Keys to Good Customer Service

There is only so much sales and discounts will do for your business. That's not going to keep customers coming back. That's a one time deal. They'll be on to the next deal after yours. A good salesman can selling anything once, but if your customer doesn't leave happy each time they need your help, they won't come back and they won't recommend you to their friends.

You can find a number of opinions on the keys to good customer service. Here's a simple list that will help. Just keep in mind that you need to develop your own set of guidelines as they relate to your business, your customers and your customer facing operations:

1. Always be truthful - There is nothing worse than trying to get through an uncomfortable situation by lying. That includes making promises you can't keep. You're gonna get caught. Maybe not on this call, but when they find out, they will no longer be your advocate, or your customer. 
2. Go the extra mile - Even if it doesn't seem very profitable in the short run, in the long run you will have built loyalty that will translate into value for your company.
3. Be there when they need you - That means answering the phone, responding to emails, whatever. If they have to wait too long, they're gone...
4. Listen! - Shut your trap and listen to what your customer is telling you. Sometimes that means read between the lines.
5. When a customer is upset, listen even more - There's no gain in cutting them off or trying to calm them down. They will usually talk themselves out of it, or at least calm down so you can offer help

If keeping customers happy is important to you, adding good service to the CRM mix is something you cannot overlook.

Stop and take a look from your customers perspective. You'd prefer to keep them, right? That's becoming more difficult to do these days as they demand more and more control. Does your business understand what they want and deliver it? Or are you still busy delivering what you want? If it's the latter, your not customer-centric and CRM will probably have little value to you. The first two words of CRM are key here.

Source: Interview with Dick Lee at Effective CRM