Post summary:

• The importance of good customer service
• How you can deliver excellent customer service
• 5 examples of brands that give great customer service

1. Respond as quickly as possible

One of the biggest factors in good customer service is speed, especially when a client is requesting something that’s time sensitive.

Back in 2011, STELLAService conducted a response time report and found that the average email response time for the top 100 Internet companies was 17 hours. Today, it’s not much better as own customer service study found that the average response time is 12 hours.

While Frost reported that 41% of consumers surveyed listed being put on hold as their biggest frustration. Make sure you don’t leave customers waiting.

2. Know your customers

Great interactions begin with knowing your customers wants and needs. Customers love the personalization. Get to know your customers, remember their names and previous conversations. If needed, make a note of what was discussed previously so you can refer to it the next time you meet. In March 2012 Starbucks launched a new campaign focusing on improving relationships between their staff and customers. Each person who introduced themselves by name received a free latte and in total, more than 350,000 free drinks were given away.

3. Fix your mistakes

Not taking responsibility of your mistakes is a sure fire way to getting a bad reputation. Transparency is important in business and customer service is no different. Always strive for a high quality output as it shows you have a high level of standards. In 2007, an Amazon customer ordered a new PlayStation for his son for Christmas. When the shipping company delivered the parcel, the customer was away and had a neighbor sign for the package. The neighbor left the package outside the customer’s house (in which it soon disappeared). When the customer realized what had happened, he was left in complete shock. Even though Amazon was not to blame for this mistake, they were quick to resolve this by not only sending a new PlayStation in time for Christmas, but did not charge for the extra shipping.

4. Go the extra mile

Going the extra mile will not only result in an indebted and happy customer, it can also go a long way in terms of keeping yourself on their radar for future business. In May 2011, a three year old named Lily Robinson wrote a letter to Sainsbury’s, a UK grocery store a letter asking why ‘tiger bread was called tiger bread and not giraffe bread?’. To Lily’s surprise, Chris King, the customer service manager of Sainsbury’s responded with “I think renaming it to giraffe bread is a brilliant idea!”. In January 2012, the bread was renamed to giraffe bread.

5. Think long term – A customer is for life

Think long term when dealing with customers. By keeping customers happy, they will be loyal and through word of mouth, will do the marketing for you. In fact, according to author Pete Blackshaw, a satisfied customer tells at least three friends (whereas an angry customer tells 3,000!) In August 2011, author and business consultant Peter Shankman was ready to board a flight before tweeting “Hey, @Mortons – can you meet me at Newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)”. As soon as Peter landed a gentleman wearing a tuxedo was holding a bag that contained porterhouse shrimp, napkins and silverware. Knowing that Peter was a regular customer and having tracked down his arrival details, Morton’s traveled more than 23 miles to deliver excellent service