Customers are the lifeblood of every business. Regardless of the nature of the organisation, or the industry in which it operates, a company’s success depends upon its customers. For this reason, it’s only logical that every small business has clearly defined customer service strategies in place. Sounds fair enough, right? The problem is, while many firms profess to offer customer service excellence – and often believe they are – in the overall scheme of things, many fall short… well short.

Why are customer service strategies so important?

First, research has shown that getting repeat sales from existing customers is far more lucrative than constantly trying to prospect and secure new ones. Finding new customers and gaining their trust takes time. Needless to say, this time and effort costs money. And usually lots of it.

In addition, customers talk. Customers are more likely to recommend your business if they’ve received great customer service. Furthermore, customers are even more diligent when it comes to telling family, friends and colleagues about poor customer service experiences.

The prolific growth of social media, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, has made it easier for dissatisfied customers to vent their woeful customer service experiences to the world.

Thirdly, without customers a business will not survive. Bear in mind that the term ‘customer’ may not be used in some sectors. For instance, lawyers refer to their customers as ‘clients’, doctors call their customers ‘patients,’ and educators label their customers, ‘students’.

Over time, there have been countless instances whereby highly skilled lawyers, doctors, and even accountants, have failed at running their own small business.

Being a successful dentist, for example, doesn’t automatically result in business success. In many of these cases, the downfall of these skilled professionals was a direct result of poor quality client care. While they were able to deliver quality services, they failed to recognise that their clients, patients or students were in fact, customers. Despite their high levels of intelligence, they did not possess the common sense to realise this.

It really does make sense to develop quality customer service strategies that are capable of delivering customer service excellence – day-in, day-out. It simply requires common sense.

Short-term pain, long-term gain

Over the years some industries have severely damaged their own reputation. To illustrate this, consider the used car market. Unfortunately the ‘dodgy used car salesperson syndrome’ is still very much alive and well. This is incredibly sad, especially because many of today’s used car dealers have particularly high moral values. The problem is, once an industry’s reputation is tarnished, it’s very difficult to repair the damage. As is the case in our example, the stigma can also linger for years on end.

It’s not rocket science. It’s sheer logic

Today, building a sustainable long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with each customer is absolutely crucial.

Admittedly this is not an easy task. But it is achievable. A great starting point is learning to never intentionally steer your customers down the garden path. Being open, honest and transparent will pay long-term dividends.

A customer service strategy that delivers excellence begins with our customers at the epicentre of every business decision we make. This philosophy is also an outstanding way by which a business can successfully differentiate itself against its direct competitors.

Delivery is a necessity

Enormous emphasis must be placed upon delivering (providing) a superior level of customer service. And what we deliver, in terms of service quality, should really surpass the service levels offered by our competitors.

Customer service strategy tips

At the end of the day, however, it’s up to you as to whether one of your firm’s SMART goals should be to strive toward achieving customer service excellence.

Here are six tried, tested and proven customer service strategies:

1. Demonstrate ethical conduct: As discussed, above, customer service excellence requires all staff to act in an ethical manner.
2. Avoid engaging in any form of deceptive behaviour: False statements and misleading promises might snag a quick sale, but will generally contravene Australian Consumer Law (ACL). In addition, it’s unlikely the victim will deal with you ever again.
3. Consult with customers: Instead of engaging the hard-sell approach, consult with your customers to uncover their true needs. Then it’s just a matter of satisfying those desires.
4. Follow through on promises: The message here is to deliver what is promised. If you promise to make a post-sale follow-up visit in a month’s time, do it. Don’t make promises you cannot, or have no intentions of, delivering.
5. Respond to every enquiry promptly: With technology such as email, Twitter, Facebook and SMS at our fingertips, today’s customers expect a rapid response. It doesn’t matter if the enquiry relates to a possible sale, or a faulty goods complaint. Regardless, it’s essential that all enquiries be addressed in an expedient manner.
6. Over-quote response time: This relates to point 5, above. Let’s say you’ve spoken to a customer about a particular problem. Having briefly looked into the matter, you might believe that you’ll be able to respond to your customer’s problem, with a resolution, in about an hour’s time. Do not say you’ll get back to them in 1 hour; advise them that you’ll respond within, say, 2 hours. If you respond within an hour you’ll look super-efficient. If you respond within 2 hours, your customer will still be satisfied.