Take a few seconds and remember the last time you had great customer service. It’s easier to remember the bad customer service experiences we have, but try to remember a good one. What was the situation? And why was it so memorable?
There are a few times that stick out in my mind. Once, I had been charged and shipped the product for an order I had canceled. I angrily marched into the physical store, but without comment beyond asking me why I was returning the product, the employee refunded my money immediately. I left calm and satisfied, and have since done business with that company many times since.
Another time, I got a letter from a running store I’d purchased something or other at. I’d just completed my first marathon and the letter congratulated me and told me to come by the store for a free pair of gloves. I was blown away by that — that they’d taken the time to compare the list of finishers against their list of customers — and reward us for our loyalty. I’ve buy most of my running supplies there exclusively, now.
DBusiness.com has a column about some other ways to offer great customer service — use the customer’s name, avoid cliches, and, like in my second story above, continue the relationship after the sale is complete. Small things make a satisfied customer, and a satisfied customer is a repeat customer.
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