Customer service is one of those areas that can be difficult to manage for small businesses. Most small businesses do not have the resources available to devote one person, not to mention an entire department, to customer service. Almost every employee has to be a customer service ambassador. Considering that good customer service is a huge part of what keeps a repeat customer and earns a new one, you want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to provide the best experiences possible, right?
Take these 3 Tips For Killer Customer Service:
- Hire The Right People – You want to hire people who are capable workers, after all – the job needs to get done, but do not discount attitude. Make it a priority to hire people who are warm and welcoming to others, who project a “can-do” approach, can problem solve on their feet, and demonstrate good people skills. Hiring the right people is a crucial part of customer service for small businesses since your employees are often the ones who come in contact with your customers on the most regular and personal basis. Hire the kind of people who not only do good and efficient work, but will leave a good impression as well, failing to hire the right kind of employee can affect your reputation and even put the future of your business at risk.
- Be Present And Active On Social Media – Many customers are using social media as a customer service resource, you need to be active and responsive to questions and concerns in real time. The temptation to automate your social media can be strong and while there are benefits to scheduling out posts and updates, there needs to be someone available to respond to comments, concerns, and questions, not to mention the need for re-posting (with permission) any positive feedback and compliments you may be on the receiving end for. Social media is important; it can’t be stressed enough!
- Take Feedback Seriously – Make it a goal to learn from the past to improve the future. A good way to do this is to check your customer reviews regularly (you are asking for reviews, right?) so that you can manage and respond to any negative feedback. When you respond positively to negative feedback, customers take note and will still want to do business with you. Take said feedback into consideration when it comes to what you can improve to make your service opportunities even better. Pay attention to what customers are responding to positively as well, know what you’re doing well so that you can keep doing it.
You are never going to please everyone 100% of the time, accept as much and make it a goal to put the customer first and do everything in your power to earn their trust, repeat business, and eventual referral. After all, the best gateway to a new customer is through a current one–and killer customer service will get you there most every time.
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert onLinkedIn and Twitter.