Customer service can make or break your business. Even as good customer service practices can improve your business’s sales, bad practices can isolate customers. In the long run, it’s important to understand both. Here we explain six common customer service mistakes that could damage your small business. Avoid these actions when interacting along with your customers, so you don’t risk your business future.
CUSTOMER SERVICE PRACTICES TO AVOID
- Arguing with Customers
The proverb that “the customer is always right” should be taken seriously. Although it might be tempting to argue with difficult customers, this probably won’t help you clear up the difficulty, and you’ll be much more likely to lose this customer.
While fighting with a customer in-store can be destructive, it can be even worse if you insult a customer online. Your indignant remarks will be observable to existing and potential customers, making your business look very unethical.
In the end, this is one of the most critical customer service mistakes to keep away from. We encourage you to deal with customer service problems with kind-heartedness, persistence, and gratitude, so you don’t lose valuable consumers!
- Offer Customers the Same Deal
Don’t advertise “special offers” in the event that they aren’t unique to your clients. Subsequently, customers will realize that they are being given the exact same deal, and will not recognize being deluded. As an alternative, get innovative and offer some deals to consistent customers. This will reward them for their devotion, and incentivize them to continue paying for your services or products.
- Too Good To Be True Policies
Customers love a great deal. Regularly, getting a coupon or other deal will inspire them to shop at an establishment. Because of this, some small business owners use this to their gain, and try to trick your customers with deceptive policies.
In the end, being untruthful with customers will damage your business’ overall reputation, and could cause you to lose business going forward. Most customers are knowledgeable enough to recognize when promotions are confusing, so don’t trick your customers.
- Treating Customers as One-Time Transactions
Don’t simply focus on the sale at hand! Being pushy or doubtful could make customers uncomfortable, and they will not visit your business again. Every purchaser that you meet should be treated as if they will be a long-term customer. Short-term relationships with them, and show that you’re passionate about supporting them through your services or products.
- Ignoring Customer Feedback
Because of the internet, customers can easily provide feedback through websites like Yelp, Google reviews, and Foursquare. Whether they write a review on these websites, comment on your social media posts, or contact you through an e-mail, it can be extremely damaging to ignore their remarks.
Despite the fact that all feedbacks will not be helpful, it’s important that your customers feel heard. If you fail to reply to their queries, they may take their business somewhere else. Similarly, you could be missing out on positive feedback that might improve your business operations.
- Being Afraid of Complaints
Did you know that almost 45% of customers leave negative reviews online, and 63% of customers read those reviews? And because of this, if your small business makes a mistake or provides bad customer service, it is likely that it will end up on social media and online review platform.
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to make every customer happy. So, rather than looking to delete or forget about negative feedback or critiques, pay attention to what your customers are saying. Evaluate their issues and complaints, and express a plan to fix them.
