Things You'll Need:
- Professional or appropriate attire
- Positive attitude
- Patience
- Willingness to assist.
- Listening ears
- Respect for customers and members of your team.
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Step 1
Promptly greet customer with a smile and friendly greeting.
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Step 2
If the customer has had to wait in line, thank them for waiting.
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Step 3
Ask how you may be of service.
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Step 4
If the customer asks to speak with another associate, excuse yourself while contacting the appropriate associate. Escort the customer to the appropriate person, once they have given a signal they are available.
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Step 5
When assisting a customer, listen with an open mind and open ears. Take notes when appropriate.
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Step 6
Be careful in order to complete the customer's request efficiently and error-free.
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Step 7
When an error has been made, take responsibility for the error (in other words, acknowledge the error was one made on your side - It doesn't matter if it was the fault of the guy next to you or across town. It's never a good idea to call out a co-worker's mistake in front of a customer.) Apologize and fix the error immediately.
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Step 8
If a customer says there was an error made, but you are unsure of who is at fault, tell the customer that you understand their concern. When appropriate, ask the customer if they have time to wait while you make a call or do some research to find out how the error occurred and how to fix it. If they do not have time to wait, ask if you could please contact them when you have the information. In that instance, make sure to get the correct contact information and give an approximate time of how long you believe it will take before the customer will be contacted.
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Step 9
If a customer is expecting a return call or e-mail by a certain time, but you do not have the information they requested,contact them anyway. Just explain what steps you have taken in order to obtain the information and where you are in the process. Explain to the customer that this is just a courtesy call to assure them that their issue is being handled. Give another estimated time to the customer of when you will be following up. Then, make sure to follow up at or before that time.
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Step 10
After finishing with a customer's request or resolving their issue, ask how you may be of further assistance. Assist them in the same manner as listed above, with any additional services they request.
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Step 11
Finally, thank the customer for their business. You should always do this verbally. However, sometimes it may be appropriate to exceed the customer's expectations by a nice gesture of thanks. In many cases, it is great to send out thank you notes and/or gifts. Customers always love to feel appreciated. For example, if you have a repeat customer or a customer who you've just resolved an ongoing problem for; it is a great gesture to send them a thank you gift for their business. This can be anything from chocolate to wine to a gift card. It just depends on what is appropriate for your business.
