training tactics

Customer Service Checklist

by Valerie Manso

Delighting customers, ensuring they come back in the future, and encouraging them to sell the merits of your business to their friends, relatives, and colleagues are aspirations of every business.

One of the most effective ways to meet these goals is to provide excellent customer service. Here is a checklist on service strategies.

MAKE CUSTOMERS FEEL SPECIAL

√ Begin by greeting your customer like you would an honored guest. Then take the time to fully understand the individual's needs and wants. Ensure your recommendations fully address their visual and lifestyle demands. And, finally, when you dispense the products, reinforce the buying decision by complimenting the choices your customer made.

BE HONEST

√ Never make promises to customers unless you know you can deliver on them. The rule I live by is "under-promise and over-deliver." Honesty helps you to start and maintain a good relationship. Always remember that once a customer has lost faith in your service, it is very difficult to restore.

EMPHASIZE WHAT YOU CAN DO

√ Your customers are dealing with many negatives in their lives. Part of delighting is saying yes—telling the customer the things you can do for them rather than focusing on the things you cannot.

DON'T CONFUSE CUSTOMERS

√ Don't use jargon or try to blind your customers with science. You will know more about the product than they do, and you should seek to simplify and explain what's happening in plain, clear language. If the customer feels he is being patronized or talked down to, he will be much less likely to buy from you in the future.

NEVER COMPROMISE ON QUALITY

√ Don't take shortcuts with the products you supply. Make product recommendations that provide the best we have to offer. If cost becomes a factor, then step down to the next best and so on. Ensure accuracy of the measurements, lens power, and lens treatments. If the job is not 100 percent correct, then remake it.

TODAY'S CUSTOMER = TOMORROW'S REFERRAL

√ The most effective form of marketing is word-of-mouth. We trust the opinion of friends and family. By delighting your customer, you will create an advocate for your business who does not hesitate to share the positive experience.

Give a couple extra business cards to each satisfied customer and ask him or her to distribute them to friends and relations. Implement a reward program for referrals. And, be sure to follow up and thank anyone who refers new customers to you. EB

Valerie Manso is the president of Manso Management Resources, Inc., a training and development company specializing in the ophthalmic industry (valmanso@aol.com).