Gatemaster's Guide To Great Customer Experience Part 2

In this three part series we will cover the most often forgotten, but easy to implement, items to improve your customer experience. First we will address what your customer’s needs and expectations are, then your employees’, and finally what you need to provide and achieve as the business owner/manager.

What Your Employees Need to Give a Great Customer Experience

Even the best employee can use a gentle reminder of best customer experience practices from time to time. The Gatemaster team has gathered eight easy techniques that your employees can use to perfect their customer experience skills.

Be polite

As the old saying goes, “You get more bees with honey.” Be kind to your customers. Say please, thank you, and give them a big smile. That kindness will be returned. Don’t get hooked! It’s hard not to get irritated when a customer is yelling at you. Often these customer are just frustrated and want to be heard. Let them say their piece. There is no need to become defensive. After these customers are done speaking they are more willing to hear you out. Patience is a virtue. Some customers need to have their hand held through every choice they make. Take the time to explain options and help your customer understand. They will thank you for it. Adaptability Be ok with change. New products, services, and systems can often cause impatience and concern. No one is saying it’s not tough to implement new things. Embrace the change and help your customers do so by being positive about how great the changes will be.

Be the expert. If you don’t know the answer, at least know where to find it. Amaze your customer with your ability to answer any question confidently. Ask questions. In customer service we hear a lot of the same questions and concerns. We can easily assume the answer pretty quickly. It’s important to ask clarifying questions to make sure that your customers question is not more in depth than originally thought. If you assume the answer and it does not resolve your customer’s question, this can lead to a poor experience and confusion. Don’t pass the buck. It’s easy to hand off hard questions or issues to someone else. Customers don’t like getting the run around. If you do need to hand your customer off to someone else for better assistance, make sure you are sending them to the best person to meet their needs. Show your customer that you are willing to help and that you’re not passing the buck by addressing any other concerns before transferring them. Then, stay on the line to explain the situation and introduce them to the new rep. Keep your promises If you tell your customer you are going to do something, do it. Resolutions change, don’t drop the ball by not following up. If you made a promise you can’t keep, let your customer know what changed and what you can do from there. Customers do appreciate the follow up and your time.

Keep up the good work!