Six Keys to Providing Great Customer Support

Providing excellent customer support is essential for the success of your business. Superior customer service can distinguish your organization from your competitors and propel your company to the top of your industry. Achieving the following goals will put you well on your way to delivering unmatched customer support and forming lasting relationships with your customers.

1. Company wide dedication to customer service. Great customer service requires a total team effort. Everyone in your organization should be committed to ensuring that customer expectations are exceeded and that each interaction between your company and your customers is a positive one.

2. View the customer service team as a strategic business unit, not a cost center. Great customer service increases loyalty, aids in retention and can put you ahead of your competition. Investing in customer service, whether in the form of training, crm software or personnel is money well spent.

3. Know your customers. Learn as much as you can about them and understand their motivations. Solicit feedback and listen to their concerns. Tailor your service approach to fit their needs.

4. Know your company's products, policies and procedures. Being able to thoroughly discuss, explain, demonstrate or troubleshoot your company's products builds trust. Being armed with answers in anticipation of questions that may come up inspires confidence.

5. Handle responses to customer inquiries with a sense of urgency. Phone calls, emails, support tickets, repairs, questions or complaints need to be handled quickly and efficiently. If an issue cannot be resolved immediately, be communicative throughout the process of fixing the problem. Never leave a customer wondering what the status of their issue is. A customer who has an issue that is resolved in a timely and satisfactory manner will often walk away feeling better about your company than if they never had a problem in the first place.

6. Be courteous, enthusiastic and respectful in all of your dealings with customers. Every communication with customers is an opportunity to make a good impression. A simple "Yes, sir" or "Thank you for your order" conveys your dedication to both courtesy and delivering good customer experiences. Do not argue with customers. Focus on resolving their issues, not assigning blame or calling attention to mistakes.

Regardless of the size of your company or the industry you are in, delivering great customer service is vital to customer satisfaction and building strong relationships. A demonstrated commitment to customer service can set your company apart and mean the difference between being a market leader and floundering among the pack.