Customers are the lifeblood of any business. Without them your business — any business — cannot survive. Customers validate your business plans, your products, and the value of your services through their purchases. So it is always baffling to me why some companies perform customer service poorly. You do not have to be that way as you will deliver ideal customer service.
Here are four secrets you can use to have ideal customer service:
Give Your Customers Smiles
Operate a velvet rope strategy. You’ve seen them at dance clubs… the rope line. Most people wait outside while others can simply walk up and get right in. Depending on your business can you identify who can walk right into your “club”? Knowing who is right for your products and services is just as important as the location for your business. You cannot be all things to all people. If you try to, you and your business becomes nothing for nobody. So be discerning when identifying your ideal customer and then give them the velvet rope strategy and let them walk right in.
Let them know you care for the effort they have made by celebrating them.
Reward your customers. Thank them for their business and celebrate the decision your customers have made. The decision to invest time and money in your products and services is a commitment of finances and emotions for your customers. Let them know you care for the effort they have made by celebrating them. A reward can be a frequent customer program where they earn points for purchases, an advisory board where they can participate in the future of products you wish to offer, or doing something for them that is completely unexpected. These rewards will build customer loyalty and keep them returning. There is one caveat to this… you have to be sincere in the delivery of the rewards and consistent. A constant changing of the rules and/or complications in redeeming rewards will build disloyalty.
Your competition, if they are worthy competitors, will be trying to out do you.
Be exceptional in your delivery. Take time to understand how your competition delivers their customer service then make it your mission to do it better all the time. Never rest on your laurels when it comes to the delivery of ideal customer service. Your competition, if they are worthy competitors, will be trying to out do you. Delivering exceptional customer service means that you get to know your customers beyond the point of sale. You deliver to them items of value that they will appreciate and come at no cost to you or them. You work with your customers in their best interests. You do not let policies triumph over common sense.
Like Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
Treat your customers better than you would treat yourself. Take the golden rule and kick it up a notch. Place your customers at the center of your organization and treat them to the utmost respect that you can think of… and then more. You are not being subservient to your customers, instead you are treating them like a guest in your house, the most important guest you have ever had. Acting this way will gain the respect of your customers and their loyalty when difficult times arise.
There is a lot of lousy customer service out there in the world. More than can be imagined. Like Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” A little effort on your part will set you above and beyond the competition. Soon you will more customers than you can imagine when you deliver ideal customer service!
About the author:
Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army. He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079. You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin
The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small. The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.
Erroin A. Martin 
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