The Truth About Really Great Customer Service

Jun 23
17:09

2006

Alan Fairweather

Alan Fairweather

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Would you like customers to return, to spend more money and say positve things about your business to other people? This article reveals the number one secret of extraordinary customer service.

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When was the last time you had really great customerservice? Perhaps it was when you bought something in astore,The Truth About Really Great Customer Service Articles checked in at a hotel or the airport or even made anenquiry over the phone.

When I ask this question of participants on my seminars,people respond with all sorts of great customer servicestories.

They say things like - "The lady I dealt with wasreally warm and friendly" or "The guy in the store made mefeel really important" or "They always remember my name whenI go back to that shop."What al these comments have in common is that - they're allHuman Level responses.

We tend to base our judgement of great customer service onhow we're treated as humans. Very rarely do I hear - "The goods were delivered on time"or "They replaced my faulty items without a quibble." Wetend take these Business Level responses as a given. It'sthe Human Level responses that influence us in terms ofwhether we'll use the service again and/or recommend it toothers.

When dealing with other people be they Internal or Externalcustomers, it's important to open the conversation on aHuman Level before doing the business; then say somethingduring the interaction that is not about the business athand. Then, when the business is complete, close theconversation on a Human Level. This is even more importantwhen dealing with a customer who is upset.

It's just as important to deal with our Internal customerson a Human Level before discussing business.  Start thinkingabout making your emails a bit more Human.

People nowadays will tell you that there's no time for HumanLevel responses and customers, both Internal and External,want you to cut straight to the business. However a shortHuman Level response can speed up the business and make yourlife so much easier.

So there you have it; human beings have a massive need foracknowledgement. We want to know that other people careabout us, that we're important and we're accepted. If wesatisfy that need in others by communicating on a HumanLevel as well as a Business Level, then all our interactionswill be much more productive.