What is great customer service?
Sometimes it is a matter of simply proving the customer with what they want. Simply? Well, yet it should be simple, but reality doesn’t always work out that way. It isn’t always easy to know what the customer wants, and if you take the unusual step of, dare I suggest, asking the customer, you may find that they don’t know either!
Providing what you say you will is a start. But these days the customer often expects a more personal touch and that can make you stand out from the competition. And let’s face it, we all like to do that now and again.
Identify what makes you / your product unique
Establish what the customer is looking for – and is there a match?
Do what you say you will / what is expected
Then add an extra, personal touch, which will be particular to you, or the customer
Here’s an example from a restaurant my husband and I visited recently:
Teaching Chinese
We went to Charlie Chan’s Chinese restaurant in Cambridge where the customer service was excellent… far beyond the normal Chinese restaurant. Yes, someone took us to our table, took our drinks order and we were left to peruse the menu in peace and quiet until ready to order. The food met our expectations and the bill came… then the added extra happened.
The waiter asked whether I could read Chinese as I had asked for the copy of the bill to take home. When I said I couldn’t he proceeded to discuss Chinese characters, the keyboard and how a Chinese computer works out what character you need and then gave us a lesson in drawing Chinese characters. Something I have not experienced before, I won’t forget it, and we will be back for more food (not quite sure I will pass any lessons in writing Chinese though).