Ten Golden Rules of Customer Service - Part 3

This is the third and final part to the Ten Golden Rules of Customer Service. As I mentioned in part 2, this is by no means a comprehensive list of customer service rules but rather some core principles that should be adhered to regardless.

I fully realize that much if not all of this has been written about ad nauseum however, the content and its format may be more suitable for some than others or points are made that I haven't read elsewhere. It's my hope that you will find value in this series of articles and if it only helps one (1) other person, then I have been successful! Feel free to leave comments and offer suggestions.

6.    Handle Complaints Quickly.

• First, remain professional, calm and courteous at all times. Do not take complaints personally and it’s imperative that you always keep emotions in check. Be aware of your body language, tone of voice and don’t condescend to your customer. Never leave them hanging in limbo and you do this by helping determine customer expectations, come to an agreement and stay in communication. Accentuate the positive and focus on what you can do for the customer as opposed to what you can’t. Follow up with a phone call in addition to other forms of communication such as email or written correspondence. Your honoring agreements and following up as agreed will demonstrate your respect for the customer. The silver lining is that this customer is giving you or your organization a second chance and you can learn from any mistakes made.

7.    Know Your Own Business and Products.

• Make sure you know all you can about your business, its policies, systems, procedures and any products or services you’re responsible for and then some. A professional will remain in a perpetual learning mode. As you get a handle on your business responsibilities, help your customers to understand your systems and procedures too. This will lessen confusion when there’s an issue in terms of how things are handled or get done. You’re mitigating possible frustration and anger later because they now know the best way to approach your organization with an issue.

8.    Stay In Contact and Communicate With Your Customers.

• With the advent of all the forms of communication today it can seem daunting to know which method is best suited to a particular customer. By asking your customers about their preferred method(s) of communicating albeit, email, phone, fax, IM, social media, or newsletters you will undoubtedly find one or several ways to keep in contact with your lifeline. The bottom line, stay in constant contact with your customers and keep them informed or someone else will. 

9.    Under Promise, Over Deliver.

• The idea is to nudge commitments to where you are always delivering ahead of schedule or, cost schedules are intentionally buffered higher so you will come in under estimates or even lowering expectations and then exceeding them. This principle while popular can also create distrust from your customer towards you or can possibly condition customers to always expect the same results each and every time. Being experienced and knowing your customer will help determine what circumstances to use this with or whether to use it at all. When properly applied, this can make you look golden.

10.    Follow Up and Follow Through.

• If you want to know what separates the competition, this is it. In a nutshell, a professional always follows through and keeps his word. This is a trait that comes natural for some and has to be learned for others. One of the keys to being successful is following through on commitments. Become highly organized in your thought process by prioritizing tasks and efficiently managing your time. Whether you use a PDA, a Daytimer, or computer it doesn’t matter as long as it works for you. Remain focused on current tasks as well as those on your list. More often than not, the person that keeps their word and follows through will have earned the trust and loyalty of the customer.

Part 1   Part 2