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Speaking Your Customers’ Language – A Guide To Client Interaction

Providing the products and services you’ve promised is the foundation of a successful business. But a company that stops there is simply performing a function— a function it won’t be likely to fill for too long. Steady growth and lasting success depend on customer service, and how you speak to your customers is one the most important ways you demonstrate your commitment to their satisfaction.

Good words make a good impression. And as long as you live up to the positive expectations you set, they can be a big part of becoming a trustworthy source that your customers come back to again and again.

Demonstrate Responsibility for Every Customer Concern

Passing the buck is a great way to pass your customers on to your competitors. You should be able to trust your team to make decisions based on your policies. Rather than having to talk to a bunch of people to get a resolution, your customer should not have to repeat themselves over and over again. Get your customers to the right person that can help them as quickly as possible.

Your representatives should exhibit attitudes of ownership. Resolutions should be their own, personal mission with each issue they are faced with. Nothing turns off a revenue stream faster than the words, “That’s not my problem,” so make sure that sentiment is something your customer service team never adopts. Take responsibility and earn respect.

Show Honesty and Integrity in All Communications

Everything you or your team says to a customer sets an expectation for your ongoing relationship with them. Promise delivery by a certain deadline, miss it, and they’ll begin to doubt everything you tell them. Give a confused or inaccurate answer to a question just to avoid the appearance of ignorance, and you’ve seriously set back their appraisal of your expertise.

Your customer would always rather hear the truth, whether it’s the fact that their delivery will take a few more days or that they’ll need to wait for a minute while you find the information that they need. Tell the truth and act with complete courtesy to earn the trust of your customers. Even if they’re momentarily nonplussed, their long-term relationship with your business will be far more solid.

Display Genuine Appreciation with Each Interaction

Simple gestures of appreciation are incredibly effective when it comes to turning first-time customers into long-term clients, and long-term clients into evangelists for your brand. Include this sense of appreciation in all of your customer conversations—and make sure it’s genuine and backed up by your behaviors—and your customers will find more to appreciate about you and plenty of ways to show it.

This doesn’t just mean giving a simple “thank you” at the end of a conversation. There are plenty of ways to show real appreciation while acknowledging the value they bring you with specificity and earnestness. Make your customers feel like part of your community, and they’ll stick by your side.

So there you have it. When you communicate with your customers, take responsibility, be honest, and show gratitude for their patronage. Do these things and you’ll build a powerful customer base that is the foundation of your success.

More posts you might want to check out:

Customer Service Is Not a 9 to 5 Job

What Happens When The Customer Is Wrong?

How to Deal with an Angry Customer Using the 5 A’s