Customer Service:
Proper Customer Care and Etiquette

There are several key, cardinal rules when working with your customers.  It’s critical that you exhibit proper etiquette in working with customers if you expect them to remain your customers.  To do so, consider these proven tactics in exhibiting true customer-care etiquette.

1. Be friendly.  Friendliness is easy to exercise in your daily routine, yet difficult to find in today’s fast-paced, selfish society.  Your friendliness could be the difference in keeping a distraught or frustrated customer from moving on to work with your competition.

2. Be honest.  If your customer has a problem that you are unsure how to fix, tell them.  “Under-promise; over-deliver” is the mantra exercised in the best sales and customer service teams all over the world.  If your customers have questions that you can answer, answer honestly, even if it may not be the answer the customer wants to hear.  Honesty is always your best tactic for effective customer service, as the customer will appreciate your honesty and will continue to work with you as a result.

3. Be thorough.  Take copious notes and follow through on all that you can do to help your customer with their issues.  Make sure your customer knows you are aware of their issues—repeat back what they have told you to ensure they know that you heard them.  Then, put together a game plan that resolves their concerns quickly and effectively.  Share the game plan with your customers, and make sure you do everything you say you will do as outlined on the game plan.

4. Follow Up.  Once you have solved a customer’s problem, make sure you follow through afterward to ensure your customer is not just satisfied, but is thoroughly happy with the results of your actions.  Using the game plan to follow up with your customers will demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence.

5. Be professional.  While you do want to be friendly, remember that you are conducting business.  It is important to remain professional and objective in all you do and say with your customers.  Professionalism is a lost art in dealing with customers, so the better you are in handling your customers professionally, honestly, and ethically, the more likely you will be to maintain lifelong customer relationships.

Overall, if you want to keep your customers happy and loyal to your company and its brands, it is imperative that you exude excellence in customer service.  Putting in place all of these tactics will ensure your customers are happier and more loyal than they may be today.

 

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