Creating a positive impact by developing a customer service mindset

Wednesday, 16 October 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

It is obvious that organisations which offer a superior and personalised customer experience are more likely to attract more consumers. A mandatory component of the customer experience is personalisation. Therefore, it is imperative to understand an employee have a customer focused mindset and superior communication skills to attract and retain the customer. Remember, every single customer experience counts. The better the customer experience a company provides, the more likely their customers are to purchase again and to recommend your company to friends – and the less likely customers are to take their business to a competitor.

Differentiate your brand based on the experience you deliver to your customers, not on the products you sell. Start building relationships, and move beyond the mindset of simply thinking about customer experiences in a generic sense. Start delivering different experiences for different customers. Did you know? The average business only hears from about 4% of its dissatisfied customers. 96% just go away quietly, and 91% of them will never return. A typical customer who was dissatisfied with your service will tell 8 to 10 people. One in 5 will tell 20 people. It takes 12 positive incidents to make up for one negative incident. The average business spends 6 times more to attract new customers than to keep current ones. Some customers have high expectations and some have low. But, all customers either have a great experience or a ‘poor’ experience. It is important understanding the impact of providing a great experience to a customer who has high expectations. Delighted customer

When a customer has low expectations and if the experience is great, that will create a ‘delighted’ customer. Delighting customer is a good start. However, with the time, customer expectation will rise and you should aim at a ‘devoted’ customer instead who will require a great experience when their expectations are high. Why ‘devoted’ customers? Devoted customers will stick with you and they tend to spend more. The greatest thing of all is, they will shout about you to others which will help such organisations to have competitive advantage. According to Winston Churchill, “attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”. Having the right attitude when delivering exceptional customer service makes such a big difference. The customer going to remember the company by how well he/she was treated, how the people who served the company treated him/her, and how well the company fulfilled their needs or wishes. To show how we appreciate the customer, doing business with them and how you are willing to do everything you can to make their experience the best you can offer, you will need to have the attitude of respect. That attitude of respect is what wins us a customer’s loyalty. For those customers who need to be thrifty and for those clients who have the economics to be frivolous, our attitude of respect for all customers can make a difference. Even if they cannot afford the most expensive product the organisation offers, you build up trust and appreciation when using the attitude that you genuinely care about others. The power of saying thank you to your customers can never be underestimated. So, you need to include the attitude of being thankful. Never forget to show how grateful you are because there’s always some other business out there who would love to step in and say it for you. Build rapport with customers One important factor is to pay attention to how your customer prefers to communicate which will help you to match your customer’s style. Does he/she prefers to get right down to business, or warm up by engaging in small talk? What kinds of things does he or she find interesting? If your customer talks quickly and loudly, make an effort to match that energy. Trust is an important component in building rapport. If you do what you say, keep your commitments, call when you say you will and always following through will help your customers learn to trust you. Be careful not to over-promise which can destroy the trust and always try to commit to things you can and have time to fulfil.

Demonstrating that you are interested in their well-being -- beyond your own profit potential will strengthen the trust. It’s always good to know and appreciate your customers’ needs beyond your product. Every little help to meet those needs and little things like finding information for them or putting them in touch with other suppliers tend to make a big difference. Practice reciprocity. When you treat people in a certain way, they tend to want to treat you in the same way. Find ways to treat your customers as valued members of your professional and even social circle. Active listening Give your customers a good listening to make them feel valued. This will promote change in their attitudes and gain useful information by meeting a key interest of theirs: to feel heard. It also helps to break the cycle of argument. Best of all, there is a better chance that they’ll listen to you Demonstrating positive body language By showing confidence through your body movement and position will make the customer believe in you and your products and services. No customer wants to receive a product or service if the person who offer it doesn’t show enough confidence in what they are selling. Keeping eye contact is quite important to create a better connection with the customer. But, be careful not to stare. You don’t want to scare the customer. Little things like smiling and nodding when people are talking will show that you are a positive person and they are more inclined to listen to you. Moments of truth and keeping calm at challenging situations Never meet fire with fire – it will only make the situation worse. Keep calm, listen and never interrupt the customer. When he or she calms down, offer information or call in someone else if required. Professionally saying ‘no’ when needed As long as you don’t say to everything comes your way, it’s important to say ‘No’ when necessary without caving in. The most common error people make is being too nice, and too wishy-washy. If you say no, you have to make sure that you’re not going to change your mind. But, make sure not to be rude about it. You can always tell them “you would love to do it, but…” making sure you give alternative as this kind of rejection will be accepted by most customers. Good customer care is what the customer thinks it is and it’s about exceeding expectations! [Dr. Nalin Jayasuriya (DBA, California, USA) is a much sought-after business and management consultant. He is also a management trainer of international repute. Dr. Nalin was a visiting lecturer to the Marketing Institute of Singapore, addressed the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Selangor on three occasions, addressed the CEO Forum in Brisbane, Australia and has presented management papers in the USA, UK, Greece, Poland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Dubai and Pakistan. Dr. Nalin has trained over 5,000 senior managers in over 15 countries since 1988. He has been a consultant to Airport and Aviation Services, Ceylon Electricity Board, SriLankan Airlines, SLTPB – Ministry of Tourism and to several multinational and blue-chip companies in Sri Lanka. He was co-consultant to set up the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the first multi-sector regulatory agency in Asia. Dr. Jayasuriya has led consultancy assignments for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP, Institute of World Problems (USA) and PricewaterhouseCoopers.]