[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]
These tips come from Anita Zinsmeister at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. These are outstanding and I am happy to promote Dale Carnegie and share them with you.
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- Word count for this issue: 599
- Approximate time to read: About 2.4 minutes @ 250 words per minute
Great customer service is an integral component of every business. No matter what kind of product or service you provide, you need to excel at it.
![]() Why Should You Care About Keeping Your Customers Happy?
- Acquiring a new customer can cost 6 to 8 times more than
keeping an existing customer.
- Existing customers have a 12% higher profit margin.
- Businesses that retain existing customers see a 9% higher
growth rate.
Simply put, you need to keep your customers satisfied. To that end, we have prepared a number of tips that are guaranteed to improve any customer service experience.
Tips To Improve Your Customer Service Department:
- Treat Customers With Respect – All too often, if a customer has a bad experience it is because of a disgruntled employee. Perhaps an altercation put the employee in a sour mood, or a manager reprimanded them. They could feel burnt out by their job. Whatever the case, going the distance to treat employees well increases the likelihood that they will treat customers well.
- Encourage Your Team To Become A Client Advocate – Perception can be a powerful force. When an employee feels more independent, not tethered to their supervisor, it empowers them. Encourage employees to think of themselves as a client advocate. This will help give them a greater sense of independence and compel them to engage with customers more pleasantly.
- Take The Right Action – Your customer service experience should never be “all talk”. If you claim to have excellent customer service, prospects are going to expect it. If their experience does not sync up with what you promised they become dissatisfied, meaning you will lose a customer. Worse yet, if they express their dissatisfaction online or to colleagues it will not only hurt your sales, but also damage your reputation.
- Be Proactive On Getting Everyone’s Feedback – Go beyond conducting customer surveys. Designate one or more customer service employees as morale monitors who comb the Internet looking for feedback on your company — good and bad. Never wait to receive bad news. The longer you let an issue persist the more difficult it may be to remedy.
- Make Sure Your Customer Knows They Are Important – The more one-of-a-kind a customer feels the longer they will stay engaged with your business. To accomplish this, offer them price cuts or coupons, and make every interaction feel less like a transaction and more like a conversation, a brief social moment that is uniquely theirs.
- Resolve Your Customers’ Complaints Quickly – Answer all e-mail and phone calls within the shortest time possible. Whether it’s less than 15 minutes or the next day, it is important for a customer to know when your company will be calling them back by setting the right expectations.
- The Owner Needs To Get Involved – There are times when a customer is so upset that a call from the president or owner is necessary. If your executive team takes a more proactive approach, it can lead to more high-value clients staying on board too!
Executive Summary: The first step to improving customer service is making sure you aren’t just talk. That said, we recommend mystery shopping your own business to verify how well your customer service aligns with your philosophies. Second, you can improve your customer service by improving the morale of the people on the front line. Third, empower your customer service staff so they are able to engage in meaningful, problem-solving dialogues with your customers.
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![]() Why Are So Many Employees Disengaged? (Forbes) The answer most often lies in managerial relationships. A recent national study by Dale Carnegie Training placed the number of “fully engaged” employees at 29%, and “disengaged” employees at 26% — meaning nearly three-quarters of employees are not fully engaged (aka productive). The number one factor the study cited influencing engagement and disengagement was “relationship with immediate supervisor.” Read More
![]() Abraham Lincoln’s Brilliant Method for Handling Setbacks (Inc.com) What was the secret of Abraham Lincoln’s success in dealing with people? Incredibly, this is not just a question that a business journalist would ask. Dale Carnegie himself–the legendary author of How to Win Friends and Influence People — asked the exact same question on page 8 of that famous book. Read More
![]() How to Be a Better Communicator in the Workplace (U.S. News Report)Whether you are an aspiring leader or in a support role, developing your communication skills can impact your success. First, let’s take a look at the complexities of communication. It’s more than the words you use. It’s how and when you choose to share information. It’s your body language and the tone and quality of your voice. Read More
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Today’s Inspirational Quote: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.” Steve Jobs
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[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]
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