Creating solid relationships with your customers is a critical component of your success as a workforce development professional. When all other aspects of your organization are comparable to others in the industry, the one thing that will set you apart is your level of customer service. If you keep your customers engaged, you’ll keep them coming back.
A customer’s opinion of the quality of services they receive is based on their perception – specifically on what they want vs. what they get. If they come to you thinking you provide Service A when you really provide Service B, you have an automatic disconnect that needs to be addressed immediately. Make the effort to know your customer, understand their needs and go above and beyond the customer’s expectations, which typically include:
- Reliability (you do what you say you’ll do)
- Responsiveness (you do it promptly!)
- Assurance (you know how to do it)
- Empathy (you show respect & understanding)
- Tangibles (your facility/surroundings are attractive)
It’s important that you address all five of these areas as part of your customer service philosophy. For example, if you are reliable and deliver what you promise, but you lack the empathy in how you deliver, will your customer be satisfied? Probably not! These five areas are all interrelated, but reliability is probably the most important in meeting customer expectations. Responsiveness, assurance and empathy are the most important in exceeding them.
So what’s the equation for delivering fantastic customer service? The steps below have been adapted from the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), Customer Service Training, copyright © Maxine Kamin.
Greet the Customer. Create an environment that allows fantastic customer service to happen! When a customer walks through your door, they should immediately be greeted. How many times have you walked into a business or organization where you’ve felt ignored? This one simple step sets the tone for your future interactions.
Determine Their Needs. Next, determine the customer’s needs and how or if you can resolve them. This may be over a series of interactions with your customer. It requires two-way communication and lots of good listening!
Meet Those Needs. This involves defining the needs, stating them as clearly as possible. Let your customer know what you can do to help as well as what your limitations might be. Once you agree on a solution, be sure to follow through and do what you say will do.
Make the Moment Memorable. This step relates to doing something unexpected that the customer will appreciate. It might be something as simple as sending a congratulatory card when your customer hits a milestone. Anything that will set you apart from standard practice and let the customer know you care about the outcome.
Check Results. Once you’ve addressed the issues or accomplished the tasks, then make sure to ask for feedback to ensure the customer’s needs have actually been met. We may think they have, but it’s important to get confirmation.
Leave the Door Open. Lastly, make sure the customer knows that you’re available to continue serving them, and always thanking them for seeking YOU out. There are other agencies they could have turned to, but they chose you. Make sure they always feel they made the right decision!
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