Top 10 Customer Service Tips

Use these customer service tips to spark some ideas for improving your customer retention and customer service program.

Customer Service Tips - #1
What is customer service? There are three basic parts to any business:

1 – Product
2 – Planning
3 – People

Without any of these 3 P's, you don't have a business.

Customer service doesn't have to be a fancy row of desks with people taking calls from customers. It could be as simple as helping your customer use the widget she just bought from you, or even suggesting a different product – even if you don't make or sell that product.

Always remember that by helping your customer you will benefit, even if your cash register doesn't ding that very moment.

Customer Service Tips - #2
"What does my customer want?" Good question. If they're a lead or a prospect, make 'em an offer.

If they're your customer, you've already sold them something. In either case, what's next in the sales funnel? Do you have a sales funnel?

You might grab a potential customer at a low price point (but they could enter your sales funnel at any price point). Once they've bought, they're in.

Next, set up a way to stay in touch. Sell them the next item in your funnel – maybe an upsell, such as a second widget to go with the one they already bought (because they work better when you have two – in which case you have a packaging option to test) or the next most expensive thing, like the training course to use the widgets they just bought.

Think in terms of "what else might my customer want, now that they have my widget?" Think broadly. You may come up with an item that someone else makes – so you may have an opportunity to partner for sales. Win-win-win for all!

Customer Service Tips - #3
What would improving customer service mean to your bottom line? What's a customer worth to you?

Gather your sales numbers together and figure out what it costs you to get a new customer and what it costs you to keep an old one. More often than not, referrals and old customers are like money in the bank. It can cost quite a bit to get a new customer, so remember to figure in repeat sales in your numbers.

And, like money in the bank (or any investment), you should nurture your old customers and you'll be together well into the future.

Customer Service Tips - #4
If you have employees who could use improvement in their customer service skills, you can have a customer service training in-service day.

Here's how: put them all in a room with a tape series (no more than 6 tapes for a one-day training) and then implement an improvement plan for each employee, with incentives, based on what's taught in the series.

There are many tape sets to choose from. Contact us if you need suggestions on tapes or how to conduct your training day.

Customer Service Tips - #5
"I have a customer who is really difficult – what can I do?"

Have you heard of the Pareto Principle? Also called the 80/20 rule, this principle describes management of time, materials, effort and many other parts of business and life in general. In short, 20% of your efforts produces 80% of your results, and visa versa.

Difficult customers can take up a lot of time. If you spend 80% of your time on the 20% of your most difficult customers, you won't have time to spend on the 20% that produces 80% of your profits! That's a recipe for disaster!

At a business seminar I attended a number of years ago, one of my colleagues described how he'd fired the 20% of his most difficult customers, and his resulting success.

How could you apply this concept to your business? Track your results.

Customer Service Tips - #6
Use the concept of "value added" to improve your customer service.

Upselling, backend sales, repackaging – these are all very well and good, and will improve your profits, but what about your customers? What's in it for them?

Here's a question your customers can really benefit from: what can you give them that's of real value, that they can have for free?

Customer Service Tips - #7
We live in the information age. In the agrarian age, farming was the central part of the economy. Then came the industrial revolution, and manufacturing was king.

Now, if you know something, if you have information on a topic, you can "own" an entire market.

Ask yourself, "What do I know that my customers would like to know?" and, "How can I teach it to them?" After all, if you give more, you can get more. (SiteSOHO.com helps small businesses like yours further define your niche and has programs to help you dominate it).

Customer Service Tips - #8
Ask for referrals. I talked to one businessman who "fired" customers if they didn't give three referrals.

While this action is extreme (and I don't think he cut the non-referring customers completely, but he didn't spend a lot of time on them anymore) a version of this plan makes sense.

Asking for a referral is a kind of test to find out who your best customers are. A customer willing to give you a friend's name and phone number is a true friend. Treat that customer like gold, because that's what they are.

Customer Service Tips - #9
Relationship marketing builds customer retention.

To continue along the lines of referrals, build relationships with your customers.

While your business may be too big to really know everyone by first name, you can create an environment of first name treatment.

Hominess, little touches in your store or office, the way you talk with your customers. Treat your customers like friends. See what you can do for them. Teach them what they need to know to work with you. Ask them for referrals, suggestions and more business in return.

Customer Service Tips - #10
"In addition to taking really good care of my current customers, how can I reach a large number of new customers?"

Good question.

SiteSOHO.com is a full-service internet marketing consultant. We specialize in small business marketing strategies. We're completely menu-driven, meaning you can purchase the services that work best for you. Contact us for a free initial consultation.

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