Customer Service Training:
Customer Service Skills That Drive Loyalty - What I Learned From My Computer Guy, Plumber and Hairdresser
It
should come as no surprise that customers continue to rate excellent
customer service high on the list of things they look for when choosing
a company to do business with. The amazing thing is that most companies,
in spite of customer demand, continue to offer
customer
service that is mediocre, or worse. It would seem that some
companies just prefer to insult customers and lose business on purpose.
The more likely answer is that they just don’t have a good
customer service management training plan in place. We DO understand
the value of great customer service training, and our
Customer
Service Management Training classes will empower you to train
your customer service staff to give great service all the time,
and keep your customers coming back to you.
After a peaceful weekend away from work, teens and other demands, I arrived home more relaxed than I'd been in a long time. Within five minutes, I was battling an invasion of computer malware. Then the tap on our only bath/shower refused to turn and my daughter arrived home in tears because she'd left her wallet on the bus.
Welcome to my world. Fortunately, because of my stress-free frame of mind, I calmly started tackling the most urgent problems, downloading free software to fix my computer and calling a plumber. The trouble was the download helped but did not solve the problem and my computer guy does not work Mondays. Worse still, my plumber was tied up for the next week. Many people would have simply found another computer guy and plumber. But for me, great computer guys and plumbers deserve absolute loyalty.
I am faithful to my computer guy because he always solves my problems. If the cause is simple, often from my own ignorance, he fixes it on the spot and does not charge me. When the repair takes more time, his price and time are reasonable and he throws in some tips about how to prevent a recurrence. What's more, we chat about his mother in Chile and what our kids are doing in school. Besides, I could switch to another computer for a day or so.
Because we could not skip bathing for a week, the plumber was more urgent. With my favorite plumber, the loyalty began when he replaced my leaking toilet tank with a gently used one (aqua, not easy to find) after I had burst into tears when I was going through a painful divorce made worse by vulture lawyers draining my finances.
Fortunately, he recommended another plumber, so I didn't feel I was cheating. The repair was quick and the price was fair. As I dried my hair after that wonderful shower, I realized I was overdue for a cut and highlights. I hoped my stylist wasn't booked up. I really can't go anywhere else, without feeling guilty about the times he's squeezed me in or made me feel good when I'm convinced I look old and fluffy, as I like to call it.
I'm also interested in hearing how his sons are doing in hockey. And I'll probably tell him about how some kind person turned in my daughter's wallet to the lost and found, still containing her money, transit pass and health insurance card. So what did my computer guy, plumber and hairdresser teach me about customer service?
If I want to make sure my clients will not stray, I need to solve their problems, in a reasonable time and at a fair price. More than that, I need to:
* Throw in a few favors or freebies
* Make them feel good about themselves
* Develop a relationship, that extends beyond business to encompass your families and other personal interests.
These tips not only foster client loyalty, but they also make my work life more personally satisfying. I love the warm feeling I get when I've solved someone's problems. I enjoy showing off my expertise by giving free advice. Making people feel good about themselves, mostly easy but a big challenge with difficult clients, is almost always returned with loyalty and kindness. Building personal relationships with the people I provide services to and the people who provide services to me is good for business. Most importantly, it's fun and fulfilling. You can't beat that.
Source: Barb Sawyers link
Related: Customer Service Skills
Customer Service Training:
Customer Service Skills That Drive Loyalty - What I Learned From My Computer Guy, Plumber and Hairdresser
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