Another Secret Revealed

In the last post, we talked about the first secret to building a solid customer service plan and how to clarify your vision.

Today let’s talk about the second secret to making your satisfied customers into raving fans. When you know exactly who your customers are, and you are clear on what they want, you will know how best to serve them. Demographics are really important here. A professional woman in her 30’s is going to have some different needs and expectations from a blue-collar man in his 50’s.

As you strive to determine what your customers want, do this:

• Ask your customers to describe the problem that they have that they don’t want
• Ask your customers what defines excellent customer service
• Listen to your customers
• Offer more than just a product/service
• Know when to ignore input from a customer (there are times when attempting to satisfy one customer creates collateral damage for many customers)

These are all important to help you define customer service expectations.

Listen to Your Customers

You need to listen to both what they say and what they don’t say. Customers may say they want one thing and really mean something else. For example, if your customers are begging for lower prices, you may find out their real priority is quick delivery. It may also be a situation where you have not demonstrated and communicated your value so the price is the only factor the customers know to consider.

Listen to your “silent” customers. These are the customers who don’t bother to complain because service is so bad that they’ve just given up and don’t feel like their voice matters. They feel unwanted and when a competitor shows up, they’ll be gone.

Finally, you need to listen to customers who only reply with “fine”. These customers are similar to the “silent” customers in that they are so used to bad customer service they only give this “polite” response.

Ask Your Customers Sincerely

If you aren’t sincere when you ask their opinion, they are going to see right through you. Also, keep in mind that it’s better not to ask for input than it is to ask and then fail to respond or make changes. This also applies to employee surveys. Many employees feel demotivated by having experienced giving input on a survey and then never hearing anything about decisions being made based on the input. Even if the decision is that there will not be any change as a result of the input, being told this information makes customers and employees feel heard. With this in mind, be careful what you ask and how you word your questions.

You may be thinking, “What about the customers who aren’t saying anything?” You need to ask them sincere questions that get them thinking about their experiences. Make them feel like you really care, which you should!

Offer More than Just a Product/Service

Your customers are looking for much more than a simple product or service; they are looking for an experience that makes them feel good. Customers keep score. They grade everything that you do or don’t do, and it shows up in how they feel about your products and services. When you take this into consideration and treat them like they are valuable people, they will feel like they belong. Belonging equals customer loyalty.

Know when to ignore input from a customer

You may think this runs contrary to providing good customer service, but in reality, you can’t give everyone everything and you will never make some people happy. You have to set limits and stick to them. If your vision and company don’t meet the needs of the customer, they will be better served somewhere else.

These are the secrets to figuring out what your customers want and how you can use the information to work on your customer service vision and plan.

If you get stuck let us help you through the process. Reach out for a free consultation to unpack the steps that you can take.