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<\/p>\nIt\u2019s easy to have control over all aspects of your business when you\u2019re still a small operator. Things like taking inventory, stock control, manufacturing details, raw materials, hiring, customer service are some aspects of a retail business that business owners focus on daily.<\/p>\n
While your business is still small it\u2019s easy for you to keep rapport with your customers as well, and knowing how best to service them.\u00a0 But what happens when you start to expand your business? How do you assure that the same level of satisfactory customer service is provided throughout all your outlets?<\/p>\n
Regardless of service, channels and provisions, customers expect a consistent experience across all platforms. Consistency breeds trust between customer and provider. Building a solid reputation for consistency ensures that once customers are delighted, they are likely to return in the future.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, organizations constantly face pressures to change, grow and adapt to suit the market\u2019s needs. In this regard, consistency helps you identify and target consumer segments more accurately. It also helps you determine prospective segments to expand into.<\/p>\n
Knowing where you stand means integrity, regardless of what type of organization you are. As a leader, providing consistency should be the basis of the rest of your operations.<\/p>\n
To do so, here are 3 things Malaysian Small Business Retailers can do to maintain consistency in Customer Service.<\/p>\n
If reputable customer service is what you\u2019re after, you need to set standards for your employees. Employees need to know what is expected of them, so they can perform well. Some of these things include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Dress codes
\n\u2022 Location themes (colours, designs, moods)
\n\u2022 Customer greetings over calls, e-mail and personal communication
\n\u2022 Customer follow-ups<\/p>\n
The more specific you can be, the easier it is for employees to follow. Vague and open rules can work in more urban and youthful companies, but there still must be a concise framework for expectations.<\/p>\n
Try and get existing employees to chime in. It\u2019s not always easy to envision an entire plan independently, and neither is it quite right. The standards set represent the company, not an individual, and therefore should be made with the input of other members.<\/p>\n
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As an employer, developing and coaching your team is your responsibility. Share your expectations of what great customer experience means. Correct employees when they fall short, commend them when they perform well.<\/p>\n
Provide tools to evaluate customer service. Set up measures to evaluate objective feedback from customers through the likes of surveys and ratings. Surveys themselves are a chapter on their own, but there are some basic formats that are easy to integrate into your solutions:<\/p>\n
Comment cards, interviews, web surveys and phone calls are some of the most common, but be sure not to go overboard. Pestering customers can result in a negative customer experience. View it as a long-term goal, and approach customers sparingly. Comment cards allow for customers to choose if they want to provide feedback, and these can be placed over the counter if your business has a storefront.<\/p>\n
Digressing, don\u2019t tolerate excuses from employees. Upholding a high standard to customer service is a crucial part of any business. There are challenges that may overshadow the need for customer service, but there is always a solution. Coach your staff to rise above these challenges and focus on the needs of your customers.<\/p>\n
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Your employees will follow your lead. Even if you\u2019re seated behind a desk mostly, take time to get on the floor and show them how it\u2019s done! This is, of course, without malice or arrogance. When employees see how you approach customers, they instinctively view it as the standard that they must emulate.<\/p>\n
You, as the leader, are accountable to your staff\u2019s performance. If you show diligence, so will your staff. If you act indifferent, so will your staff. You should aim to meet, or even exceed the standards that you have set. Being a role model is not an easy-task, but it is a must if you wish to maintain consistent customer service.<\/p>\n
Often, reaching your customers is a very simple process. Meeting their expectations in a timely, accurate and friendly manner is what you need to build these relationships. Maintaining the relationships, however, requires a consistent effort on the part of the service provider.<\/p>\n
When executed consistently and correctly, you bolster your reputation as a business and create an environment where customers are keen to return. It all starts from the simple phrase,<\/p>\n
\u201cConsistency is key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actionable Takeaway: <\/b><\/p>\n
At times, we can get stuck between providing a consistency or a \u201cWOW\u201d factor to services. The obvious goal is to not have to choose between the two. The priority should be to have consistency as a basis, then start innovating upon that basis. There need not be a choice, but a priority<\/b>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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