Customer Service Tips By Kate Clark

Customer Service Tips
By Kate Clark (M6.net)
December 4, 2001,from WebHostPad.com

Promoters and Marketers can give these tips to their Customer service people in the hope that they will help to keep the customer satisfied. After all the hard work of selling the product or performing the service, the last thing you need happen is to upset a future prospect or referrer.

How many times have we successfully marketed and promoted the product and to our dismay have seen complaints due to our own Customer "care" people. The result being that only ONE product was successfully traded, where; through referrals due to good customer service a hundred could have been traded. This is often the promoter and marketers nightmare.

SO... here are some tips, and there will be more next issue. This is not a waste of time, this is good old-fashioned, offline, tried and tested over a hundred years, business strategy. As follows:

How do you, positively, handle 'problem' customers?
Assure the customer you will listen, interrupt ONLY to make points clear and make sure you sound interested and attentive, it is so annoying to a customer when they believe the company doesn't care.
Most customers who call to complain have something they want to get off their chest. Listen to what it is. Give the customer the satisfaction in knowing you are listening and they feel more positive and assured.
Get your pen out and write down the points relevant to the complaint, dont argue or take issue with the points, as you note them down. Any points you are unsure of, clarify them, you need to understand the full complaint. Once you have the points, confirm the complaint at the end, to check you have it right. The objective is to help the client, NOT win an argument.
Assure the customer you are on their side, don't get personally involved. Reassure them that you understand how inconvenienced they have been, for example, let the customer know you want to resolve the issue as much as they do.
When the solution has been worked out, thank the customer for their feedback; confirm with them how much feedback helps to provide a better service.
Ask the client's opinion on how you can ensure that this doesn't happen again. If you cant do what they suggest, offer alternatives, work with the client to resolve the problem.

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