4 Dos and Don’ts of Top-of-the-Line Customer Service

Service with a smile is the goal in retail. But it seems to be getting harder and harder to do as people become more demanding and difficult to please. 

Even the most positive person can have challenging days, but you have to bite your tongue in customer service and try to leave the emotions at home. 

If your aim is to be a master in an industry where the customer is the key and service is the lock, be sure you know these 4 do’s and don’t of top-of-the-line customer care.

1. Don’t Complicate Things, But Don’t Dumb Them Down 

One of the hardest lines to walk, you have to know when to tell the customer information and when it’s not necessary. It’s important to learn how to read each person and find the right vocabulary level that fits their comfort zone. 

For example, as a waitress, you’re told to seat your patrons at table four. Would you say, “Hi, I’m your server; let’s head over to table four,” or, “Hi, I’ll be your server today; please follow me to your table.” 

The second choice tells the customer what they need to know. Giving them too much information isn’t necessary, and it could cause problems, depending on what you say. 

However, be cautious not to make the customer feel like you think they’re dumb, even if they’re trying your patience. Most of us have an internal reader, and we can tell when someone is being condescending toward us.

2. Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep 

Honesty is truly the best policy. We still live in a society where people take you at your word. They may be skeptical, but they expect you to follow through. 

Two decades ago, a broken promise from a businessperson was a headache and a problem kept mostly between the customer and owner. Today, it’s something everyone will know about if the irate customer heads to the internet. 

Social media can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you have a reputation for being dishonest to get your business, word will get around. For the best customer service and continued success, keep your promises.

3. Do Learn Your Customer

 The surefire way to provide excellent customer service is to predict what your target market wants. Doing this today is easy with the right data analytics solutions. 

Almost anything done on the internet is collected into some form of Big Data. Cookies, tracking, search engine use, and more are all compiled into data and sold to companies who need the info. 

As long as it’s not personally identifiable data or sensitive information, you can use it to drive your future business decisions. It’s an incredible wealth of resources that skyrockets your customer service ability. 

4. Do Request Feedback 

Today’s digital business owner relies heavily on reviews. Human nature means that most of us will gladly take time out of our day to complain, but it’s not quite as urgent to leave a positive remark. 

Make it part of your regular customer service process to ask for feedback, negative or positive. People are more likely to leave you a review if you’ve requested it and made it simple for them to do so. If they have to seek out the site, they’re probably only going to it because they’re upset. 

With these four updated do’s and don’ts, your customer service will jump from “okay” to “stellar” instantly.