Listen for the WOW!

Let's keep things simple. Provide a service, receive compensation, offer incentives for return business. Seems like a nice cycle. So where do you put Customer Service? I think at the beginning.

We all know a business does no one any favours when they don't tell their customer exactly what they can expect. We get busy, we get tired, we get distracted. The biggest criteria in Customer Service, in my opinion is effort. The trick ties in with the previous post of Listen Up! The customer has called based upon your expertise or product. It is your responsiblity to ask questions to pull out their expectations of your product or service. Create the scene, paint the picture; get to the bottom of their need. Determine how they came to your product or service, why you (which part appealed to them) , what product, when do they need it, where the work is going to happen, where the product will be delivered.

For example; a man comes to a store and orders a freezer. He knows what size he wants, that he would like it delivered on a certain day and is willing to pay cash. Sounds like an easy sell right? Signed, sealed, and soon to be delivered. I wonder immediately what has prompted this purchase. Maybe he came in on his way home from work making a mid-day delivery not terribly convenient and contrasting the very reason he stopped in originally. Make the effort to think in his shoes. Never assume though and it's worth the effort (again) of clarification. People like to be understood and listened to and they notice when you're paying attention.

Position your customer (and you) for success right from the beginning. When you both know what success looks like, you can then determine where the "WOW" will come from (if you're interested in "WOW'ing" your customer which I think most of us are.) Extra efforts will keep customers coming back so go for the "YOU'RE AWESOME" once you know you can deliver the product they need. Ultimate Customer Service is knowing where the "WOW" will matter so go for it!

Nimbly yours, JM