The age old phrase 'customer is king' might be cheesy, but it is often true. Sticking to this concept as a business will always help you to reap the rewards of having loyal, attentive customers no matter what products or services your business provides. That being said, customer service is a key part of good business practices. This is widely known and accepted across the board and is a main contributing factor as to why so much innovation has happened in the area of customer service in recent years. Technological innovations and plain old honest business practices can help you connect with your customer base like never before. Here are five ways in which you can make your customers feel seen.
Utilize Chatbots
If you have never heard of this unique and useful tool before, you may be wondering what is a chatbot? A chatbot is, essentially, a computer program that can interface and initiate communication with people. This has been used to improve customer service while also cutting down on manual work. Chatbots can discuss and adapt to human interaction as they deal with any initial issues, feedback or questions that customers might have. Chatbots also typically are able to answer frequently asked questions more quickly than humans can which makes the customers experience a lot more seamless. Overall, they can be a useful tool for making customers feel heard.
Set Up Customer Incentives
One thing a patron always appreciates is an incentive to continue patronizing your business. Customer incentives not only drive your business in the right direction when it comes to cash flow, they also make those customers feel important, special and sometimes quite thrifty. An incentive might look like a coupon, a deal only found in a customer-wide email chain or a come-again incentive. No matter what you decide to use, people will certainly enjoy being offered a gift just for their ability to use your business.
Respond To Inquiries Quickly and Honestly
Some inquiries may need that human touch, and when they do, you should respond quickly and honestly. Even if the person will not like your answer, it is better for them to hear it directly, honestly and in a friendly way than if you were to skirt the issue or ignore it altogether! People appreciate truthful responses that arrive as quickly as possible. This may be an inconvenience to you or your employees, but you will never regret dealing with your customer base in this way. If their problem is addressed and solved, then they are far more likely to return to your business in the future and even recommend you to their friends and family.
Allow Room For Policy Changes
When it comes to customer inquiry, you should not be afraid to really listen to the feedback of the people who use your goods or services. Though there are definitely some people who seem to simply enjoy finding things wrong in the world, there are others who genuinely want to help you with their feedback. You should listen to them! Oftentimes, there is an aspect of your business that is just not working or could at least be working far better. You may be completely blind to this concept until a customer comes along and gives you a call or writes you a review. Not only can you use this information to help better your business's quality, you can also be sure that this customer will return to see your newly improved goods or services.
Focus on Customer Experience
When approaching customer service improvement, you should really take time to focus on and think through every aspect of your customer's experience. Sit down with some of your employees and really walk through the typical experience of your patrons and think outside of the box in ways you can help improve their experience! You might be surprised with what you can come up with.
Investing in your customers' experience will lead to you and your business reaping the rewards of satisfied customers. Utilize one or any of these ideas to help connect and communicate with people more easily and effectively.
Related: The Client Service Experience Doesn’t Begin with the Greeting