Three Keys to Delivering Excellent Customer Service

In life, there have been many situations that have made me want to bang my head against the wall, but none have been as frustrating as searching for a DJ and photographer for my upcoming wedding. Being in charge of a customer service department, I have lofty expectations of customer care. No matter how impeccable your service, your end product, or your reputation, if you are not able to respond promptly to a customer, you will lose their faith and ultimately their business.

Case #1: One of the first music service providers we attempted to contact came highly recommended.  This company was preferred by the venue we are using and had been in the business for many years.  Unfortunately, the only way to reach this company was by phone. That’s great, except for that between normal business hours I don’t always have access to my phone and I certainly don’t have enough time to play an extended game of phone tag. E-mail was not an option and as the days went on, I could hear on the return calls that the service provider was getting more and more frustrated. If he didn’t want to use email, he should have provided me with another way to get a hold of him. Glowing recommendation or not, we did not feel like this company truly wanted our business. Off the list.

Case #2: I had another prospect that started out great. I was able to email at my convenience and I received prompt responses. We exchanged a little less than 10 emails between us and then, all communication stopped. This guy vanished like a ninja in the night and left my unanswered questions hanging in the air. Off the list.

Case #3: My fiancée went to wedding show and talked face to face with one of the vendors who answered all of her questions and was able to commit to the date on the spot. Since then, he has communicated with us, sent the contract and asked for a song list. You might think to yourself, “Well, isn’t this what a DJ is supposed to do?” Obviously not. It is clear that he wanted business by taking the initiative to rent a booth at the wedding show, clearly communicated with a potential client, had a list of available dates, and followed up. Hired!

Amazingly, we encountered the same headaches when we tried to find a photographer. When we were researching potential providers, we read the engagement between the vendors and their customers on various social media sites. People were saying great things about the amazing service and they were responding to the postings. What were we doing wrong?  We couldn’t even get an email response. Why didn’t we get the same results?  I shouldn’t have to be asking these questions.  A customer should feel like they are your only customer. I couldn’t help but ask myself how these companies were having continued success.

Keys to Delivering Excellent Customer Service

1. Respond.  Even if you can’t provide the service, return the phone call or email.
2. Communicate. If it’s taking a long time to get information that the customer has requested, update them so they do not feel like they have been pushed aside or forgotten.
3. Refer. If you aren’t the person the customer should be talking to, get them where they need to go.

A seamless and accurate communication pipeline is a must. You have to provide great service up front, but you also have to provide great communication and follow up.  This will provide a great experience for your customers and keep them coming back in the future.  You are only as good as your reputation. Take care of your customers and they will take care of you.