Gone is the era when shoppers only had one or at most two retailers to choose from. These days, the heady combination of globalization, shipping optimization, and the internet have resulted in a massive surge in options, products and alternatives. In this turbulent sea of boundless choice, it has become more important than ever for you to provide exceptional customer service if you want to keep people coming back and referring their friends and family.
Exceeding customer expectations.
If a buyer is dissatisfied with the range of your product offerings, the attitude of your staff, their experience at the cash register or even your responsiveness to their feedback, they won’t stand on ceremony. In most cases, they will simply walk or click away, never to be seen or heard from again. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to anticipate, meet and even surpass their demands whenever possible.
Surprisingly, the key to delighting buyers often lies in a humble suite of hardware and software that virtually every small business employs every day: the point of sale (POS) system. This indispensable staple does a great deal more than merely facilitate payment processing for small businesses, although efficiently and securely performing that task is crucial in and of itself.
In addition, a modern POS comes equipped with numerous capabilities, including inventory, accounting, and employee management and reporting tools that allow you to streamline virtually every process in your company. Furthermore, it boasts a robust database function that will prove itself to be your ultimate secret weapon for sending your customer service game into the stratosphere.
That’s because you can populate it with nuggets of unique information about each of your customers. When it comes time to send out a promotion or to figure out how to reward your most loyal shoppers, this data will instantly be at your fingertips and will provide you with everything you will need to personalize each client’s shopping experience at your in-person or online store.
Making customer satisfaction a priority.
When one of your patrons comes to you with an unresolved concern or problem, it immediately should become your job to address it. At this juncture, you are at a potential tipping point in your relationship with this individual. Resolve the problem in a way that makes them whole and happy, and you can count on rave reviews and even referrals. Disappoint or frustrate them, and the news will not be nearly as rosy.
A good portion of buyer angst comes from confusion stemming from poor communication. Therefore, one of the best ways for you to prevent chargebacks and smooth ruffled feathers is to promote a culture and environment of transparency throughout your business. That includes the content of your website, the way your staff is trained, and the clarity and visibility of your warranty, shipping, and returns policies. Being thorough and intentional does more than just provide your customers with the information they need; it also protects you should disputes arise.
Promoting a frictionless customer service experience.
Regardless of how scrupulous you are and despite every stopgap measure you have put in place, there will be times when difficulties arise between you and your customer. While this can result in stress for both of you, it also presents you with an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to your long-term relationship with that person. One of the most effective ways to counteract these issues is to make customer service and the resolution of the problem as smooth as possible.
How can you make this happen? First, do all you can to empower your staff to solve the customer’s problem the first time. That means giving workers access to product information and the permission to make decisions about returns and refunds with little to no delay. For your off-site customers, invest in software that allows you and your staff to co-browse, making for instant access to a customer’s account in real time. Once empowered in this way, you and your employees can solve most problems on the buyer’s behalf during the first call.
It is no exaggeration to say that you should eat, drink and sleep customer service every day when you run a business. You simply cannot afford to fall short in this area. If you do, there are hordes of competitors out there just waiting to woo your customers away. But once you learn all of the powerful tools available to you in your POS and use them effectively, you truly can give customer service its rightful place at the top of your priority list.
