The Sunday Mail
“What we dwell on is who we become.” – Oprah Winfrey
It is no easy task dealing with individual preferences and personalities every single day of your life. More so, understanding each customer’s likes and dislikes and trying to come up with strategies that will bring a smile to each and every one of them.
These are some of the hurdles that marketing people face each day.
Exploring efforts to delight customers is taxing work but once it is mastered, there is no greater joy for the company than that of a fatter bank balance.
Organisations aiming to be market leaders in their different fields ought to have certain operating procedures designed to make sure that when executed, its customers will always come back for more profitable business deals.
- Be customer empathetic
When a company representative is empathetic, it is easier for him or her to be compassionate to customers. Customers prefer organisations that can hit right through their emotions when delivering a service. The emotional connection makes it easier for the customer to have a positive service experience that will always serve as a reminder to come back and do business with the same organisation. This means at every touch-point interaction, the organisation must make sure that they express or imply their appreciation to the customer through gestures like showing them that they value their contributions to the organisation and that they notice all their visits.
- Customer knowledge is important
The A-listers in business know that their customers will always complain but the best way to deal with that problem is through having a centralised customer complaints and questions forum where they are scrutinised, analysed and attended to. This helps organisations not just deal with the problem at hand but also come up with ways that goe beyond customers’ expectations.
- Engage staff with the necessary skills
The face of the organisation must have a comprehensive skills set that include professional body posture, excellent listening, speaking and writing skills, as well as the ability to use non-verbal cues. They should also consider personal space and grooming as must-haves. It is the prerogative of the organisation to make sure that its representatives have the right product or service knowledge because customers usually spend on something that have correct information on. Crisis or conflict management is also a good skill to possess as it douses fires before they begin.
- Develop a corporate service support attitude
The main idea of training company representatives is for them to be fully equipped to surpass their current service delivery standard in impressing customers. However, one thing that organisations must know is that it starts with cultivating a positive attitude within their representatives so that when they meet customers, every engagement is impactful. Thus, the representatives’ wellness must be at the centre of priorities because they must be physically and emotionally prepared for the challenges to delight the ever-changing customer needs.
- Be emotionally prepared
Investing in emotional intelligence and social wisdom is also crucial for organisations that are willing to excel in customer delight. Their representatives must be able to deal not only with their emotions but with those of their customers. It is a winner to be emotionally sensitive and be able to adjust and be at the same frame of mind with a customer. It makes them see that you understand them better and whatever solution you are going to give them will be coming from a space of clear knowledge.
- Be Trustworthy
The current changing and challenging business environment has proved that just a few organisations are able to deliver on reliability and honesty. Customers are delighted with organisations that are able to guarantee truthful engagements. Making honest promises that are achievable helps in building life-long relationships with customers and leads to loyalty. The organisation must not set unrealistic targets on their representatives as this will put pressure and leads to making false promises.
- Efficiency and Promptness
Issues that involve customers must be handled at the earliest possible time. Procrastinating on customer enquiries and complaints not only exacerbate issues but shows lack of seriousness. Customers are excited by organisations that are proactive in dealing with their issues and are open to their suggestions and recommendations.
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer service. For comments and suggestions, she can be reached on [email protected] or on 0712 979 461
