{"id":200,"date":"2015-04-26T17:17:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-26T17:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/csm210469\/?p=200"},"modified":"2016-05-11T13:41:03","modified_gmt":"2016-05-11T13:41:03","slug":"great-service-means-being-extraordinary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/great-service-means-being-extraordinary\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Service Means Being Extraordinary"},"content":{"rendered":"

I can tell you in just one seven-letter word what it takes to build a successful business:\u00a0the word is \u201cservice.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\"extraordinary\n

Customer service is what ultimately determines success or failure, whether in the service industry or in any other industry or profession.<\/p>\n

If you want your business to be successful, you must resolve to deliver the best possible service to your customers.\u00a0You must do everything you can to please them, protect them, enrich them, and advantage them.\u00a0If you consistently do this, you will not fail. Your customers will perceive you as a caring leader, and they will reward you for that. Your sales and\u00a0profits will grow.<\/p>\n

If your business is not seen as one that offers good service, you\u2019re in trouble. Today\u2019s consumers have an almost limitless number of options.\u00a0Disappoint them and they will simply stop dealing with you and start dealing with one of your competitors.<\/p>\n

There is a widespread misconception about what constitutes good service. Many businesses owners think they\u2019re providing good service, when in\u00a0fact, they aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Just because you have fair prices, a courteous staff, a generous exchange policy, and reasonable terms, don\u2019t let that delude you into thinking that you\u00a0are providing great service.<\/p>\n

Extraordinary Customer Service<\/h2>\n

All of those things are good, but there is nothing exceptional about them. They are what an informed customer in today\u2019s market expects you to offer.<\/p>\n

They are the bare minimum. Great service means much, much more than meeting a minimal standard. It means doing extraordinary and sometimes\u00a0outrageous things on behalf of your customers or clients.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to offer new clients a free consultation. Don\u2019t be afraid to use very liberal introductory discounts. Above all, don\u2019t be timid about\u00a0offering your customers or clients, an extraordinary guarantee.<\/p>\n

Make it easy to buy from you. Review every aspect of your operations and, as you do that, try to see the business as your prospects would see it.\u00a0Ask yourself, \u201cIs our offer clear?\u2019 \u201cDo we have convenient business hours?\u201d \u201c Do we explain in a clear and concise way how to buy from us?\u201d \u201cDo\u00a0we offer people several purchase options and several ways to pay?\u201d<\/p>\n

If you use an 800 number, make sure customers aren\u2019t being put on hold too long. Test the system yourself to find out. If you ship or make a lot of\u00a0mail delivers, run tracers to see that things are reaching your customers on time and in good condition.<\/p>\n

Test your Web site. Test the download time, the links, and place an order from your site. Be proactive; don\u2019t wait for customers to report a problem.<\/p>\n

Call your customers within seven days after they have purchased and say, \u201cIs everything working okay? Is there anything we can adjust for you or\u00a0anything else you would like to buy from us to extend your enjoyment of your new product?\u201d<\/p>\n

Accepting different kinds of payments makes it easy for your customers to buy from you. Accept all the major credit cards and accepting check\u00a0debits makes it even easier for your customers to buy.<\/p>\n

Providing extraordinary service means recognizing your best customers or clients. Remember to wish your customers well on their birthdays and other
\nspecial occasions. Offer them first choice on any new products you\u2019re ordering.<\/p>\n

Give them gifts during the year-end holidays, and enclose a warm, personal note letting them know how much you appreciate the part they\u2019ve played\u00a0in helping you build your business.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all human and we all appreciate really fabulous service. For example, the restaurant owner who cheerfully tears up the bill and gives you a\u00a0certificate for two complimentary meals after one meal is served cold. Or the dry cleaner that voluntarily replaces a garment his workers have damaged\u00a0with a garment that is new and more desirable.<\/p>\n

Some retail organizations hire people to go around and make purchases in their own outlets and in stores owned by their competitors. It helps them\u00a0find out how outgoing and efficient retail clerks are. It\u2019s a way to find out what\u2019s working well and what needs improvement.<\/p>\n

Get into Your Customer’s shoes<\/h2>\n

In your own business, you must have the same critical mindset. Always try to see things as your customers or prospects see them. Empathize with\u00a0your customers.<\/p>\n

Try to get into their shoes, mentally, and find out what motivates them; what inspires them, what challenges them, and what frustrates them. Also find\u00a0out, what else they need that you could provide, but aren\u2019t providing. It might be something as simple as a sturdier carry out bag and tighter coffee\u00a0cup lids.<\/p>\n

The more you can see things as your typical customer sees them, the better your chances are of connecting with each customer. You should call your\u00a0customers on a regular basis and ask them for their ideas.<\/p>\n

Do it at random, or survey them by mail or email, or in a structured \u201cFocus Group\u201d where they can really tell you want they like or don\u2019t like about\u00a0what you sell.<\/p>\n

When you get in the habit of routinely investigating, it will not only help you improve your service, it will help you find the missing links in your\u00a0product or service line.<\/p>\n

You could profitably fill these missing links either by introducing new products or services of your own or by recommending someone else\u2019s products\u00a0to your customers in a joint venture.<\/p>\n

Try to look at your customers from their perspective. Keep digging deeper and deeper into your customer\u2019s experiences. Go the extra mile in all your\u00a0dealings with your customers. It\u2019s not just the right way to do business, it\u2019s also the smart and profitable way as well.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe Love<\/a> draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total\u00a0success.\u00a0Copyright\u00a9 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Great service means much, much more than meeting a minimal standard. It means doing extraordinary and sometimes outrageous things on behalf of your customers or clients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8434,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200\/revisions\/8434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}