Month: September 2016

5 Reasons Why Customer Service Is Important

untitled-designWe all do some sort of shopping everyday.  We buy groceries, we purchase cars and we plan our annual vacations for our family.  There is no way to get around shopping whether it’s done in person or online your still shopping.  So tell me what is your first expectation when you walk into your local market or frequent a store in the mall?  Is it a simple  hello, or a smile?  Do you want space?  Are looking to be treated like your patronage matters?

I can tell you most of us expect friendly faces and knowledgable associates to be able to assist us at a moments notice.

Allow me to share five reasons why customer service is important.

1. Your customers will remember
Your customers will remember if they were greeted and whether or not their interaction with you or your employee’s was a pleasant one.  Good communication and representing the products with the customer goes a long way.  It could help you gain more customers or cause you to lose customers and gain negative press.

2. Building trust
Trust is important for your business; people need to know they can trust you and your brand.  The representatives of your company can make your customers feel agreeable and thus willing to spend their money.  Being able to resolve issues as they arise quickly and with a smile will make patrons more apt to return the next time around.

3. Customer service encourages promotion
When you provide excellent customer service on top of a great product your customers will advocate for you.  A postive word of mouth can be spread as quickly as picking up the phone and clicking one of the many social media apps out there in cyber world, walking out of your store front or logging off of a webinar.  Creating an welcoming environment can get you customers who will be with you for the long haul and bring their friends along with them.

4. Happy staff = Happy customers
The more motivated your staff is the more positive energy they will give off to a customer.  If your staff feels important that will show it in the way they provide the services you offer.

5. What the customers are saying
80% of consumers say they would pay more to have a high-level customer experience.

Customer service plays an important role in the overall customer experience with your business.  It can help you attract new customers and sets you apart from the competition.

I hope this blog has provided insight on why excellent customer service is vital to the success of your business.

Customer Service Has Been Kidnapped

Hello! My name is Lynn Dowdell and I am a customer service junkie!  Now that I have admitted this in public I can tell you that I am not ashamed of being a Junkie to the customer service world.  I decided to start a blog because I wanted to know if there is anyone out there like me who thinks that customer service has fallen into a dark pit that people in the service industry as whole have forgotten about.

Without devulging to much information, I have been in the service industry for over 30 years.  My very first job was a receptionist for a senior citizen center, I was in charge of greeting the seniors, answering questions regarding the daily activites and events that were planned.  I also answered phones and directed seniors and all other visitors to their desired destination within the center.  I have always had a great level of respect for my elders so it was a piece of cake going to work everyday during the hot summer months.

I loved engaging the seniors and I also was smitten by the fact that I was always told I had a pretty smile.  This was the beginning of my life as a career customer service champion, from there I always greeted everyone I encountered with a smile.  I made that person feel as though they were the most important person and that no one else mattered.  Today I use the same smiling technique when  I am on the phone, writting an email or speaking to a group so it saddens me when I shop in my local supper market or call a business and I am not greeted with a smile through the phone or face to face.  I often wonder if the person assisting me could hear what I hear or see what I see when they are greeting and servicing me would it make a difference or if they truly care.

I vote to bring back good customer service.  Let people know that you value their patronage and make them feel as though they cannot wait for the next visit or call because they know their needs will be met.