No business can thrive without a customer base that is willing to spend money on their product or service. It just won’t work. It amazes me everyday when I log onto a social media account and see business owners treating their customers like crap. Customers have a lot of power. Their money is their power. In January alone, C. Wonder, Wet Seals, Arden B and a couple more have shut down completely or are on the verge.
Cultivate A Standard of Excellence
Your customer service game needs to be A1 since day one. No, the customer is not always right but in this world of one tweet can ruin your business. When people use your services they should always have a glowing review of your business after services are rendered. Stating that you are always timely, your courteous, focused and always went the extra mile. If you are a product business you need to be focused on products arriving in a timely manner. One way businesses seem to fall short is in the email department. Seeing people comment that “I emailed you months ago with no responses” under a post is not a good look. Make sure you designate at least 90 minutes a day to following up on emails. In addition, utilizing canned emails can ensure you respond quicker.
Establish A Plan
When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This reigns true with establishing a plan to treat your customers like royalty. How exactly will you go about executing this? Outside of having standards of excellence, there are other areas that need a plan within the realm of customer service. How do you streamline your shipping? How do you treat customers who want items immediately? What will you do when a loyal customer emails saying their necklace broke a week after it arrived. Do you have a plan in place for this? What about a customer who is not satisfied with your service business? You should have a plan for almost any situation that could possibly arise. You do not want your customers thinking you are acting on the fly. Be as professional as possible.
Reward Often
Everybody wants to be celebrated and rewarded by others. It doesn’t matter what it is for they want to be recognized. Yes, your customers or clientele deserve to be rewarded for simply supporting you. The way you reward them should also have a plan. Create a system to keep track of this. You can reward them on the fly by upgrading shipping, offer free services, giving gift cards etc.,. This month for ICB Consults I have given out Starbucks gift cards, Fast Company subscriptions and much more. Just as a way to say thanks. I told customers on social media and in the newsletter that all they had to do was leave a product review and/or tag ICB Consults on social media with their purchase. Learn how to reward your customers.
Your company’s happiness should come first. Don’t stress yourself or over extend yourself trying to treat them like royalty. It should come naturally. How are you currently uplifting your customers so they know they are important?
Some great articles to help you with customers or clients: How To Win Clients and Influence Them, Retaining + Obtaining Customers, Playing For Keeps With Clients, and Winning Clients From The Past.
Photography image by Jason
