Great Ideas for your Small Business:
Take This Quick Customer Service Quiz
Take this customer service quiz to find out whether you are treating your customers the way you, yourself, would like to be treated.
- Do you really know who your customers are and whether you are responsive to their changing needs? If you are unsure, create a database to collect information on their purchasing habits, likes, wants, and business practices. Be sure to update the database on a regular basis.
- When customers return products, are they treated the same way as when they purchased those products? How do you handle complaints? Use the same courtesy
and level of service when a customer is returning a product as you did when he or she bought it. Treat complaints as a way to improve your business and generate goodwill. - Are telephone calls answered promptly and returned the same day? Do customers and clients complain that your phone lines are constantly busy? Customers expect a
quick response. Return phone calls the same day, if possible. And when customers call, they should never get a busy signal. Voice mail can help you, but it should never replace a human at the other end of the line. - If your product comes with a guarantee, are you honoring that guarantee? If a customer thinks the product is guaranteed, but finds too many loopholes that void it, you could be perceived as dishonest. Honor all product guaran- tees, even if the conditions are not fully met. Nordstrom takes back any item, with no questions asked.
- Does your staff really know how to serve your customers? Make sure everyone on your staff knows exactly what kind of service to provide. Review their performance and reward employees for providing good customer service.