Five Customer Service Practices Everyone In Your Company Should Follow

Customer Service can make or break a business, and studies consistently show that far more people will pass on negative reviews than positive ones. Here are five everyday customer service ideas to share with your team:

Greet every customer, every time. This sounds basic, but think of how many times you enter a store without being acknowledged. Coach your employees that even if they’re swamped, a quick shout out to everyone who enters is an absolute must.

Customer service expectations can vary by generation. What employees think constitutes good customer service isn’t nearly as important as what the actual customer thinks. And yes, that means that you may treat some customers differently than others. Their goal as employees should be to understand what their shoppers expect, and work to exceed it.

It’s not just the merchandise that’s on display. Even if you’ve greeted a customer and left them to browse, you need to appear ready to work. If you’re on your phone, or staring out the window, people will notice. Stay engaged.

Know your product. Is there a new product on the shelf? Have prices changed? Has a popular item changed in some way or become unavailable? Your team should be on top of these changes and be ready to share information or suggest alternatives with customers.

Make connections. Your employees should be up to date on your social and digital platforms so they can suggest them to customers. What kinds of information are available to a customer who opts-in to an email list, or likes a Facebook page? Does the business sell customer data? Are there special discounts or promotions available to subscribers? Each member of your team should be able to answer these questions if asked.

It’s way easier to keep a customer than to earn a new one. Great customer service will help you to do both.