5 Secrets of Good Customer Service

Part 1: Build Business to Customer Loyalty

Good customer service is the bread and butter of your business.

For instance, I paint outdoor signs and create various types of indoor/outdoor promotional for people in our small town. I’ve been at this business now for over 6 years. I rarely advertise, yet I enjoy about 80 percent of our town’s sign and display business. How do I do it?

I have several business success secrets that helped me get to where I am today, and all of them relate to good customer service. These customer service secrets can equally apply to service contractors doing business with other businesses, as in my case, or to retailers doing business with the general consumer.

Customer Service Secret Number One - Build Business to Customer Loyalty. This is my number one customer service secret, and is by far the most important one.

Part 2: More Secrets Of Good Customer Service

Customer Service Secret Number Two - provide true customer service. In today’s market environment, service has become a cliché and it seems like “everyone’s doing it.” So, if everyone is doing it, why not jump ahead of the wolf pack by providing even more creative, personalized service to your customers than your competitors can?

Customer Service Secret Number Three - “The Customer Is always Right.” If a customer comes to you about a complaint, be very serious about how you handle it. Is the customer upset and angry? First, calm him with words and action and show that you are serious about doing something to correct the problem. Even if it is obvious that he’s wrong, sometimes it’s better for repeat business to take the loss and compensate the customer.

Customer Service Secret Number Four - be honest with your customers. If your customer even suspects that you are trying to pull something over on him, you can kiss that customer goodbye - permanently! Were you fortunate enough to purchase an item from a wholesaler at a discount price? Instead of being tempted to richly improve your bottom line, pass that saving on to your customer. This will ingrain confidence in your customer so that, in the future, your customers will know where to come for REAL savings.

Customer Service Secret Number Five - educate your staff to be equally as concerned about your customers as you are. Some years ago I went into a hardware store and asked the young summer student clerk for some rubber cement.

“You mean, a tire patching kit?”

“No,” I repeated. “I want a bottle of rubber cement.”

The kid obviously didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. However, rather than finding out what rubber cement is, he gave me a strange look, then turned his back and went on to serve another customer. Needless to say, after that incident I took ALL my hardware business elsewhere.

A final bit of advice about customer service; “If you aren’t taking care of your customers, your competition will.” Print that advice out in large, bold letters and past it above your cash register.