Is Your Company Customer-Oriented?
Most companies like to think they are customer-oriented, but they keep repeating the same mistakes that cost them customers. The reality is that 75% of consumers say they will spend more with companies that offer great customer service.
Here are five traits that will help make your company more customer-oriented:
1. Adapting technology to meet the customer’s needs
One common trait among companies that offer great customer focus is that they not only ask for feedback, but track the results with technology. When this data is tracked, it becomes possible to monitor key performance indicators for sales and service to make sure your company meets your customer’s requests and achieves superior results.
2. Talking (or chatting) with a real person
It’s easy to believe that 67% of customers have hung up the phone after calling customer support because they were not able to talk with a person. Customers expect to be able to reach a real person when they call. In fact, 79% of customers said they would prefer to contact customer service via phone.
Customer-oriented companies will make every effort to maximize customer comfort. Typically, this means having a person available to promptly answer the phone and help when someone calls. In certain industries, live website chat is becoming an option. Both can considerably reduce the customer’s time on hold and help them get the answers they need.
3. Providing consistent, outstanding customer service
Delivering a powerful customer experience becomes a way of doing business and not just the program of the month. Customer-oriented companies don’t have to create elaborate policies and procedures that tell their employees they have to take care of their customers; it simply becomes part of the company atmosphere.
Successful customer service companies make a point to celebrate employees that frequently go above and beyond to help the customer. These stories become the standard, which future employees should try to beat.
4. Hiring the right people
Part of providing consistent, outstanding customer service and being a customer-oriented company is hiring the right people. The right people will foster this exceptional attitude to create outstanding service. It’s important to build a team that is enthusiastic about providing great customer service.
Successful customer-oriented employees should:
Be excellent communicators – Providing excellent customer service is all about communicating well with people. The right people will be able to build a positive, personal connection with the customer.
Be part of the team – It’s important to make sure you hire team players that will help make the team faster and stronger while building rapport. They must be comfortable working with others in a collaborative environment.
Have exceptional listening skills – Creating exceptional listening skills takes time but is essential to understanding the customer’s needs. By using effective listening techniques, a customer service rep will know the right questions to ask and help minimize the customer’s frustration.
5. It starts at the top
Leaders of customer-oriented companies understand that this philosophy must start at the top. It’s not enough to tell your customers, competitors, and everyone else who will listen that you provide great service; you must live it every day.
Conclusion
Technology can vastly improve customer service and earn customers when used correctly. Tools like CRM can track a customer’s needs. Hiring the right people and making sure they are available to provide excellent customer service helps as well. Finally, remember that great customer service starts at the top.
