Customer Service

Customer service as a tool to grow your business

Customer service is a phrase that many people use. I view customer service different than many other people that I talk to, I view customer service as managing the customer’s expectations. My staff used to laugh when I referred to a customer’s order as a project. To me, project management is part of my customer service philosophy.  I like to think that I took a page out of Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos playbook, “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.” I am not sure when I read that quote,  but it enforced my belief in the importance of customer service.

Project management as part of customer service

To be successful, I believe one needs to treat each order regardless of the order size or industry as a project with a start and end date. These dates are explained to the customer, which leads to managing the customer’s expectations. This develops a verbal or an actual physical contract where expectations have been set. Having the customer’s buy-in makes him/her part of the process. But most importantly, taking this step helps the customer understand some of the variables that go into completing a project.

According to a HubSpot article published in June 2022, 93% of consumers are more likely to become repeat customers at companies that provide an excellent customer service experience.

But as the Sesame Street song goes, ” … everyone makes mistakes, oh yes they do…” Mistakes happen especially in a retail environment, the question is how do you handle them?

Here are 3 tips on how to handle informing a client about a mistake

  • The truth
  • A real timeline
  • The bottom line

By treating customer service as part of my business and treating orders as projects, my teams consistently overdelivered and met and exceeded customer expectations. My teams were able to obtain repeat business, which has been proven to grow a business. Repeat customers reduce the sales cycle by not requiring the sales process to start again.  Remember that it traditionally takes approximately 7 touches to make a sale.  A positive customer service experience through exceptional customer service ultimately improves a business the bottom line.

My commitment to customer service has been demonstrated throughout my career but especially while running my business where my teams received numerous online testimonials as well as earning awards and public recognition:

  • 2017 Recognized by Chicago Magazine as one of the top 10 places in Skokie
  • 2015 First Place Village of Skokie Merchant of the Year
  • 2014 Third Place Village of Skokie Merchant of the Year

How I am Your Virtual Professional can help your business deliver award winning customer service

One of the goals of I am You Virtual Professional, is to help your company deliver award-winning customer service. I can work with you to create procedures to help raise your current staffs’ customer service skills, and then either conduct online training or create training videos that will help your teams deliver award-winning customer service.

Currently, I am writing a book on this subject and preparing to offer a online class on Customer Service Training.