No matter how brilliantly your business is performing, the one thing you can always afford to improve is your customer service. As a business owner, creating a great experience for your customers should be your number one priority. Why? Because customers TALK, and with social media that means conversations reaching hundreds, and potentially thousands, of people with a single click.
How to Improve Customer Service in 2016
- Be Available – First and foremost you need to be available to your customers. Ideally, you should be reachable via whichever platform they prefer. If someone contacts you via Facebook, don’t ask them to email you. If someone emails, don’t ask for a number to call them back. Be prepared to communicate wherever your customers seek you out.
- Be a Problem Solver – If a customer is unhappy, think of it not as an attack, but an opportunity to make things right. Make sure everyone on your team is prepared to go the extra mile to fix issues – a happy customer is great, but an IMPRESSED customer is invaluable, not to mention much more likely to sing your praises.
- Encourage Positive Feedback – Make the most of happy customers. Encourage people to share positive reviews on your website, or ask followers to share their experiences about the brand. The more they talk, the more they are not only reinforcing their positive feelings about your brand, but convincing others of your value as well.
- Embrace Technology – Social media has completely transformed the way customers interact with brands. Embrace it by being active on social media. Ask customers to share photos of your products for a discount on future purchases, or create your very own hashtag for people to use when talking about your business. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative.
- Take Responsibility – Customers love businesses that admit mistakes and aren’t afraid to wear the consequences. Listen carefully to feedback about your brand and let people know you’re listening. Even when people aren’t saying great things about the company, you can boost your reputation by being transparent, admitting fault, and showing the world that you’re ready to make things right.
Don’t have your own business to work on for 2016? Dreams of starting your own company for 2016? Speak to Kwik Kopy about purchasing a franchise business.
