3 Tips for Great Customer Experience

Written by LiveLink
August 26th 2023

3 Tips for Great Customer Experience

As Maya Angelou said

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”

You can deliver the best treatment, the most fabulous product or the greatest service and if the delivery didn’t land well, then that’s what the recipient will always remember and your customer experience will be poor.

I often think about GPs.  When any of my friends have visited the GP and I’ve asked how things went, their reply is ALWAYS about whether the GP listened or how nice they were.  It’s very rare they say how wonderful the small op was, or how brilliantly they prescribed a drug.  Every single time it’s how they were made to feel.

And that can be tricky as everyone has an ‘off’ day sometimes.  So what do you do about that?  Quite simple, apologise for the off day and make amends.  People understand (usually).

What are my 3 top tips for delivering extraordinary customer service?  Let’s dive in.

Honesty

One thing that is so very frustrating is a lack of honesty.  How many times have you called a customer service department and they’re just not honest.

A couple of years ago I had an issue with a delivery of garden fences.  I called their department and they said that someone would call me back from another team.  Three times I called and three times I was told the same thing.  I knew they were an answering company on behalf of the company I was calling so I asked outright.  Oh no they said, the other person is on the phone.  OK then, I’ll hold.  No, couldn’t do that apparently.  So pass me over to the other person then when they’re free please.  No, couldn’t do that either apparently as the phone system didn’t allow it.

It became ludicrous and coloured my perception of the company supplying the goods.  If they had said yes, they were answering on their behalf it would have been OK.  As it was I gave them a rotten review and that’s when they finally got in touch with me to discuss it.  Ridiculous!

If you’re unable to deal with the issue, be honest and say you’ll find someone that can help and call them within x number of hours with the answer.  It’s really that simple.

Authenticity

A much over-used word but it works here.

How many times have you heard the phrase ‘we didn’t live up to our usual standard of customer service’, ‘I can only apologise’.  You know it’s being read from a script as it has no honesty or feeling in the tone whatsoever. Whenever I hear it I use my over-used eye-roll.

Much like my first point really, be honest.  Give a heart-felt apology and if something was dreadful, say it was dreadful.  Don’t give mealy-mouthed explanations that only sound disengenous.

Be genuine, be humble and be real. Even on the phone as listeners can always understand the tone.

Welcome and Acknowledge

Have you ever felt as if you’re an inconvenience in a store?  Stood there like a fart in the wind waiting for someone to take the money that you actually want to pay them?

I actually said to a shop assistant who was having a conversation with their colleague about their night out, ‘I’m 6′ tall and hard to miss so I know I’m not invisible’.  I was frustrated and wanted to give them money.

And it’s so easy too.  A big smile (on the phone too), make eye-contact, use open body language and ask how you can help.  And that is it.  If you’re on the phone, acknowledge the person waiting in front of you and ask the person on the phone to hold for one minute whilst you say hello to the person waiting.  Don’t just ignore them!  It’s vital to manage the situation so that both parties feel that you value them.

On a phone call it is slightly different of course as there’s no visible body language.  It’s all down to your tone of voice, the questions you ask and active listening.  If you know their name then use it.  Not every other word as that will sound weird, but definitely at the end of the conversation.

Customer service really isn’t rocket-science.  It’s mostly about having a great attitude and a desire to want to help people.  And when you’ve cracked it (which comes with a bit of confidence too), you’ll have people eating out the palm of your hand and you’ll be invincible.