General Business

5 Customer Service Quotes to Keep Your Staff Motivated

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Fire Up Your Employees with These Insightful Customer Service Quotes!

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique provides both service and products. One-half of the business is grooming—the other—is pet retail products. With each, customer service and building relationships are imperative. Each shop’s goal is to be a leader in their community. A place where pet parents can feel confident they are leaving their pets in loving hands. Where clients can get the best information and access the most high-quality products that provide for their pet’s health. At the foundation of this company are customer service tips that aim for glowing customer relationships.

Whether you or a mom-and-pop small business or the CEO of a multi-national corporation, customer service should be integral to your foundation too. Obviously, without customers, there is no market. Think about this when 91% of unhappy customers will not willingly do business with you again, according to Lee Resources. Think about the last time you had to call a 1-800 number to fix an issue you had with a company. Were you put on hold for twenty minutes before you spoke with an associate? What about the last time you went into a store to return a faulty product. How was that experience?

The fact is, that, unless you work in the department of motor vehicles customer service is imperative to your business. Recognizing this is the first step. Training a team to implement this comes next. Marketing your customer service amicably is important, but until your customers start becoming your strongest form of advertisement has the loop of customer service been completed. Gauging the relationships between your business and your customers is easier than ever with customer relationship management software (CRM). Yet automating tasks will never make up for the good old fashioned experience.

Follow these customer service tips to help you and your staff build relationships with your customers.

“There is a spiritual aspect to our lives—when we give we receive—when a business does something good for somebody, that somebody feels good about them!”

–Ben Cohen, Ben & Jerry’s

Mr. Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s knows a thing or two about customer service. This quote delineates the idea of corporate karma. A business that provides ‘something good for somebody’ has an inherent advantage that the customer ‘feels good about them.’ The power of association. This quote out of context might seem to only hint at this idea, but when you look at Ben Cohen’s past, you see a few other customer service tips begin to emerge.

Ben & Jerry’s, like many major companies, have come under heat for various things. For instance, in 2010 the Center for Science in the Public Interest urged Ben & Jerry to stop labeling their ice cream as ‘all natural.’ Instead of letting the issue fan out, the company simply agreed. No harm no foul. A few other semi-controversial issues have arisen with the ice cream company over political correctness and each was handled swiftly and with the interests of the people taking center stage. Studying these events shows that the company’s founders care. They genuinely care.

The lesson here is that public relations and corporate social responsibility aren’t just marketing points. A company needs to believe in the stances they take. Earlier this year, Pepsi released an ad with Kendall Jenner that featured scenes from staged Women’s Marches and Black Lives Matter protests. The effect Pepsi was going for was unity, respect, and equality. The marketing was so transparent that the ad received five times as many downvotes as it did upvotes and set Twitter on fire with tweets calling the commercial everything from insensitive to racist. Not one person—not even Pepsi—stepped up to defend the ad. If your customer relationship is going to be authentic, your company’s culture needs to be as equally authentic.

“Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.”

–Chip Bell, Founder Chip Bell Group

Chip Bell has 15 books published—eight of which are best sellers—loaded with customer service tips and ideology on the subject. His service group the Chip Bell Group is devoted to creating a customer-centric culture that ‘unleashes human performance.’ Mr. Bell is a popular keynote speaker and has worked with dozens of Fortune 500 companies to bolster their bottom line.

Mr. Bell is right about this. Loyal customers will tell their friends about your business. Whether in-person or on social media, 87% of customers share good experiences with others, according to Zendesk.  At the same time, 48% of customers reported to share negative experiences with 10-plus people, according to Harvard Business Review. You can bet if someone is annoyed enough to tell ten people about a bad experience—they are posting about it on social media. Empowered consumers trust consumer reviews and postings and are much less likely to do business with you if negative comments begin to accumulate.  

Avoid this! The most direct way to do this is to provide exemplary service. If you provide amazing products and services, this curbs negative experiences from even taking place. But there are extenuating circumstances and some people are just hard to please. To help fortify your business’s good reputation online try using CRM software. This software can manage and enrich customer profiles and track mentionings of your business on social media. This allows you to respond to all online feedback and see real-time analytics on how your marketing campaigns are faring.

“You’ve got to look for a gap, where competitors in a market have grown lazy and lost contact with the readers or the viewers.”

—Rupert Murdoch, Media Mogul

Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Murdoch’s story knows why this quote is so interesting. Rupert Murdoch is an Australian-born American media mogul. When his father—Keith Murdoch—passed Rupert refused to join his father’s publically traded legacy. Rupert started his own private company which has since acquired a huge chunk of the global media. Rupert Murdoch is a man of some scandal but his words and business endeavors are worth more than glancing at.

In this quote, Mr. Murdoch informs business owners of the reason they became an entrepreneur. They saw a niche, a market gap, and they capitalized on this. In his case, he was speaking in newspapers and media. This quote, however, applies to all businesses.  80% of Americans agree that smaller companies place a greater emphasis on customer service than large businesses. If you are one of the smaller companies, fine-tune the customer service that allows you to do this. If you are an MNC, do the thing that other companies aren’t doing.

For instance, Murdoch saw that having exclusive coverage of the National Football Conference was an advantage over other networks. Not only did he cover the NFC’s games, but he also increased programming to seven days a week. He saw a gap, then filled it. Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique has done something similar in the pet industry. Dan J, Barton—the company’s founder—realized that monthly memberships made sense for a grooming salon simply based on the fact that dogs are always getting dirty and recurringly need grooming. He made a membership program. No other company has a recurring revenue based on membership. This provides a convenient service for customers because they pay one fee and can take their pets in at their leisure. Find your market gap, and fill it.

“Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.”

— Zig Ziglar, Key Influencer

Mr. Zig Ziglar is another one of those ‘key influencers’ with 14 books published. He takes the podium as a keynote speaker inspiring others with customer service tips. His best selling non-fiction release, “See you at the Top” has sold over a million copies. The man has worked for a succession of companies since the 1960s and is one of the most influential motivators in America. Ziglar’s life-changing programs are in high demand and the man’s triumphs are genuine.

His quote is striking because it offers a different perspective than most would take on negative customer feedback. Many would argue that, in fact, business owners and managers hate customer complaints. The thing is, only 4% of typical businesses hear from dissatisfied customers, according to a Ruby Newell-Legner report. So, if this is true, you’re only seeing an almost negligible amount of feedback.

The takeaway from this is that when you do receive feedback, act on it! Take that customer’s complaint and not only respond by making amends but make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future. Splash and Dash does this by guaranteeing the satisfaction of every product and service customers receive.  For any dissatisfaction expressed the company does everything they can to make it right—-as the founder’s promise states. You can do the same. When you see negative reviews on Yelp or have a disgruntled customer in front of you, take the time to make things right.

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job to make the customer experience a little bit better.”

—Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

About 23 years ago, Jeff Bezos changed the way people buy things. Amazon opened cyber doors and started delivering products to real doors. Even today, Amazon is still pushing the boundaries of the marketplace. The one advantage that every brick-and-mortar business has over Amazon is customer service. This puts building customer relationships at the forefront of Amazon’s project list. There is nothing worse than buying a faulty product online, waiting a week for it to show up and not work, then spend a half-hour on the phone with someone who doesn’t help you.

A McKinsey report shows that 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. This is even more true with the prevalence of social media. Millennial consumers are more experimental but they are also more informed. With mobile, they can browse product reviews in real-time as they shop. Millennials also want more of an experience in retail stores. An experienced that can be ‘shared.’

So wifi accessibility is non-negotiable. Having a ‘selfie’ station is also on the table. Events are essential. Companies that are proliferating in 2017 like Chipotle are carving the way for creative marketing and customer service tips. Chipotle just recently launched Savor Wavs—a promotional “musical and visual experience inspired by Chipotle’s real ingredients.” The way it works is that customers can choose their favorite ingredients to make a meal at chipotle online. Each ingredient corresponds to a different instrument. Guacamole sounds like a string instrument while white rice is piano jingles. Once you pick all your ingredients you have a unique song and get a buy-one-get-one-free coupon. This is a great example of how you create an experience for your customers.

The Bottom Line

No matter how cutting edge our technology can get, at the heart of a business is customer service. Using customer service tips into application needs to be spearheaded by every employee you have. Your customer is your biggest advertiser!

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10 Tips that Make Customer Service Easier

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Today’s consumer looks vastly different from the consumer of a decade ago. Mobile shopping and social media marketing have changed the way people buy. Over twenty years ago, when Amazon first opened its cyber doors, retailers we’re bracing for an apocalyptic end to brick-and-mortar retail. But, in 2017 retailers are still performing and Amazon has even announced exploring opening brick-and-mortar furniture stores—a surprise move from a solely e-commerce company. What keeps small business retail from being swallowed by online vendors? The X-factor. Putting customer service tips into application on your sales floor.

Ask any customer the number one reason why they prefer to go into a store over buying through mobile. A typical answer rings around the line of, “If the product doesn’t work, then I’m S.O.L.”

On average it takes 12 positive experiences to account for one negative experience, according to a report by Ruby Newel-Legner. Whether this bad experience is happening through cyber purchasing, or in your store, is up to you. Training your sales team with customer service tips tilts the odds in your favor. Engagement should happen through multi-channel servicing with customer service at the forefront of that service.

Small business owners don’t need to get discouraged. Customer engagement and loyalty are the means of long-term brand success. A recent mystery shopping survey conducted by the E-Tailing Group showed that only 10 percent of online merchants made the cut for stellar service. CRM (customer relationship management) software can enable small businesses with the same edge that the big guys use. If your sales team is trained with excellent customer service training, then you have the advantage. Customers walking in are greeted with smiling faces and an informed sales team. Your online efforts are backed with analytics and customer profile data that enrich their online experience with your brand.

Follow these customer service tips to sharpen both fronts.

Use a CRM Software

Customer relationship software can streamline your sales tactics. A powerful app for small business can automate contacts, projects, business management, and handle your social and mobile CRM.

For example, CRM software can gather social media data like recent posts and customer activity and automatically add them to your contact profile. This saves you time. Instead of burrowing through social media sites to find your customer base, you will have instant access. You can view what customers are saying about your brand online.

Using software likes this not only saves you time by automating many of your customer relationship tasks, it gives real-time feedback into customer responses and insight into how your marketing campaigns are performing.

Continuous Customer Service Education

Companies spend billions on customer education. Consumers have more agency now more than ever and are empowered with mobile review sites. The classic trope of customer service is, “That an informed customer is our best customer.”

Education is an investment in organizational development. The more you can learn and teach a customer about the product, the more inherent value the product is preserved.

Benchmark Outside of Your Industry

Studying your competitors is important but don’t compartmentalize your line of sight only in your industry. If you are a pet retail business, judge your customer’s expectations off of companies like Starbucks and Apple. For a customer, there is no distinction in expectations between your mom-and-pop business and the big guys when it comes to all forms of customer service.

Meaningful Customer Portals

Do your customers have to ask to answer questions for which the answer should be obvious? An annoyance for today’s consumer is contacting customer support to get an answer to a question that should be provided on a FAQ. Use your website as a teaching tool that is constantly updated. Is your customer self-service portal up to date, or was it written years ago by a web developer?

Are your business’s blog and newsletter answering customer questions? Social media posts, blog publishings, and newsletters need to be evocative, not boring. Give your customers a reason to read them.

Empower Your Employees

Your brand needs standards for customer service tips like timeliness, quality, and amicability. However, setting standards doesn’t alway prepare for every outcome. Your sales teams need autonomy to work with customers. Explore different approaches with your team and enable them to make key decisions. This empowerment will energize your employees and help make customer relationships more organic.

Develop Thick Skin

It used to be that retailers needed to swallow their pride every once in awhile by repeating the mantra, “The customer’s always right!” This happened every so often when a disgruntled customer walks into the store. This still happens. But now retailers are also sifting through social media feedback and review sites to handle dissatisfied customers. Not every customer is going to have an amazing experience and some people are just hard to please.

Responding to a customer complaint online through social media should be friendly, apologetic, and should aim to amend the customer’s grievance. Don’t take it personally, ever.

Anticipate Needs

With mobile access comes robust opportunities to anticipate customer behavior. Spend time learning what your customers want and need before they tell you. This allows you to provide proficient service. Using CRM analytics can build richer profile data and will inform you on how to best serve your customer. This gives small business owners deep insights into their customers. Use this data to demonstrate your business’s ability to furnish a customer’s every need—one-stop-shop.

Create Communities

A Walker study just published the finding that “by 2020 customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator.”

Customer experience starts with engagement. Whether it’s having a selfie frame for customers to take pictures with in your shop or creating your own brand hashtag, customers want to interact with your brand. They want to have a meaningful experience. This again happens at two levels. The first is in your brick-and-mortar shop. A brand that has a familial atmosphere encourages customer engagement which turns into customer retention. Next, offer opportunities for your customers to ‘share’ this positive experience via social media.

By taking the communal approach you not only build brand loyalty but you can learn more from your customers.

The Personal Touch

With all the ease of access that software applications provide it is easy to get caught up in the benefits of automation. Don’t solely rely on automated email responses, FAQs, or chatbots. Sometimes, sending out snail mail responses for “thank yous,” birthdays, and the holidays goes a long way. Customers who are desensitized to digital marketing responses really appreciate a handwritten card.

With this being said, don’t neglect customer service on social media. Respond to customers that post on your page, or tag your business in a post always merits a personal response.

Validate Customer Concerns

Getting defensive with a customer will always result in a loss. When a customer becomes upset or a disagreement occurs the best approach is empathy. Understanding why the customer is upset and showing them you know how they feel will often defuse the situation. This is the first step in fixing the problem.

Empathy is stronger than an apology.

 

We hope these customer service tips help your sales team continue a successful path. Remember, that having the opportunity to engage with employees is one of your strongest advantages. Good luck!

 

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