Building Customer Satisfaction
There are many elements in a service environment that contribute to a customer-centric atmosphere. One of the key components for building customer satisfaction is sound interpersonal communication. Effective verbal, nonverbal and written communication with customers is simple and inexpensive ways to ultimately gain customer loyalty.
Simply put, you must be able to articulate or clearly explain (verbally and in writing) information in a manner that customers can comprehend and act upon. Otherwise, they will not believe in you or your organization. To that end, you must provide more than facts and figures; you must send a message of sincerity, knowledge, and honesty during each encounter. Never forget that customer-provider relationships are based on personal interactions, not on policy and procedures.
As you communicate with your customers, project your feelings and emotions by being positive and enthusiastic. Let customers know that you are human and approachable. Also, communicate frequently and keep your customers informed. This is especially important when a problem has occurred or they are awaiting a product or service that has been delayed. In such instances, you must update them regularly. Failure to do that can lead to frustration and a belief that you are lying or trying to hide something from them. The result of such perceptions could be that they might cancel their order, complain, or take their business elsewhere. They are also likely to tell others about their disappointing experience in person or via social media.
Building customer satisfaction is not that difficult. It is to your advantage to continually upgrade your knowledge and skills in order to build or hone your communication skills. By doing so, you can better ensure that the message you intend always reaches your customers. Check with your organization’s training department for classes or resources they might offer. If those resources are not available, do an Internet search for podcasts, webinars, book articles, blogs and other free sources of information or training. For example, YouTube has an assortment of video segments on various customer service skills and communication topics. There are also several books on customer service available at http://www.robertwlucas.com/books-by-robert-w-lucas/.