I recently went for a mammogram and my experience wasn’t all that positive. Now if you have never had a mammogram it can be a routine check up or you can be going due to finding a lump on your breast. The technician I had was anything but pleasant, didn’t make eye contact, never smiled, barely answered a question and was upset with me because my doctor didn’t fill out the paperwork correctly. I told her it wasn’t my fault that he didn’t fill it out properly and she said “well it isn’t my fault that I don’t get the right image”. As I was going through the process it reminded me of how important customer service really is.
Under a health related issue, the technician may not see me as a customer but rather a patient. In any event I am the customer. So tell me what makes a customer’s experience positive:
A cheerful person
Sincere
Trustworthy
Timely
Mindful
Empathetic
Respectful
Compassionate
Energetic
Smiles
Why should we provide excellent customer service? Here are some reasons I can think of:
To get referrals
For customer retention
Moral of the customers
Loyalty to your business
Making more money
Professionalism
It comes down to having a professional image whether you are face to face, having a telephone conversation or in written correspondence. We need to take responsibility for our image and speak to our customer’s needs. It is all about being an expert in your field. The body language of the technician I talked about earlier was one of laziness and you could totally tell she was lacking in motivation. It takes three seconds to make a good first impression. What is your impression saying to your customers? How do you look, what is the tone of your language and what is the state of your business? Is your office cluttered and messy or does it show organization. If you are in real estate, is your car clean when you take your clients out? That can make or break a deal. I spoke with a woman who was all set to buy a home with the agent until he took her in his car which was full of dog hair and garbage.. The deal was over.
Some tips to help with customer service are:
Remember names
Speak clearly and not too fast
Keep your work area visually appealing
Be a good listener
Pay attention to what you are hearing and ask questions
Don’t interrupt
When you are in a meeting make your customer feel important and turn your phone off so you are not the one interrupting the meeting.
The next time you are out making a customer call, talking on the telephone or sending an email, the tone of your voice, the smile on your face and your enthusiasm for your customer will make all the difference in the world and they will keep coming back. Professionalism is the key to lasting relationships and more sales.
Learn more at www.persistencepays.ca