Back in the 1980s, Van Halen made the ‘contract rider’ – a list of requirements, or ‘wish list’ given by bands to event and venue organisers – famous, by demanding that all brown M&Ms be removed from bowls placed in their dressing rooms.
This unique use of the ‘contract rider’ came about not because Van Halen were a bunch of self-important divas, but because their road crew had been put into serious danger on previous tours by event organisers not paying due attention to technical and safety requirements clearly stated in the standard contract rider.
The M&M clause was their way of checking to see if the organisers at each venue were paying close enough attention to the terms of their contract. They wanted to make sure they were getting the customer service they expected – and needed.
In an era of business where social media and online marketing have become almost the sole focus of many companies, great Customer Service can make you stand out from the crowd. How you treat customers is every bit as important, if not more so, than how you drive sales.
Key ways you can make your customers feel valued include:
1. Know your product or service inside out
This might seem obvious, but it’s essential that everyone on your team really knows what you’re selling, and how your products and services work. This is going to help at the sales end, but also at the customer service end as you become familiar with typical questions and issues, and continuously improve how you respond to them.
2. Manage expectations and be responsive
While it’s often impossible to be available 24/7 for customer enquiries, you can ensure that they feel heard and confident you’ll respond within a certain timeframe. For example, create an autoresponder email for your customer service related email addresses which explains what the next steps are, and how long they will take.
3. Flexibly problem solve
Sometimes things go wrong, but you can nearly always turn them around so the customer ultimately feels positive about your service. If you receive a complaint, or feedback on how to improve, thank the sender and find ways to go above and beyond in resolving the issue for them.
4. Personalise
No matter how big or small your company, finding ways for every customer to feel recognised as an individual makes a huge difference to their experience. Most of people want to deal with other people, and while tapping into the power of technology to manage your communications is essential in this day and age, it shouldn’t be at the expense of real human interaction whenever possible.
PerSec takes pride in helping you deliver extraordinary customer service. Chat with us today to find out about how we can make your life easier, and your customers happier.