> A Balanced Life
> Business Management
> Customer Service
> Finance
> Marketing
> Recruiting & Training

> Franchising Video
> Photo Gallery

> Candidate Qualification Form

Going Above and Beyond

The Adagio Teas Web site gets busy during holidays. Customers flock to the site looking for teas that will suit their favorite tea connoisseurs. And yet with more than 200 teas, it can be hard to choose the right gift. That’s where the company’s online customer service comes in. Representatives, who are available from 10 am until 5 pm, help people discern the differences between Pouchong and Assam Melody. They also check order status and define shipping policies.

“As a small business owner, I don’t want to compete on price,” explains Michael Cramer, the company’s marketing manager. “The only way we differentiate ourselves is by virtue of providing much better service.”

Cramer is right, according to Paul Kowal, founder of customer service consultants Kowal & Associates, Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Customers — even unhappy ones — are very likely to return when problems are successfully resolved, he says. These customers then become your advocates, telling friends and family about you.

While Web sites can be an excellent source of information, sometimes this can be seen as a way to actually avoid customer service. “The reality is that the best customer service is still human-based, and that’s expensive,” Kowal explains.

And necessary. Today, service — or lack of it — is seen as a serious problem by customers. A recent study by Coldwell Banker found that the quality of a company’s customer service is directly linked to its health and long-term success. According to the study, nine out of 10 customers say great customer service was very or extremely important when deciding to give a service provider repeat business.

What constitutes great customer service? Well, providing it, of course. Customer service is something that can’t be overlooked, says Michael Weissman, co-author of The Paradox of Excellence: How Great Performance Can Kill Your Business.

“When you’re cutting costs, it shouldn’t be something you even consider eliminating,” he says.

Once your service strategy is in place, make sure you’re getting your money’s worth by following a few simple rules. For example, set and communicate your policies so customers know exactly what to expect. They can’t complain you weren’t there if they know exactly when your call center is manned. Then make sure customer service employees set goals and meet or beat those expectations.

“The only way we can succeed at increasing customer satisfaction is through positive surprise,” says Weissman. “If I deliver the service you expect, you’re not unhappy. If I beat that expectation, I create loyalty and deliver value.” MBL

Phillip Van Hooser, the author of Willie’s Way: 6 Secrets for Wooing, Wowing, and Winning Customers and Their Loyalty, says small businesses are especially vulnerable when it comes to customer service. Explains Van Hooser: “Small businesses don’t have as much of a buffer zone. Large businesses can make it up as a result of volume if they have poor customer service, because they have more customers coming in the door. Small businesses have to please each and every customer coming through the door.” Here are four tips every business owner should keep in mind.

• Sweat the small stuff. Make sure employees are polite and your interactions are timely and warranted.

• Monitor employee interaction. A rep’s bad attitude can mean losing a customer.

• Keep your promises. If you say you’ll answer the phone in three rings, make sure it happens.

• Follow up periodically. Customers love getting a call from the boss

< Back