is your chance to feel like your 15 year old self again – customer service gives you a chance to be reckless and break some rules! When a customer has a complaint, he doesn’t want to hear a recitation of your company’s return policy. Instead, they want to be treated as individuals, not just another number. Therefore, from time to time, he will have to break the rules and guidelines of his own business. Occasionally breaking the rules will ultimately cost less than it would to lose a valuable customer. What’s even worse is if that particular customer leaves and tells a negative story about their company. So he’s not afraid to break a few rules when it comes to customer service.
2. Act like a parent: limit the options
When you take the kids to the supermarket, they always seem to want everything; from outrageously flavored Go-Gurt to a rotating Elmo toothbrush. To avoid a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store, most parents limit their children by saying, “Okay, you can choose ONE This is what we have to do with our clients. Overly demanding customers can undermine your ability to grow a valuable business, so be sure to give your customers limited choice. Don’t let your sales instincts undermine your entire business model. One of the best ways to do this is to prohibit customers from being too picky.
3. Act Like a Candidate: Check Your Reputation
Whether you are a candidate for a job, an award candidate, or a candidate for political office, most are extremely concerned about one thing: their reputation! A new business also needs to monitor its own reputation, especially online. When customers rant online, it has the potential to tarnish a company’s brand and also scare away potential buyers. To keep track of what’s being said about your business online, use Google Alerts or Trackur, Radian6 and Viralheat.
4. Act like a college student: listen and learn
Just like a college student patiently listening to daily lectures (we hope!), you must patiently listen to your customers. If a customer starts to rant, shut up and just listen. When customers are very frustrated, it is typical for them to vent to a company before considering a proactive solution. Therefore, it is important that you, as a small business owner, refrain from being defensive and use empathy when speaking. Most of the time, clients will calm down if you continue to ask them open-ended questions that involve the real person.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that the decisions necessary to maintain business will irritate customers. Allow customers to voice their opinions, and then try to find a solution that makes everyone happy. Customer complaints allow for a learning process: your business will quickly learn what valued customers like and dislike and can implement this into your business strategy. Customer feedback is an extremely valuable source for improving your business.
I let you act like a teen, a parent, a candidate, and a college student when it comes to handling customer complaints. Keep these four people in mind and you’ll be on your way to better customer service for your business!
