Increasing customer service impression levels from an average of 6 to 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 improves customer retention by 50%, according to recent research. That means: Find ways to make a good impression!
Here’s what customers say make the best impressions on them:
- Prompt response. Don’t make customers wait on hold, and always make it easy to reach a live support person. Service-level impressions are forged in how you communicate, listen and respond to customers, more so than other measurables like parts availability, response times or order accuracy.
- Thoroughness in communication. Tell a customer specifically what he or she can expect, and over-delivering when possible. Make sure customers feel totally listened to, that he or she has been given the ability to vent.
- Frequency of communication. Don’t just communicate when problems occur, tell customers when they’re solved as well. Every company makes mistakes, but it’s how you respond to them that impacts service-level impressions.
- Service promises and commitments. Make promises or guarantees on response times, parts availability or what your company will do if a service promise can’t be kept. Most customers don’t think about what kind of service you give when everything goes well. They take it for granted. It’s when problems develop that they take a close look at the relationship with you.
Adapted from “Growth or Bust,” by Mark Faust, a growth and turnaround consultant.
