Customer Service: Personalize Customer Interactions to Create Lasting Buzz
Being personal with customers means striving to know and relate to each and every one as a person, says David Freemantle, author of “The Buzz: 50 Little Things That Make a Big Difference to Worldclass Customer Service” (Nicholas Brealey Publishing; www.nbrealey-books.com).
Providing a personal approach means giving a little bit of yourself to the customer. And doing so lets customers see past any artificial system imposed by the business and get to know the real you.
Following are a few tips on how your customer service representatives (CSR) can personalize every customer interaction.
* Have CSRs introduce themselves by name to every customer.
* Encourage CSRs to ask questions and get to know the customer as an individual.
* Ask CSRs to do something personal to reinforce the relationship with the customer, e.g., write their names on the orders or encourage customers to ask for them directly if there are any problems.
* Require followup. Have CSRs schedule a time to call to let customers know you are concerned their experience went well.
* Simply show each customer you are dealing with at the moment that he or she is the most important person in the world.
