Six Keys to Creating “wow” Customer Service Experiences

Customers of each type of business imaginable these days bemoan the state of customer service. While the global economy and the Internet have given businesses the opportunity to serve more customers than ever before, the trend has also given way to impersonal, lackluster customer service. It is unfortunate that most companies today do not realize that they are regularly losing valuable customers if they do not focus on providing an experience of exceptional customer service.

In most companies, once a client is started on the customer service department, he or she is already a negative attitude. The best customer service representatives are not those that simply neutralize the problem. Customer service representatives have an exceptionally negative and turn it into a positive which ensures that the customer is not only happy but believes that he or she has had an outstanding experience – the Wow Factor – who have not achieved with any other company .

The main ingredients of the Wow experience are:

• Seamless Service
• Service of confidence
• care
• resources
• Courtesy
• Pro-active Service

Seamless Service means providing everything the customer needs, not only what is required to meet minimum standards. This is to ensure that they do not have to wait and wonder. Customers will appreciate a smooth, seamless process for addressing their needs. If there are several steps to take care of their concerns, keep them in the loop – update by email or a brief phone call to let them know you are working on the situation and progress is being made. By keeping abreast of what is happening, you’re letting them know that they have not forgotten them and that you understand their concerns – reassurance and communication are powerful tools for customer service.

Reliable service is essential to retaining customers. Promises delivery of a customer and nothing whatever is the safest way to not only lose a client, but the kind of “word of mouth” bad press that can ruin you. Under promise and over deliver – If you promise a satisfactory solution, and then make an extra effort not only to satisfy the customer, but gain their appreciation and “Wow” them, you get word of mouth will bring new customers to you.

Service means paying attention during and after the initial contact. How many times have you contacted customer service and received a script, obviously, the response of the customer service representative? Do you feel that you are not really listening, but trying to get to the end of their canned presentation?

Attention should run through every customer service experience, to listen carefully to the concerns of the customer to follow up after the exchange is over to make sure that their needs have been met. Listening is not just hearing – it is understanding what is really being said. Words are only the beginning, what about the customer’s tone of voice? Your mood? Are you disappointed, angry or frustrated? Introduction to the client’s mood and responding appropriately is essential, and this means not following a script.

Resources by finding solutions where none appears to have. Many companies have strong policies to be followed when a problem arises, however, sometimes a customer is not satisfied by the “company line” approach. Resources customer service representatives know that there is always a way to go beyond the procedures so that a happy customer. Resources means finding a solution when a solution is not apparent. This may mean moving up the chain of command before the customer demands to talk to his superior. Companies with excellent customer service also give their representatives some leeway so that they can arrive at creative solutions on their own. When a customer senses that go beyond the norm to help them feel valued and respected.

Courtesy is a commodity that is becoming increasingly rare. It takes so little to be polite, but is becoming a lost art. Say please, when a customer asks a question, thank you for your information and take your time talking with them. Nothing makes a customer feel more devalued, of being treated like a number. Use the person’s name, instead of making requests and demands to know when to apologize. When something goes wrong for a client, they want to know that you understand their frustration and that is really being felt drawbacks. It takes nothing to say, “I’m so sorry you are not satisfied and I hope we can do something to correct this.”

Pro-Active Service means not waiting for you to find a solution that simply meet. A pro-active customer service representative anticipates the needs of the customer and follows through. Do not wait for you to apply what you are willing to do – anticipate the questions and answers before we can ask. If they call and say they are not satisfied, apologize and immediately suggest some solutions. Customers want you to take the lead – acknowledge their unhappiness, offer a solution or solutions and explain to them how to proceed. Pro-Active service means taking the initiative, which will reassure your customers that you know what you are doing and will go on.

If you keep these six keys in mind – a service, reliability, focus, resourcefulness, courtesy and pro-active service – you will be able to offer each customer the Customer Service Experience that inspires loyalty and wow prevents the customers returning for more.