Customer Dis-Service Today
© 2005 JERPAT

On any given errand day, I can walk into almost any store and deal with a bad customer service representative. While looking for an item, such as out-of-stock laundry detergent, I'm met with frowns, blank stares, and "I don't know" types of answers. Whatever happened to great customer service and pride in one's work?

Customer service can be defined as simply the ability to provide a product or service in the way promised, but it should be viewed by business owners and employees as so much more. Customer service should be viewed as customer care. Not only should you treat your customers the way you'd want to be treated, but you want to go above and beyond even that. Customer care should be viewed as one of the basic philosophies of your business. Without your customers, you wouldn't have a business. They should be treated with respect at all times. Not only should you be providing the highest quality goods or service in your market, but you should be doing so with the right attitude, the highest amount of knowledge, technical support and doing so with a smile.

Customer service is a dying art form in most businesses today. It's like they don't care about their customers at all. Salespeople and store employees often display a complete lack of respect for the customers, no willingness to learn about the products or services they're representing, and even the lack of a smile on their faces.

Lack of good customer care leads to disgruntled customers who complain to other potential customers about their bad experiences, loss of income and potentially even a complete shut-down.

Customer service skills shouldn't be employed only when customers are complaining, nor should it be used only as a last resort by a manager who's called over to deal with an escalating situation. Customer service should become one of the cornerstones of your organization. Every contact with your business should leave the customer feeling respected, cared about and content with the outcome.

Train your employees to think about angry/rude/impatient customer situations like this:
1. Am I doing something to elicit this response from the customer?
2. Do I deserve this behavior?
3. Why is the customer acting this way? What can I do to improve it?

Any representatives of your business should always answer any and all questions from your customers as promptly as possible, as politely as possible and with a smile.

When you utilize good customer service skills and truly value your customer's place within your company, you will earn more business. They will refer friends and family to you for the same great service they received and they'll keep coming back themselves. Let your customers know that they're the backbone of your business and build relationships with them. Give them the "mom-and-pop" shop sentimentality, even if your company is more like a mega-mall.

Looking for more resources on customer service? Visit:
www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz
www.customerservicemanager.com
Look out next month for our article on great customer service tips that every small business should know!

Patty Benton is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants and JERPAT Web Design, www.moretime4u.org, which provides affordable administrative and web design support to coaches, small businesses, religious organizations, and realtors. Additionally, Patty is a coach for new entrepreneurs interested in venturing into the virtual assistance industry that is affordable to all, and she has also written an e-book that takes virtual assistants through the process of setting up their business. Visit her coaching site at www.virtualvacoach.com for program details and great business resources. She has also partnered to establish the ministry Acknowledging Christ Together at Work www.actatwork.com. If you would like to receive Patty's articles and other tips in your mailbox every month, you can sign up at www.mortime4u.org/home.html.
© 2005 JERPAT

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