Today, quality of service has become so essential that those who lead the way in service excellence have a powerful competitive advantage.

Responsive service is what counts most today. It inspires customers to return and buy more often.

Customer service used to end when the sale was made. Today, customer service begins after the sale is made. Businesses and salespeople may get everything right in terms of marketing, product and price. But unless they complete the process with incredibly good customer service, they’ll lose business.

Defining good service

Customers respond positively to signals that say, “We really appreciate having you as a customer.”

Here are seven customer care strategies that will help you build customer loyalty and boost sales:

1. Don’t take relationships for granted. Have a plan for getting feedback from customers. Feedback will help you create a competitive advantage. And the only way you’ll know what customers are thinking is by gathering feedback.
2. Contact customers when it’s not necessary. It sends a message that you appreciate their business — and value the relationships you have with them. It also tells your customers that you won’t abandon them after a sale.
3. Let them know how much you like working with them. Why take a chance or assume customers know that you appreciate your relationships you’ve built with them? Put it on the record by letting them know in writing why you like working with them.
4. Ask them what you could do to make working with you easier. Even when you have good working relationships with customers, there still may be something that bothers them. And while it may not be a relationship breaker, it can still be a minor problem that grows if it’s not resolved.
5. Make suggestions for improving their operations. Your knowledge is unique and your helpful suggestions make you a partner in your customers’ successes. Customers will view you as a resource if you pass along useful information. Don’t cut corners. When a customer has been around for awhile, there’s a tendency to take his or her business for granted — by only doing what’s absolutely necessary and coasting. If the customer doesn’t figure it out first, a competitor won’t be far behind to steal your business.
6. When something’s wrong, let them know what you’ll do to fix it. Stuff happens. But when it does, jump on it quickly and tell your customers what you’re doing to resolve it.
7. Take every customer complaint seriously. There’s no such thing as a small complaint. What seems minor to you may loom large in a customer’s mind.

Tags: competitive advantage, customer loyalty, Customer service, feedback, loyalty, service