IS YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE HURTING YOUR BRAND?
At GreenFox, we spend a lot of time talking about what TO do to earn and retain business. You know, things like; have a good social media presence, create a website that is engaging, have amazing design assets like video, photography, graphic design etc. However, one of the most powerful things you can do is STOP.
Stop having bad customer service.
Since our business is literally to work with other businesses, we always ask this question; What is the one thing that makes you better than your competition? Nine times out of ten the answer is the same. Can you guess what it is?
“Our customer service is better than anyone else.”
What’s the problem with this statement? Well, if everyone is the best, then no one is the best. Very rarely do we find out that someone’s customer service is ACTUALLY, the best. In order to get us kicked off to a new, fresh perspective on Customer Service and how to make it, “the best.” Here are
FOUR PRINCIPLES TO MARKETING THROUGH CUSTOMER SERVICE
1. Make it Personalized
• Try to use people’s names as much as possible
• Eye contact
• Have genuine conversation
• Find something about THEM to talk about (shoes, clothes, car, tattoo, etc)
2. Be Competent
Sometimes bad customer service happens because we don’t know the answer to something, so we freeze up, get defensive, and give short answers. Knowing the answer is always best but when you don’t know the answer, here are a few things to do and not do.
• Don’t say “umm”
• Hesitation causes frustration, so be quick to say, give me one moment and I will get that answer for you.
• Learn as much as you can. If you spend time learning about how many points per game Lebron has scored or the latest drama with the Kardashians, then surely you can spend a little time learning more bout the thing you spend your time doing 8+ hours/day.
3. Convenience is Key
• Put processes in place to make it EASY to work with you and your company.
• Eliminate frustrating processes
• Make information just one click away. If people have to dig to find the solution to their problem, it is not convenient.
4. Be Proactive
• Prepare for meetings
• Think ahead to what questions you may be asked and have the answer ready to go.
• Give your customers and clients an experience they aren’t expecting.
• Don’t make your customers have to ask where the bathroom is. Give them good signage to get there.
• Send updates on how their account or project is going before they have to ask for it.
• Create timelines in the kick off phase of a project.
At the end of the day, if you get the same complaints and hear the same things every day and you are choosing to not do anything about it, that is bad customer service. Bad customer service leads to bad marketing of your business. Let’s all choose to be better this week!Â
