Providing good customer service is often a matter of common sense, but that doesn’t mean it comes naturally to all business owners.

Common sense is uncommon, unfortunately. However, by paying attention to Inc.’s tips, you can go a long way in ensuring your customer service works well.

If you keep in mind that the goal of customer service is customer retention, then applying these concepts should be second nature.

Among the suggestions are items we have mentioned here on the blog, but are worthy of repetition:

• Owners/managers set the example–provide the will and the focus toward customer satisfaction
• Really listen to your customers
• Show your appreciation for your customers, especially for your most loyal ones
• Resolve issues quickly
• Hire the right people

Make sure your customer service is uncommon by using common sense principles that put the customer first.

Nowhere is speed the issue more than in emergencies, especially medical emergencies.  Of late, emergency rooms are jammed with people, so hospitals have been trying to figure out how to best expedite their  patients’ (customers) wait times. The Battle Creek Enquirer reports the following:

Emergency rooms are getting busier, forcing hospitals to try innovative tactics to cut delays — such as stationing doctors at the front door to get a jump-start on certain patients.

Some are publishing wait times online, via text message and on flashing billboards in an attempt to defer non-emergency situations away from the ER and into urgent care centers.

And in 2012, hospitals are supposed to begin reporting to Medicare how fast their ERs move certain patients through, a first step at increasing quality of care across the board.

Efficiency and new ways of approaching patients are the backbone of the ER’s attempt to speed up their processes. Perhaps one concept that business customer service can take away is good triage: figure out what is wrong, how urgent it is and who can best solve it.

One thing that creates customer resentment is when representatives follow a script that may have nothing to do with what the customer is talking about. The use of scripts is more common with large companies with overseas call centers. Scripts are constraining–they don’t allow the representative to think and provide on the spot solutions.  In fact, the Ottawa Citizen reports that more companies are removing scripts:

AmEx and a handful of other companies say they ARE listening. They’re taking call-centre reps off-script and off the clock, giving them scope to solve callers’ concerns. The result, they say, is happier customers and, equally important to the bottom line, happier, more productive employees.

But why would such a business no-brainer take so long? One reason: that shocker of a recession.

…Rosemary Blatt, a professor at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, noted: “There is growing evidence that centres that invest in the skills of the workforce and provide discretion to solve customer problems have lower turnover, better service quality and higher revenues.”

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Call+centres+unscripted/3452998/story.html?cid=megadrop_story#ixzz0yC2mWUMs

• Purpose
• People
• Performance

Purpose is simply the focus your business has for customer service. You may have as your customer service purpose to make each and every customer completely satisfied with his/her purchase. Or your purpose may be overarching: provide great customer service alwasy.

People are what makes customer service happen. The better your customer service staff is the better your customer service.  Selecting the right people for the job, and giving those people support and training will go a very long way in making customer service work well in your company.

Performance is the actual every-day practice of your customer service strategies, putting all the theories to work.  Without performance, your customer service is meaningless. If you say that you work hard to make customers happy, but you don’t actually do the work, there is no performance, and your customer service will pay the price.

Tying all 3 Ps together is one more P word: priority.  Making  customer service a priority within your organization will result in happy, satisfied (and returning) customers.

Professionalism: A true professional treats the job with respect. It is not something that is being done just to pass the time.

Pleasantness: No one likes to deal with unpleasant people. Customer service is partially about putting customers at ease, and being pleasant goes a long way.

Knowledge/Being informed: If you work with a widget company, you should know all about widgets. Customers ask questions, and they should get informed and knowledgeable answers.

Ability to listen: Some people hear only what they want to hear. This people are not good customer service pros. Customer service starts with the ability to listen to what the customer is saying. Corollary to this is not interrupting.

Ability to communicate appropriately and in a timely manner: Silence is golden except when dealing with customers issues.  Imagine you are on a plane, and you have a connection to make. The plane is idling at the gate for 15 minutes after the scheduled departure time. No one tells you what is going on. A word from the captain or the flight attendant could ease your anxiety and also let you know if you will be able to make your connection.

Lastly, and it seems fairly obvious:

Understanding the nature of the job: Customer service pros realize that they are there to resolve customer issues, while representing the company. They should understand the implications of not doing their job appropriately.

In a world where there is a choice in companies to do business, customers choose those that provide the best service.  The best service could be a variety of things: ease of communications, quick problem resolution, personalization, and so forth. It gets more complicated when a company has a monopoly (as do most state utilities). Customers can’t leave but they can complain. If a customer is satisfied, he/she won’t complain and won’t seek alternatives.

There are steps a company can take to increase customer satisfaction (and thus,retention). According to Cheryl at the Service Untitled blog, these steps should be ongoing. She counsels the following:

Hire the right people who have the right attitude. Are they friendly? Do they thank you?

Do what you promise. Customers remember, and customers leave if you disappoint them by not delivering what you promise.

Pay attention to your customers, and what is going on around you in your business.

Help the customer even though it might not mean a sale at that particular time. Go beyond your own needs.

Handle complaints in a mature manner. Admit when something has gone wrong, and correct your mistake. Always apologize to the customer.

Stay in contact with the customer, and know their needs.

If you keep a database of addresses and email lists, send your customers birthday cards, promotions, and current interesting information. You want to stay in their minds, but never make it seem as if you are being a pest.

Instituting some (or all) of these customer centered strategies makes sense because they can lead to customer satisfaction, which is of course, the ultimate goal of customer service.  Generally, satisfied customers will not look elsewhere.

Say a customer called about a problem.  Your company worked to resolve it. The customer seemed satisfied. But the problem was not really fixed. The customer might contact the company again–or — he/she could make a decision to go elsewhere. If your company does not follow up, you will be assuming that everything is OK when in fact you may have lost a customer.

In order to be sure your customer is fully satisfied, institute a follow-up policy. You should think about your timing–closer to the time of first contact is better. Waiting too long may send the message that you don’t actually care.  How to contact your customer? That will depend on the problem and the size of your customer base. Clearly, if you have hundreds of customers, you may want to send a short email. If you have a handful of customers, it would be best to call.  Your follow up can be short and to the point:

We are following up with regarding your recent contact with our company. Was the issue resolved to your liking? Please contact us if there is anything further we can help you with.

(Be certain to provide email addresses/phone numbers)

By following up with a customer you are demonstrating real interest and concern. The key is to be real, and not just formulaic. Sending out follow up notes just because will also cause your customers to look elsewhere.

This week, the big story was of a JetBlue flight attendant who had enough of a rude passenger who would not follow instructions and with whom he had an altercation. The flight attendant literally escaped the situation by jumping down the emergency chute and running away. He was later arrested.

The flight attendant has become a hero of sorts for downtrodden, stressed customer service agents everywhere.  On social media networks he is being hailed as finally standing up to rude customers everywhere. But, is this really the best way to handle customer stress?

Customer service does involve stress. And some customers are especially demanding and rude. To deal with high-pressure situations better, customer service representative must be trained. There are ways of dealing with situations while not taking anything personally. There are also ways of de-escalating conflict. And further, there are ways that people can reduce the effects of stress on their bodies (meditation, deep breathing, exercise, and so forth).

Knowing that customer service can be stressful is the first step. Taking steps to prepare staff for the stresses is second. Always aim to de-escalate situations, and look for peaceful resolutions.  If a customer service representative explodes under pressure, probably he or she is not well suited (or well trained) for a public-facing job.

Dealing with irate customers/venting

Sometimes, a customer just wants to vent. He or she knows that there is little you can do to resolve the situation, but still wants you to understand the gravity of it. In this case, a customer service representative will do best by just listening. Not interrupting and not minimizing. Just listening. Once the customer is finished, the customer service rep may say something like: Thank you for sharing your concerns. Is there something that we can do to make it better?

Obtaining (and acting on)  feedback

We’ve spoken about it before on this blog:  improving customer service relies on obtaining feedback. But getting the feedback is not enough. Your organization must listen to what the feedback says, and choose to act on it.  As the article on BNet.com “The Tragic Effect of Not Listening to Your Customers,” you can really upset your customer base if you don’t listen to their concerns. Author Jay Steinfeld writes about his company’s acquisition of another, and some missteps that happened because as he put it:

Our company talks a lot about how we listen to our customers. Your company probably does, too. But are you really listening? We didn’t, and paid the price for it.

I’m embarrassed to admit that over the last month our customers have been talking to us, but we haven’t been hearing them.

Getting feedback involves active listening. You must process what is being said, so that you can act upon it.

Getting to the heart of the matter

If you don’t listen to your customer, you aren’t going to know what he or she REALLY wants. Perhaps he/she needs a price adjustment or a paying schedule, or a modified delivery.

Improving your listening skills will vastly improve your customer service, guaranteed!

Inc. Magazine has an article entitled “10 Ways to Support Your Best Customers.” Among the ten suggestions are:

• Be accessible
• Bring expertise to the table
• Nurture the relationship
• Ask what the customer wants

This last suggestion is key. Many customer service efforts are wasted if they are not responsive to the customer’s needs and wants.

Perhaps more time-intensive is the idea to develop personal relationships with your customers.  Inc. Magazine offers suggestions for this in the article “How to Build Personal Relationships with Customers.” According to the article, if a company does not build a relationship with a customer, there will be no business at all. The article suggests developing a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy, which would have as its main points:

• Communication
• Rewards
• Human touch
• Flexibility

Why bother with going the extra mile or having a CRM strategy? Because, as Lou Dubois writes in Inc.:

Customer loyalty and repeat business are the cornerstones of today’s market conditions. In the words of many industry professionals, losing a customer is the absolute worst thing that could happen to your company. This mantra has always stood true, but when you’re fighting with competitors for every dollar, customer retention is key.

Companies should strive to maintain relationships, and grow relationships with their customers.  Customers are the lifeblood of any business. What can your organization do to improve its relationship with its customers?

Christopher Elliot writes about the travel industry, and often discusses customer services issues with the airlines and hotels. In one of his latest posts, People Would Love Your Hotel If You Just Changed the Light Bulbs, Elliott discusses feedback travelers have given  about what they would like their hotels to do or not to do.  A simple thing that travelers want is better lighting.

Why do hotels not know that their customers/guests want better lighting? Simple: because they have never put themselves in the guest’s shoes. Has the hotel’s general manager ever checked into his own hotel? Probably not. Also, few hotels ask for specific feedback.

If you want your customer service to be the best, then ask yourself one simple question: if I were a customer of my company, what kinds of things would I be looking for? Think like a customer so that you can better serve your customers.