Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of interest in customer service as a key business factor. Why? Because customers are giving higher ratings to companies that provide exceptional experiences throughout their buying process.

In fact, according to one survey, over 70 percent of consumers will not do business with a company if it does not seem like they care about people. And while this may sound dramatic, it makes sense!

After all, why would anyone invest his or her hard-earned money in a product or service if the provider doesn’t give significant attention to satisfying others?

Business owners who want to remain competitive must recognize how important good customer service is. It’s just plain smart business!

Luckily for you, we have gathered some helpful information and tips here for improving your workplace customer service game! So let’s get started today!

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Disclaimer: This article shall not take away from the importance of having self-respect and respect for other individuals. Only when these two things are present can true customer service occur. We hope our tips help you achieve this goal!

Editorial note: Stay tuned next week where we continue this series by talking more about different types of customer service and how to apply them in your business.

Stay connected with The Apartment Group via Twitter @TheApGroup and keep up with the latest developments at www.theapgroup.com/blog.

Relationship between customer service and customer loyalty

As discussed earlier, good customer service creates repeat business and referrals. It also breeds trust – something every business needs to thrive. When you treat your customers with respect and focus on their wellbeing, they will feel more connected to you and willing to spend money or give recommendations to you.

This is what really helps you succeed as an entrepreneur!

As entrepreneurs, we need to remember that our success depends largely on the reviews of others we have- these include current clients, potential new clients, and investors.

We can’t afford to take ourselves too seriously, but we also can’t be totally relaxed and casual when it comes to putting in the effort to satisfy our patrons.

Having great relationships with others is integral to succeeding in business. Just because it’s hard now doesn’t mean it won’t get easier as you grow older (and hopefully wiser!).

Ways to improve customer service

A growing number of businesses rely heavily on their customers’ satisfaction to survive, which is why it is so important to understand how to provide top-quality customer service.

Running an online store is very different from running a brick and mortar business or serving as an employee at a company that sells products directly to consumers.

As you can imagine, there are not too many people out there who buy something once from your site and never return!

That is why it is crucial to have solid customer service skills before launching your own ecommerce business.

Fortunately, though, offering great customer services does not require special training. In fact, anyone can do it if they put some effort into it.

Here are some easy ways to improve your customer service skills.

Offering help when needed

As mentioned before, offering consistent customer service is an integral part of business success. People will keep coming back to your company if you treat them well and meet their needs whenever they visit!

This is especially true in the era of online shopping where there are no physical meetings between sellers and customers. With this shift, people’s expectations rise- how much effort should a seller put into meeting a potential buyer?

Too often we get in our own way by putting up barriers that prevent us from helping others. We think it’s our job to do everything for everyone, which isn’t always possible.

But as professionals who offer our services to other people, it is our responsibility to go beyond what we know and give back to the community. When we drop the ball, we fail ourselves.

Running my own business has forced me to develop these skills, and I’ve seen how important they are both internally and externally.

Not being too personal

Another important element of great customer service is staying professional at all times. When there are lot of conversations, you must keep things formal with no getting too personal or emotional.

This is especially true when talking to someone who does not have much money- your customers might feel very stressed out or even put off from speaking to professionals about their problems.

They may feel that they will get bad advice because of this.

Never take anything personally. Always keep what people say general and do not assume anything about them unless asked.

It is also worth noting that while it is good to be friendly, never agree with something just for the sake of agreeing. Check out some more tips here.

Offering reassurance

As mentioned before, business depends on relationships! Relationships with your colleagues, superiors, vendors, and most importantly, customers!

Running a business is a lot of work, which is why the bulk of jobs are not done for free. We as professionals need to be paid for our services, otherwise we would not continue working so hard.

But what if there was no pay? What if you spent all your time trying to make people like you and give them what they wanted without getting anything back? Well, that wouldn’t do anyone any good, least of all you!

So how can you ensure that you will get paid what you deserve? By offering solid customer service and listening to their needs and complaints!

By showing an interest in someone or something, even for a short amount of time, it creates a bond between both parties. People feel more connected and trust each other more easily because of this bond.

This applies particularly well in the workplace where employees may go unnoticed or underappreciated at times. By investing some time into understanding their job and what tasks they are tasked with, as well as being friendly and approachable, you increase their confidence in your company and yourself!

It also helps them look better by promoting employee happiness and loyalty.

Communicating well

A successful business owner or leader is someone who communicates effectively with people. You will find that most wealthy individuals are good at communicating, but it’s not always the case. People of wealth sometimes suffer from poor communication skills and this can hurt their relationships and success.

It seems like every day there is an article about how social media has ruined our lives by exposing us as shallow, selfish humans. The same goes for businesses that use quick messages, pictures, and videos to make themselves look more important than they really are.

We have become so used to getting our messages through digital means that we no longer invest time in looking authentic and true to self. We fake laughlines, smiley faces, and seem less interested in being intimate with others because we are too focused on ourselves.

This isn’t the way to succeed in life, nor is it the way to run a successful business. If you want to be rich, go out and get some money! No, I am talking about investing in authentic friendships, developing leadership qualities, and teaching yourself basic etiquette. All of these things take work and investment, but they pay off in ways that only matter to you.

Businesses depend heavily on loyal customers to keep coming back. It is impossible to build long term trust and credibility when superiors treat their underlings disrespectfully or lack fundamental workplace fundamentals such as teamwork and respect.

Being honest and straightforward

A growing number of businesses rely heavily on their customers’ experiences with them to determine how well they are doing. Companies that thrive have those that shop at them frequently or online go elsewhere because of poor service, bad experience, or no refund.

By nature, people are loyal, so when you win some of your loyalty, you need to keep it!

And while sometimes a customer may complain about something and there is nothing you can do to change their opinion, ignoring complaints will only hurt your business.

If for no other reason than moral reasons, you should address every complaint. Even if you feel like everything has already been done, addressed and forgotten about – take time to really check out why the person is upset.

This could be due to an unexpected cost, a lack of communication, or anything else. Listen to what they have to say, and try to understand where they are coming from. If you cannot fix the problem, offer alternatives or solutions.

Being consistent

Consistency is one of the most important things to know as a business owner or manager. This could be consistency with your job, consistency with work colleagues, consistency in how you manage your time, etc.

Consistency is what people are looking for when they hire you or give you their trust. It shows that you can handle responsibilities and tasks without much of a break.

As such, being consistently good at customer service will help ensure future success. You must understand there’s no quick fix for bad customer service so it makes sense to invest in some basic training.

That way you’ll be more prepared if someone complains about something you did or if a client comes across as less than happy. You’ll also have better first impressions which can make a big difference!

Bad first impressions are very hard to erase so investing now really pays off down the line.