9 Customer Service Principles Every Business Should Follow

Vũ Khôi

Author at Wotech Electronics Blog

A professional customer service process is one of the make-or-break factors for any business. Even if your product is attractively priced and you run frequent promotions, without the care and attention that bring customers back, your business cannot survive for long. Professional, high-standard customer service not only keeps customers loyal but also encourages them to recommend your products and services to the people around them. Below are 9 basic customer service principles you must follow so your business can grow smoothly.

Answer customer calls and messages regularly

The first — and most important — customer service principle is being ready to answer customers' phone calls, emails, and messages. If necessary, you can build up a customer service department and hire staff to answer calls and respond to customer messages as quickly as possible. Remember: never keep your customers waiting.

Don't make promises you can't keep

This is the most important customer service principle for keeping your "gods" — your customers — happier. In all social relationships, and especially in business, trust always comes first. Honesty and sincerity are what decide whether customers will come to you again. There are countless competitors selling the same products as you, with equally attractive offers; customers have endless options and will certainly not return to anyone who disappoints them. If you promise delivery on the 3rd, make sure the goods arrive no later than the 3rd. If you can't do it, never make the commitment in the first place.

Always listen to your customers

Every request, wish, and attitude a customer has toward your products or services must be heard and answered. This is a customer service principle that no business in any field can do without. Good customer service must show a polite, attentive attitude and make customers feel that they are always heard, respected, and given responses and solutions to the problems they encounter. The more satisfied customers are with your products and services, the smoother your business will run.

Customer service principle: Handle complaints

Surely no one enjoys listening to complaints. Many people excuse themselves by saying they "can't please everybody". That, however, does not hold in sales — and especially not in customer service principles. If you know how to serve customers effectively, a complaint can be an opportunity to show the customer that they were right to choose your product or service rather than a competitor's. Always listen to customers' complaints and put yourself in their shoes when resolving them — you will get far more than you expected.

Put your service rules and policies in writing

Managers set the basic rules, but every employee in the business needs to know them clearly in order to follow them. These rules don't need to be complicated and meticulous; simple, concrete things like "the customer is always right" or "employees may grant a discount of up to 10% to any dissatisfied customer at any time" can be very valuable for your work.

Show thoughtfulness

Have you ever been riding to work, noticed your side mirror was loose, and stopped at a repair shop to have it fixed? The mechanic cheerfully paused what he was doing and fixed it for free. The next day, when you needed an oil change, you would without question return to that same shop. What's more, you'd tell your family and neighbors about that kind mechanic. Business isn't always just about chasing profit — first of all, show thoughtfulness and warmth, and take good care of your customers.

Train your customer service team

If you have a team of customer service staff, train them to be dedicated, cheerful people who always give customers useful information. Your employees must understand the importance of professional, well-organized customer service in order to satisfy customers. In particular, customer service staff must never say "I don't know". If they truly don't know, they should say they will look into it and get back to the customer as quickly as possible. This, too, is an important customer service principle businesses should keep in mind.

Do more than you're asked

If a customer visits your store and asks about a particular product, don't just point them to where it's displayed — walk them there, hand it to them personally, introduce the product, and answer all their questions. Customers will always remember and appreciate what you do for them.

Let customers know what you're doing for them

The last — but no less important — customer service principle: let customers know what you're doing for them. This can be done through letters or emails to current customers, or through phone calls. Whatever method you use, what matters is showing customers quickly how superior your product or service is. If you don't mention what you're doing for them, they may simply fail to notice. Don't be boastful when talking to customers about what you have done and are doing to satisfy them — a single phone call to let them know they needn't worry because you've already taken care of all the paperwork, checks, and shipping monitoring... is enough to put their minds at ease.

Conclusion

Those are the basic customer service principles for building trust with customers — from there, your business will run far more professionally and easily. If you have any questions, leave a comment below this article and SimERP will help you out quickly!

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