Excellent customer service can help you gain loyal customers who are always willing to refer you and your business to their family, friends, and colleagues. In order for you to provide excellent customer service, you have to understand that it starts with the desire to satisfy and delight your customers.
You have to also consider the aspects that are beyond selling your services like the cumulative experience customers have when dealing with you, what they feel with the services you offer, and how you can make your services better.
Being a contractor is surely not an easy task. Fortunately, there are things that you can do in order to create your very own pattern of the best customer service. Keep on reading to know what they are.
1. Be Friendly
As they say, excellent customer service always starts with a big smile. Whenever you face your clients, the first thing they see and hear should be a warm greeting from you. There are times when clients ask for help over the phone. In such case, you still have to smile and be friendly as it can be noticed by the tone of your voice. Always remember to smile and be friendly.
2. Fix Your Mistakes
If you have done something that did not end up working, then you should NOT hesitate to repair it. The quickest way to lose clients forever is by not admitting that there was a mistake with the output or service you provided. All your outputs must be of high quality which means you have to fix any issue that a client experiences. Striving to provide excellent customer service will show that you have high standards when it comes to your craftsmanship.
Also, not taking responsibility whenever you are at fault will get you a bad reputation within the industry very quickly. Transparency is essential in any business and contractor work isn't any different.
3. Train Your Staff
Aside from your customer service representative, it’s important for all your other employees to understand how they must talk to, problem solve for, and interact with customers. Make sure you provide them with employee training as it will give your staff the skills needed to carry out excellent service.
4. Show Your Clients Respect
Customer service often involves emotions. This means that it’s important for you and your employees to handle tasks in a courteous and respectful manner, regardless of the situation. You must never let your emotions overtake the desire you have to see your client walk away happy.
5. Listen
Listening is among the secrets of excellent customer service. What we mean by listening is you hearing what your clients are saying verbally and non-verbally. If you notice signs of a client being displeased, try to do what you can to change that. There are clients who say they are satisfied and happy but are actually disappointed, so be mindful of what they communicate non-verbally.
6. Ask for Feedback
You may be shocked with what you learn regarding your clients’ needs and your clients themselves when you ask for feedback on your services, products, and business. There are contractors who use customer surveys, questionnaires, and feedback forms. You can also use them but make it your routine to ask clients for feedback first-hand as soon as their orders are completed.
With the feedback that you receive from your clients, you have to use it for the improvement of your customer service. We recommend for you to take your time in reviewing feedback and do it regularly. Also, identify the areas that need improvement or changing.
7. Be Friendly and Professional in Your Quotes.
Imagine the quote that you give to a client as your first conversation. To start, address the client by name. Then, thank the customer for the opportunity. Lastly, call out the additional services which make your company special. Add in a bit of friendliness as it can go a long way in achieving your goal: making your proposal more memorable.
Also, you must state your rate clearly. Explain the estimate and be honest. If you have an hourly rate, notify the client along with the estimated hours needed for the job completion.
8. Follow Up on the Promises You Make
Your word is your bond. If you follow up on your promises, it helps in showing your business's transparency and will help build the feeling of dependability and trust with your audience.
Manage your clients' expectations as this will ensure that you can set and meet realistic goals. By remaining consistent with your messaging, every single one of your clients will be able to understand what they can expect from you.
9. Alert Your Clients Regarding Large Scale Changes - Build Trust
It would take 12 positive service experiences in order to make up for 1 negative experience. From this, you will see how sensitive trust is when it comes to business. Regardless of the size of your business, there is a need for you to keep your clients in the know on any changes to your services and products that may affect them.
Of course, you have to tread lightly with these changes especially when it comes to the services that your clients have already been accustomed to. You also have to make sure that they will still be pleased by the end of the service.
10. Say Thank You – Gratitude and Kindness Go a Long Way
Last but not the least, say "thank you" when you can. 3 out of 4 clients say that they are willing to spend more time with a certain company if they have a positive experience with them. Gratitude and kindness is a way to enchant clients in hiring you again in the near future. Relevancy is key, so you have to craft every gratitude message you send out to be specific. The thank you message must feel personal.
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