NFIB

Keeping Customers Satisfied
03/ 10/ 2003

by Vicki Gerson

What can you do above and beyond providing high-quality products and services to keep your customers happy? Here are a few ideas:

Don't force customers to wade through voicemail.

Whenever possible, try to have a receptionist or other employee answer the phones. Customers appreciate talking to someone rather than navigating an endless stream of voicemail options. If you do have an automated system, make sure the caller can press "0" to speak to an attendant at any time.

Provide free snacks.

When customers enter your store on a cold day, have a pot of coffee set up. In the summer, offer lemonade or water. If you sell food, free samples of products are always appreciated. Otherwise, setting out a box of doughnuts or a plate of cookies is a thoughtful touch that customers will notice, whether they take one or not.

Always return telephone calls promptly.

Few things make customers angrier than to have to wait to do business with you. Make it the rule at your company that phone calls will be returned by the end of the day.

Handle all complaints promptly.

If a customer has a complaint, solve the problem quickly. Don't make your customers speak to one person, then a second person and then a third person until they grow even more frustrated and feel they're getting nothing more than the run-around. Give your employees the freedom to solve customer complaints quickly. If you can't solve the issue immediately, make sure to keep calling the customer to relay the status of the situation. Customers appreciate being kept in the loop.

Admit your mistakes.

Don't blame your company's problems on a "computer glitch" or worse, act like you haven't made a mistake at all. Just apologize and assure the customer that the error will be promptly corrected. In some cases you may want to give the customer a free product or service as a peace offering.

Make sure that all of your employees know that your customers are their No. 1 priority. Developing a comprehensive customer service policy can help ensure that your customers will feel satisfied doing business with you again and again.

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