In order to deal with customer complaints, one has to pay keen interest to what the customer is saying. One does not need to show feelings towards the client or the situation. Nodding the head shows that one is paying attention to what the customer is saying. After listening, one needs to show how sincerely they are sorry about the situation. One needs to ask questions in a polite manner to get to the bottom of the issue. One can involve the customer in the entire process of solving the problem.
It is good to ask the customer to propose solutions to the problem while one recommends possible ways to solve the problem. The customer must not sense that there is any possibility that the complaint will not get a solution. It is proper to solve the problem or find someone who can solve it. Once the situation is under control, once again, apologize to the customer and be sorry for the inconveniences that arose from the problem. The best way to never have the problem again is to improve products and service delivery.
Customer Complaints are important because they help the management to know its weaknesses. Questions that clients raise contribute to preventing bigger problems in the future of a business. They also contribute to sustaining existing customers and providing avenues for referrals.
Customer needs are varied. To identify them, one can decide to use a focus group that includes one or two present or past clients. Let the employees take notes of the customer concerns. One can also use a suggestion box or form with customer care. Another way is by checking the movement of company products, as well as sending emails to customers to ensure regular interactions and hence, the feedback.
Effective feedback must be goal-referenced. There has to be a goal that one seeks to achieve. It must also produce tangible results. Feedback must be one that is actionable.
Customer interactions can happen when a customer visits the business. The customer can come to buy a product or seek information. A telephone conversation can trigger interaction too. Email can also be a form of communication with the client. Social websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or even Skype can assist. A business can also interact with the customer through organizing field visits, exhibitions, and advertisements. When launching a new product or service, one can invite customers to attend.
Factors for delivering superior services to customers include the expectations of boosting the sales volume. When sales go up, the business can meet its obligations. Excellent service to the customer enables the company to beat its competitors. Feedback from customers helps to improve the products and services that lead to improved sales. It promotes repeated purchases in a market that is very competitive. It leads to referrals from other customers. It also keeps improving the company image.
It is a motivation for the staff to keep improving on their service delivery. It opens up room for expansion due to satisfied customers. It makes the business use all its available resources. Following up with clients is important because it helps the company to keep track of its customers and know whether they got the products they paid for or if there is any need for improvement. It also helps to know whether the service delivery was worth the effort.
The two dimensions of service include the systems and procedures of service delivery. It is the quality, equipment, and distribution mechanism. The second is how service providers make contact with clients. Welcoming atmosphere enables a customer to make the decision quickly.
The first of five elements of quality service is reliability. It is the ability to provide the company’s promise accurately. Identifying customer needs makes customers go for their desired products. The assurance by employees builds confidence in customers. The action strategy enables the sales to use positive communication skills and describe the products accurately. The physical facilities, equipment, and personnel appearance make services easier to deliver.
Service mission is a service culture component that enables the organization and customer care to know that, at the end of the day, its most important duty is to serve its clients well.
Products are tangible items that a company sells to make a profit, while services are actions performed to make products sell. There are businesses that are service providers. An example could be law firms whose primary objective is to sell their services.
The delivery system is the entire process of making sure that a product reaches the selling point. It is also ensuring that the customer gets the product at the most convenient place.
Training enables a business to review its weak points regularly and make adjustments because of the way knowledge keeps advancing.
Motivation and reward are tokens and awards that a company can decide to give to customers. The staff can receive motivation in monetary form or improved working conditions.
To make customer service work for the benefit of the company and the staff, one needs to formulate policies and ensure strict adherence. There have to be procedures on how to deal with customers and complaints while adhering to the set policies.
Words that damage customer relationships are; we are closed, we can’t help you, and we don’t have this product. Others include; we don’t have a chance; we don’t use credit cards. Words that should never be told to the customer are: buy somewhere else, go away, and don’t come back.
When dealing with assertive customers, one needs to make them cool down first. Give them something to drink if possible, and start by listening to their concerns. Then state the company’s position in a polite way and ask the customer to give views in relation to what one has explained. Get the client to understand the best way to bring out their argument.
One can request the customer to come back for another meeting in order to prepare to get back with the correct answers, refer the customer to management procedurally or deal with his or her concerns as soon as possible.
The six different customers’ needs include information. Customer needs to know the product they are buying, how to use it, and why it is the best. The organization can organize promotions and advertisements. They can also have the manual for self-knowledge.
Customers need to have options and alternatives. They want to be able to choose from a variety. There are also alternative uses of the products that the company can advertise.
Customers need control. The customer will always have the final decision. They may not care about procedures and policies but want to be able to get solutions immediately. The company must sometimes learn to accept the customer’s views.
Customers like friendly businesses, places where they can see a smile on the face of the seller, they find someone to listen to them and care enough to share ideas. The customer likes places where the service people appreciate them and understand their circumstances. First, one needs to find out what made the customer come.
Customers also want to be treated with fairness. The company should not put them into distinct classes. They want equal treatment. Provide an environment that is fair enough for all customers.
One of the behavioral styles of customers is dominance. It is a client who prefers to be authoritative. An influencing client is one who continually influences the decision of the company. Guide and let the customer understand that the business cannot overlook its policies and procedures.
A client that acts with steadiness is one who is stable and regularly buys the products. Maintain the client by issuing some benefits. A compliant client trusts the company and its products and quickly adapts to any changes. Continually work with them and encourage them about new dimensions.
How does one rectify a service break down? First, the service provider needs to send out an apology to the customers and regret the breakdown. If possible, give a time that it will take to rectify the problem. The management needs to make a decision on what the next course of action will be. The decision can be to withdraw the product/service from the market and modify it or replace it. Then get back to the customer with a carefully analyzed solution.
Some of the factors that may hinder service recovery are government interference, trade unions agitation, court cases, and lack of a recovery mechanism within the organization. The customer’s unwillingness to continue enjoying the services or the product may also be a concern.
Information that one may find from existing customers is whether the products they are getting are quality, useful, and make them happy. If there can be any change, one should ask, will they be willing to adapt? One should also find out if the customer needs any changes to the products and what kind of changes.
Information that one may find out from potential customers is why they don’t know about one’s product or why they are not using it. One needs to know if they would be willing to try it out. In addition, find out what can make them start using the product.
There are ten things one should know about his or her customers. One is to know who the client is, what the customer likes, why he likes it, and how he gets the product. One should also know more about the lifestyle of the customer. Affordability is also paramount. On needs to know if the buyer can afford what the company is providing.
One must also identify the geographical location of the client so that he knows how to reach him or her. One needs to know the frequency of buying the product, where else the customer can get the same service. For the service providers, one needs to know the client’s contacts (telephone, email, and address). It is important for the business to make the customer feel satisfied. The client’s interests are also important to note. One should know if the customer has a family and/or a child, or if a client loves pets.
The strategies one can use to obtain customer feedback include maintaining customer feedback forms with every service provider, making a customer feedback box at the reception. Give the company’s website with the feedback tool to customers. Providing direct and personal emails can be of help.
One can call the customers personally and ask how satisfied they were with the service. One also needs to stop reoccurring problems. One can also get some potential advocates from the happiest customers list and use them to get to others.
It is important for a company to produce a variety of products because it enhances diversity. It enables customers to have several choices. It also promotes sales. It reduces reliability on one product type that may be facing stiff competition in the market. It also enables the company to set different prices and enhance affordability across all social classes.
