In order to run a successful business, every decision you make needs to be centered around serving your customer. Sometimes, thinking about how to improve customer service can seem like an overwhelming and daunting task. However, if you go back to basics, you will find that improving customer service is much easier than you thought.

First Things First

First impressions matter not only for you but for the customer. The first impression will weigh heavily on whether or not they want to do business with you. Remember people see you first and hear you second. In fact, impressions are formed within the first few seconds of meeting someone. So, no matter what line you’ve got up your sleeve, you’d better be dressed accordingly. Secondly, use your manners. That’s right, simple courtesy goes a long way with customers. You want to assure them you are in control, trustworthy, cool, calm and collected. Lastly, attitude is everything. You’ve got to be understanding and empathetic to what your customer is going through. Remember, if they’ve got a problem you are there to listen first and then solve it.

Your Value Proposition

Once you’ve got the intro down, you want to shift your focus to making the customer feel valued. You can do this in many different ways. First of all, work on developing a “customer friendly attitude.” What does that mean exactly? Stop providing 101 different solutions to their problems and start listening. Next, it might be time to expand the definition of customer service in your company. This is where a lot of organizations struggle. Customer service shapes every single interaction and it’s not just taking place in your designated customer service department. To provide quality customer service, you want to make sure it is engrained in every aspect of your organization. Shift into the thinking that it is a part of the company culture, where everyone at every level is customer-oriented.

Communication is Key

Next, focus on communicating effectively. This can take on many different forms. There are four main steps you need to be focused on:

1. Do what you say, say what you mean.
2. Understand nonverbal communication.
3. Choose the right words.
4. Develop your questioning skills.

If you can master these 4 steps, you will be well on your way to building a meaningful relationship with your customers. This in turn will lead to them wanting to work with you, because you have built a foundation of trust with them.

Foster Relationships

Let’s talk about how you build those relationships. Every contact you have with a customer results in a relationship of some kind. There are three key points to building a relationship with your customer. The first is to always interact positively with your clients. Meaning you want to stay helpful, committed knowledgeable about your product or service. Secondly, you want to identify their needs. Find their “pain points.” Lastly, you want to maintain the relationship. That means getting to know them better and learning their preferences. If you can focus on building a relationship based on trust and communication, you will be able to provide top notch customer service to all your clients.

There are hundreds of suggestions out there on how to improve your company’s customer service. At the end of the day they all come down to one thing: always put the customer first.