The Power of Thank You in Customer Service
As the new age of the Internet, the Web 2.0 era, dawns on us, businesses have come to the realization that customers are now more empowered than ever before. Customers are able to wield their influences through social networking sites like MySpace.com and blogs to either evangelize about a positive experience they've had with a company, or shame a company publicly for something that is still a very prevalent issue - bad customer service.
So high are customer expectations these days that it pays to take a look at what one may define as an antiquated custom, but still has a profound effect on human behavior - the power of saying thank you. There was a period in human history when men were executed for not bestowing the necessary courtesies on royalty. Bearing that in mind, if business analysts claim that businesses ought to treat customers as royalty, it is only right then to extend a simple two-word phrase that can mean the difference between losing a customer for life and gaining a customer for life.
Yes, saying thank you today is a big deal in the business world, slowly evolving into a competitive edge as more and more businesses turn to automation to fulfill every aspect of their customer support. You can leverage the power of thank you to stand out from your competitors, win over more customers and even make it your USP to retain customers for life. Here are some ideas you can implement immediately to take your customer service to a standard that would be the envy of your competitors.
You Can Never Say Thank You Enough
There really aren't any limitations to the number of times a business can express their gratitude to customers. The Japanese know this and are today infamous for their excellence in customer service and support. You can thank customers for calling, verifying their accounts, for their business, for their patience and anything that will make customers feel overwhelmed with the joy of being treated like royalty.
Of course, like any experienced customer, they know when gratitude is being served sincerely, or being read out from a script. So, to differentiate your customer service from others, inject every thank you with a vial of sincerity to witness its full power in action.
Get Personal
Nothing screams "average customer service" like a canned response to customer queries. To evade this problem, add a touch of warmth and personality to every conversation with a customer. The easiest way to do this is to address the customer by his or her name.
Personal names are used to greater effect when combined with the power of thank you. Many businesses stick with the proverbial "thank you, sir" and "thank you, madam" formula, which is fine, but not impressive. You'll create a lasting impression on your customer if you could not only thank them using their names, but to thank them in writing.
Thanking customers via email is a good way of showing that your business takes great pleasure in developing an intimate bond with them. You're able to personalize the emails with your customers' names and show your appreciation the way you feel is best. Like picking up the phone and thanking your customers, it is one of the better ways of reaching out to customers.
But, another very powerful and not often utilized way is to physically mail out a personalized handwritten note of thanks to customers. It should be a note sincerely expressing gratitude and not disguised as an up-sell to another service or product. It is gestures like these that drive customers insane with loyalty because customer service this good is very rare.
Saying thank you is one of those phrases that can be expressed and received freely, but still packs a very powerful punch in human interaction. With that said, thank you for reading this.
Copyright © 2007 by Robert Moment. All rights reserved. You may forward this article in its entirety to anyone you wish.
