5 Rules for Exceptional Customer Service with a Small Business

Whether you’re a new business just starting out or a company trying to improve your ratings with customers, you can never overlook the importance of customer service. If you follow these five rules, you can be confident your business will stand out from the competition.

1. Always Answer Your Phone

Never let your phone ring and go to voicemail. Chances are pretty good that the customer will hang up and call your competition rather than leaving a message. While it can be expensive to hire a receptionist, it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re missing phone calls. For those who can’t afford to hire a full-time person, you can contract with a call centre. Since their job is just to handle calls, you can be assured of professional service.

2. Be Careful of What You Promise

Think through the wording in your ads and in your store if you have a physical location. Train customer service representatives not to make promises unless they have authorization. Nothing upsets a customer faster than being told they can’t get something that was promised to them. If you have a 100 percent money-back guarantee with no questions asked, you should always refund 100 percent of their money and not ask questions. While this sounds like a simple concept, it’s one that is often taken for granted.

3. Be a Good Listener

Learn how to listen to your customers, your vendors and anyone else you do business with. Don’t just hear the words, but make sure you understand what the other person is saying. This often means focusing on the other person instead of what you want to say. It’s also helpful to repeat back to them what you heard, so they know you were listening. Doing this helps avoid misunderstandings and

improves customer satisfaction.

4. Handle Complaints Graciously

When people think of customer service, they often think about dealing with complaints all day long. This is often a major aspect of the job, and agents often develop a don’t-care attitude. The lack of caring is transmitted over the phone, and customers realize they don’t matter to the person on the other end of the line. Instead, deal with all complaints in a gracious way. Have a pleasant attitude regardless of the words and tone of the customer. Professional call centre agents with a good reputation have mastered this skill.

5. Train Your Staff

Many issues arise in customer service because of lack of training. The representatives don’t know what to do in a given situation and have no idea who to turn to. Don’t assume they should know how to handle situations. On the other hand, don’t limit them so much that they can’t respond to each customer interaction in a unique way. If you don’t have time to train someone to deal with customers, find a call centre agency that has a good reputation with customers. The goal is to ensure your customers receive a warm response from people who are skilled at dealing with many types of problems in your industry.

Ashley Meszaros is the Owner/President of We An-Ser Communications in Calgary. We An-Ser Communications provides award winning call center services in Calgary, dispatching, medical answering services, man down services, lone worker support, wireless panic services and more. They service the North American market.

Ashley Meszaros is the Owner/President of We An-Ser Communications in Calgary. http://www.wean-ser.com/calgary-call-centre-services/