Cloud Contact Center Featured Article

Common Sense Customer Service Rules Often Unmentioned

By Michelle Amodio
TMCnet Contributor

Forming and maintaining relationships with customers is one of the most important aspects of any business. Without positive relationships, it’s hard to thrive in any industry and long-term success can be jeopardized. There certainly seems like there are a lot of rules to great customer service, but some are not as obvious as others.

Perhaps it’s because the landscape has changed entirely. We’re now in an always-connected era, one that has given customers multiple platforms to reach out to the companies they do business with, one that has given more channels to manage while the focus on the person becomes less. It’s time to reel in on the expansive customer service universe and get down to the most basic, often unmentioned customer service rules we may have forgotten.

Firstly, pick up a phone. Yes, pick up a telephone – that device that makes calls and actually lets you talk to a human being – instead of emailing, texting, or tweeting to your prospect. What’s lacking today is the human element, and a voice, a personal connection, is a real simple way to actually say hi and help someone. You’d be surprised how far this will take you.

Smile. Smiling makes you appear more approachable. Interaction with others is easier and more enjoyable when smiles and laughs are shared, and these behaviors are contagious, making others feel better too, and make you a more appealing and attractive person to be around. Don’t you want your customers to feel that way?

Hear your customers. Actually, don’t just hear them. Listen to them. Though synonymous, they are complete different things. You can hear someone without actually listening to anything. It is said that a good listener becomes the best communicator. Wouldn’t you want your customers to have that kind of relationship with your business?

Be polite, and don’t forget please and thank you. “Please” and “thank you” are both often referred to as “the magic words,” and there are lots of reasons why saying these things is so important. Both terms are polite ways of showing someone that you appreciate them. Customers need appreciation, and that’s often overlooked in this very socially connected, yet disjointed society.

Businesses of all types want to provide excellent customer service, but very few can master the art and science of service. Sometimes it’s best to strip away all of the complexities and get down to the most basic, often forgotten and unmentioned, yet common sense customer service practices.