100 Ways to Provide Greater Customer Service

Customer service is the staff’s ability to provide a series of activities designed to identify and meet customer expectations in order to acquire, retain, and grow a customer base that you trust.

The customers are all the people we interact with. The purpose of an exchange does not need to be economic and limited to goods and services. Exchange often has a psychological and intangible dimension.

The ultimate goal of a customer approach is not simply to satisfy the customers, but to maintain a strong and lasting relationship – a “loyalty effect” – with them. That’s what really matters.

Maintaining good customer service requires daily action.

Quality customer service can be provided through simple actions…

100 Ways to Provide Greater Customer Service

1. Show that you take customer service seriously
2. Take the time to get to know your customers
3. Identify what your customers really want
4. Thank your customers
5. Be sincere
6. Smile
7. Respond quickly to customer requests
8. Make quality and service your priorities
9. Be proactive
10. Help clients without overwhelming them with bureaucratic red tape
11. Listen to understand, not to argue
12. Inform your customers
13. Turn complaints into satisfaction
14. Be reliable
15. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes
16. Do ordinary things extraordinarily well
17. Exceed customer expectations
18. Add value and integrity to every interaction
19. Give every customer your best
20. Speak in a reassuring manner
21. Discover new ways to delight your customer
22. Be surprised by everything you can do
23. Take care of every customer – don’t overlook “internal” customers
24. Make REALISTIC promises
25. Admit your mistakes and apologize
26. Know how to control yourself and your emotions
27. Make sure you are available and accessible
28. Learn about customer concerns
29. Do not finish client sentences for them
30. Pay attention, listen to what the customer has to say
31. Find a fair solution to meet client requests while meeting organizational needs
32. Do what you promise, when and how you said you would do it
33. Demonstrate sensitivity to client needs by validating or empathizing
34. Actively listen to client words, tone, and body language
35. Put yourself in the customer’s position to see the situation from their perspective
36. Try to understand before you make yourself understood
37. Thank the customer for bringing an issue to your attention
38. Recognize the customer and give them your full attention
39. Be professional
40. Connect, one client at a time
41. Identify and anticipate needs
42. Answer the phone before the third ring
43. Make customers feel important and valued
44. Be part of the solution, not the problem
45. Take complaints professionally and not personally
46. Know how to apologize
47. Ask thoughtful questions and listen to the customer’s response
48. Know that what counts is not what you say, but how you say it
49. Approach the situation (even if complex) with optimism
50. Tell the customer that you appreciate them as a customer, whenever they call
51. Treat each meeting politely and pleasantly
52. Don’t let the customer wait for nothing
53. Do not transfer the customer from one person to another
54. Remember that, to the client, their problem is unique
55. Keep things in context
56. Study all facets; do not defend or justify yourself
57. Be respectful
58. Be sensitive to your client’s situation
59. Do not use the phone as a shield against broken promises
60. Have the skills to help the client
61. Welcome the customer warmly and positively
62. Earn the customer’s trust
63. Direct the client to the right service, place, or source of information
64. Join forces WITH customer, AGAINST the problem
65. Promise less…and give more!
66. Accept responsibility for inconvenience without blaming others
67. Let the customer be involved in finding a solution
68. Try until the customer is satisfied
69. Constantly self-assess yourself to find the best way to serve your customers
70. Do not have a condescending tone of voice (as if you were talking to a child)
71. Never let your negative feelings appear
72. Choose to remain positive and client-focused
73. Accept others as they are rather than wanting them otherwise
74. Focus on the customer
75. Don’t be defensive
76. Listen to all the details before answering
77. Do not interrupt the customer. If you need to interrupt them, say “excuse me” or “sorry to interrupt”.
78. Try to help
79. Stay objective. Don’t get caught up in emotions
80. Propose an action plan
81. Provide an appropriate solution to the problem
82. Accurately rephrase the client’s words
83. Support the client by showing them that it is worth taking the time to try to understand them
84. Use de-escalation techniques when the customer is angry
85. Adapt to the client
86. Avoid anticipating the customer’s message
87. Do not chew gum
88. Give the customer time to ask their questions
89. Call the customer by name
90. Ask the customer for feedback
91. Avoid professional jargon and colloquial language
92. Gather the methods and techniques needed to succeed
93. Agree to be flexible in your own expectations
94. Offer multiple choices to the client
95. Take care of the customer first, then their problem
96. Be patient
97. Focus on quality rather than quantity
98. Be assertive without being passive, arrogant or hostile
99. Wish the customer a good day
100. Try one of these techniques a day!

It is your actions, your approach, and your attitude that will convince the customer of their importance.

And the customer is not the only one to benefit … knowing how to provide quality service makes our days easier and more enjoyable, and customer service is an investment in our credibility and professionalism. And it’s you who will get the long-term benefits!