The Golden Rule Of Customer Service

'All of my experience in customer service and all the advice I've read tells [sic] me that when it comes to delivering great customer service, your philosophy needs to boil down to just one principle: be a decent human being '---- Alex Knapp

Good customer service is a fundamental part of any prosperous business. Whether your customers are ordinary consumers or mega-corporations or government agencies treating them with veneration and care is one of the best ways to strengthen your company's image and reputation and enhance your bottom line.

Customer service is an integral part of every form of entrepreneurship including even business associations and should not be seen as an extension of an organisation's functions. As Susan A. Friedmann asserts, 'customers are regarded as the most vital asset of a company.' Without them, no company would and could exist in business. When you make them feel at home, they do not only become loyal to your company or goods and services but they do also canvass for you thereby helping to grow your business.

The practice of customer service should therefore be as important at the reception point as it is in any other sales environment.

As I walked through those financial institutions trying to observe their customer relations right from the security points to the tellers, I began to ask myself 'Can competition among the banks ever be equated to that which pertains at the popular markets?'

One thing I noticed was the warm reception given by those banks, especially those with relatively few clients. In fact, for a moment, I thought it would be very difficult chosen from among them the best one to work with __ a warm reception that obviously compels you to wanting to do business with them.

Interestingly, those branches of these same financial institutions with relatively huge number of customers do not really care a hoot about whatever macabre reception received by their clients. What I believe they do not realise is that the mood of customers can easily and swiftly swing like that of electorate on the Election Day.

It has often been suggested that 'the client is always right' but the story is quite different when one moves to our own popular markets, that is, our many doted shops and stores as well as hawkers or street sellers.

While the well established firms and business associations like the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry are placing premium on customer relations as means of attracting and retaining clients, many start-ups continue to down play the significance of good customer relationship. This reminds me of a hilarious experience I had at one of the markets in Cape Coast when I wanted to buy local rice.

As soon as I asked whether they had local rice that I would buy some, the storekeeper started laughing and she sarcastically shouted 'friends do you know where he can get local rice, then show him.' Well, I laughed too and simply walked away. Since then anytime I pass by that store I never forget the rather 'nice Ghanaian petty-traders' reception' that was meted out to me. I have never gone there to buy anything again.

'Otookyi (Idiot), you are looking at me, I will even buy more,' said one pastor. This was the description of someone manning a supermarket at Winneba by a pastor. The pastor had gone there to buy some items but the attendant looked on unconcerned because she was rather busily chatting with another person. After a while, since the pastor could not waste the whole day there, he moved on to the adjacent shop for the items.

We need not to be told by anybody the grisly nature of reception some traders in the markets and the streets of Accra and the other big cities give to people.

Doing business in this global world has become very competitive that no business outfit should give room for chances. Many firms are devising means of even snatching customers of other organisation much less where such customers are not treated well.

A Customer of course, may be an individual, a group or even another company and the reception you give them will determine their coming back or otherwise.

It is therefore prudent for businesses both small and giant to adopt the following six rules in improving customer relations:

1. The client is always right
Do not provide an opportunity for your customer to say at any point, 'Why Are You Making It So Hard for me to give you my money? What you have to do is to kill the WAYMISH virus which is an acronym for Why Are You Making It So Hardfor me to give you my money? Indeed, a client may not be right all the time in principle, but you can make him/her right at any given time if you are able turn his/her 'wrongs' to 'rights' by simply listening and providing the necessary responses irrespective of how annoying his comments, questions or reaction may be.

2. Receptiveness and KYC (Know Your Client/Customer)

No customer service would ever be effective without 'patience' and 'accommodating' and the popular KYC.

Because every business environment is a union that has many publics, friction is just unavoidable. And especially because the client is always right, patience becomes a very important element in an organisation's quest to treat well and retain customers, who often reach out for support when they are confused and frustrated. It is equally very significant because as one school of thought posits, 'great service beats fast service every single time.' It is prudent to take time to truly figure out what your clients want and understand their needs they'd rather get proficient service than be rushed out the door! If you are receptive towards your clients you are likely to retain them and even win more. Being patient with clients and understanding and accepting them is a bold step towards enlarging your customer base which will culminate in increased market share.

3. A two-way symmetric communication
Communication scholars have often explained that a kind of communication that could be described as effective is the one that benefits both the sender and the receiver with the expected feedback. That is to say, every organisation or businesswoman or man should know that customers don't need their life history or how their vast experiences have impacted on their business or hear about how their day has been. They (the customers) need to be listened to as well. Given them the chance to pour out their complaints is very vital in building their confidence in you. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Pay attention to their body language, listen to their words, tone of voice, and most importantly, try to empathise with them to be able to understand their feelings. Allow them some room to make you understand them rather than being overly presumptuous - thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants or how he/she feels.

It is important to relay clearly to customers any information they need, keeping it simple and leaving nothing to doubt.

4. Time management
No man has all day to himself. If you wanted to do something, you do it quick and efficient. Though, it is important to spend more time with customers, you should not also be oblivious of the fact that there is a limit to whatever you do, and you need to be concerned with getting customers what they want in an efficient manner within a certain time frame without undue delays.

Don't waste time trying to go beyond your capability for a customer in an area where you will just end up wasting both of your time! Instead, direct the customer to someone with the requisite expertise to help him/her. And don't forget to be on time whatever you promise to do.

5. Strong focus
Studies done by many customer service experts have shown how giving employees unrestricted power to coax customers doesn't always generate the returns that many businesses expect to see.

Making promises you cannot keep affects adversely a company's customer relations. Reliability is the pinnacle of good customer service, and you must prove to your customers that you can deliver on your promises. If you can't make decisive plans for things like appointments, meetings, project deadlines, product delivery, or collection, then you better don't.

Being focus is important than just wallowing about canvassing for customers without establishing or prioritising effective customer service. This only leaves employees without goals, yet, business goals plus customer happiness can work hand-in-hand without resulting in low service.

6. Persuasiveness and closing ability
To truly take your customer service to the next level, you need to have some mastery of persuasion to enable you to convince interested customers that your product is targeted at.

This is not about a hike in sales but doing all you can to make it disincentive for a customer to slip away. And this is where true, convincing and compelling message making the company's product worthy of purchasing is sine qua non. It is as well an indication of whether you deserve more customers or that those who are loyal to you should even exit.

In persuasion, it is important also to close with a customer who will feel satisfied after the conversation or ad. No customer takes it kindly when he/she is ill or partially treated, with unanswered questions hanging, so be sure to take the time to confirm with customers that each and every issue they had on deck has been addressed adequately.

I couldn't agree less with George Lawton and Laura Lake that 'customer service is a critical part of doing business,' and that, it is the key component in the growth of marketing and business. It is therefore imperative to spend the majority of your time and energy nurturing customer relationships, so that you increase customer base which will eventually reflect in your market share. This strategy has the potential of accelerating your business and increasing your profit margin without necessarily increasing your budget.

From all that has been said, it is unequivocally clear that, ONE RULE stands out and that is what I call the GOLDEN RULE in customer service 'Do unto your customers/clients as you would want to be treated when you are a customer.' This, according to Alex Knapp, the Forbes' staff, is 'the whole of customer service. The rest is commentary.'