How to Give Great Customer Service

Waitress

Customer service is key to success in many kinds of business. Great service can keep customers coming back and helps build loyalty while encouraging customers to spread the word about your business. When it comes to firms that sell similar products, the level of service provided can help differentiate the stores or companies involved, and this may give competitive advantage to one over the others. It's easy to learn how to give great customer service, and you might see the difference not only in more repeat business but also in your bottom line.

Instructions

1. Make great service your No. 1 priority.

2. Put yourself in the customer's shoes. Ask yourself how you'd like to be treated and what kind of service you'd expect, then work to meet or beat that expectation.

3. Listen to your customers' suggestions and criticisms. Provide an easy way for them to give feedback. Implement any ideas that seem useful.

4. Pay attention to the customers in your store and treat them as individuals. Not everyone who walks through the doors wants a salesperson's undivided attention. Some people just want time to browse. Observe the signals people are sending and adjust your service accordingly.

5. Remember your own experiences as a customer, good and bad. Take the situations that impressed you as a shopper or a consumer and apply them to your business. Think about times you received bad service and make sure that you never do things that way.

6. Emphasize to your staff that customers come first. They should understand that the customer should be their No. 1 focus 100 percent of the time. All other activity, including personal conversations and other tasks, stops when a customer needs help.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, it's not just your interaction with customers that counts. The appearance of your store, including cleanliness and organization, has a big impact on people's satisfaction with their shopping experience.