We live in a time where it’s “press 1 for English” and pretty much every aspect of customer service is automated. It’s annoying and the average customer is tired of it. What happened to the human touch?
I bank with several banks. When I call the big banks like Chase and Bank of America, it takes me 20 minutes of automated phone prompting to earn the right to speak with a real person. When I call my local bank (who I use the most) I have a direct line to a personal banker who helps me with anything I need. I use the local bank the most, because their service is impeccable. Shout out to Independent Bank www.independent-bank.com
The customer is frustrated with phone prompts, slow response time, and only talking to robots in the chatbox.
The companies who are growing right now are those who are centered on old school customer service. The market will pay a premium for good service. They know it’s so rare, that it’s worth it. I have a friend who pays American Airlines $50,000 per year, just to earn customer service perks. When you shop at Nordstrom, you get a personal shopper to help you. When you shop at Wal Mart you’re avoided by employees like the plague. People go to Nordstrom and pay more for the same shit, just because the employees service the customer so well.
While I’m a big fan of automation and using robots to do monotonous jobs, I’m also a fan of going above and beyond for the customer.
For example, most tech companies only offer support via the internet. At Phonesites, we will call you, email you, meet you, or whatever you need to make happen. We are 1000% committed to bringing old school customer service back to the tech world. We offer a great mixture of personal and automated support for our users. I don’t know of one other tech company that operates like we do. We want our users to have the assurance that anything they need, we will help with.
I’m a salesman by nature. Although my job isn’t in sales anymore, I still think like a salesman. I know that when I go to buy stuff from a fellow salesman, I prefer to do business with the ones who answer the phone, are always able to help, and great on the service side. One of the real marks of a good salesman is how well he or she treats their customers AFTER they have got their money. Those who provide good service get a good flow or referrals.
In my professional opinion, sales has two parts.
Closing: This is where you pitched your product, called the prospect to action, and got paid from the transaction.
Service: This is what takes place after the close. This is the follow-up, the help and support of those who paid you.
Those who master the first part (closing) get paid
Those who master the second part (service) get rich
Nothing can take the place of old school customer service. These days people pay a premium for personal service. When you get to a point in your mind that makes you happy to serve those who buy from you, you get fulfilled as well as wealthy.
How can you provide quality old school service to your clients?
-Answer the phone
-Become the single point of contact
-Show empathy and care for their needs
-Check-in with them once a quarter
-Respond to texts and emails promptly
-Send cards in the mail for special occasions
The above-listed actions are just a few ideas for you that will help you maintain and retain your best clients. The best clients are the ones who always pay on time and send referrals. Providing great service is the best way to get referrals. When you go above and beyond for those who buy from you, they will go above and beyond to send more people like them to buy from you.
Old school is making a comeback, for those of you willing to work it, it’s your time to shine!
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