Basic Customer Service Rules: 7 Tips to Keeping the Customer Happy

I recently have had a bad customer service experience that left me so ticked off that I wrote to his boss and to the headquarters of the company. I don't often fire off letters when I'm upset with someone. Usually, when I write it's to tell the company what great service I got from so-and-so on such-n-such date at this location. It feels really great to be able to send out a positive letter to a stranger that will probably make someone's day, week even.

Writing to complain does not give me the same warm fuzzy feeling, so I usually just let the ugly experience go. However, I was pushed to the limit of my endurance with this particular person. I have been in the work force 32 years (now you know I'm old) and I have spent a good number of those years working in some form of customer service. Even though I have all those years of experience, I go to every training opportunity available to me so I can improve my customer service skills. I believe you need to keep trying to learn new ideas and approaches to doing your job to empower yourself to do a better job. There is an extra bonus: extra training tends to increase your earning potential. I have come up with a basic customer service guidelines for employees that I want to share:

Greetings and Salutations
When your customer walks in the door look up and smile. Please use a sincere looking smile, not one of those fake smiles that will let everyone know that you are being forced against your will to be pleasant. If you are across the room please do not shout "Welcome to ....." It's startling at the very least. Shouting isn't a really good idea unless you are a contestant in a pig hollering contest or you are trying to get people out of a burning building. Please, wait until the customer is within six feet of you, look them in the eye and say "Welcome to ..... May I help you?"

Eye Contact
Have you ever had a conversation with someone whose attention is on someone else? Isn't that annoying and a little disheartening? Have the courtesy to give your customer your full attention; it really makes a positive difference. The customer will actually think you care and you will because you will get the case of the warm fuzzes ever time you make someone feel good.

Listen
This too is simple common courtesy and shows you respect them. When your customer is talking: do not tune them out, do not think about what you are going to say when they finally shut up, and please do not talk over top of them when they are speaking. There is a vast difference in hearing their words and listening to their words. When you are truly listening to a customer, you hear their spoken words, observe their body language and notice their tone of voice. Listening is a skill you can develop with practice. You will be amazed at the power of listening. It will have a positive impact on your relationship with your loved ones when you practice listening at home.

Paraphrase
To make sure you and the customer are on the same page, rephrase what the customer said. Ask politely "Did I understand you correctly?" This shows that you care about their needs and you working hard to get them what they want.

Don't Know?
Whatever else you do don't answer a customer's question with "I don't know." And leave it at that. That is so frustrating for them and they may not come back or they may come across the counter to get you. Try "I don't know, but I'll be right back I'm going to ask my supervisor." If your supervisor and co-workers don't know either, again don't report back to the customer saying "Nobody knows." Take their name and contact information and give them your name and contact information (work related only) and tell them you are going to research this question and you will get back to them by ______. The kicker here is you gave them your contact information. The customer will know that you take them seriously and they walk away happy. If you want to push their happiness quota up a notch, tell them to use your contact information if they get home and find they have more questions.

Keep your Promises
If you tell a customer that you will contact them at a particular time and/or day - do it. If you don't have all the information the customer needed at the time you promised to call, call anyway. Let them know what you have done on their behalf and you are still working for them. If you don't get in touch with the customer, they will feel ignored. I don't know about you, but when I feel ignored I get ticked off. Keep in mind ticked off customers will complain to you, to your boss, to your co-workers, their co-workers and to anybody else who will listen. Just as a side note, never ever tell your customer that they are not being fair. If the customer is upset, they don't care about being fair to you and more than likely you will add fuel to the flames of their anger.

The End
Before the customer leaves you, ask "Is there anything else I can help you with?" This tells the customer that you care so much about them that you want to make sure they got everything they needed before they walk out the door.

These rules will work for you whether you are a sales clerk, salesman, preacher, teacher, librarian, mechanic, bank teller, office worker (sometimes your customers are fellow employees), realtor, handyman, nurse, doctor, self-employed, etc.