What I’ve Learned: The Essentials of Customer Service
Sunday, December 20, 2020
With more than 25 years in business, I’ve learned a few things about customer service!
At Bakers Pride, every person in the company is in customer service. We know customer service is not a department: it is an attitude! We strive to see things from a customer’s point of view and give them the best experience possible with every product, every delivery, every interaction: on the phone, via email, or in person.
I’ve learned a lot from Shep Hyken, a friend and fellow entrepreneur whom I met many years ago as a member of EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization). Shep is a customer service expert, author, and speaker. Keeping your customers happy is not difficult if you offer high quality products you believe in and love what you do. (I do, and it’s a sweet life!) Here are some of the essential ingredients:
- Keep commitments. Always do everything possible to meet, and preferably beat, expectations. If you cannot honor a commitment, apologize quickly and sincerely and come up with solutions to rectify the problem. A positive attitude goes a long way.
- Be consistent. Just as product quality has to be consistent with every order, the experience a customer has with a business has to be consistent from person to person, time after time. This means that employees are trained in and live the values of the business. If you treat your team (internal customers) like external customers you care about, you will have happy employees, and that translates into good customer interactions.
- Be easy to access. Value your customers’ time. Keep the wait time short if someone must be placed on hold and return calls when you say you will. Have an informative website that’s easy to navigate, and make sure that the ordering process is customer-friendly.
- Listen and learn. Seek out customer feedback about your products and processes so you can enhance customer service. Have a willingness – no, an eagerness – to hear what they have to say. Especially the not-so-good stuff, which often leads to great insights and improvements.
- Last but not least, show appreciation! Establish a grateful atmosphere within your company so that all team members communicate their appreciation to customers on a regular basis. A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way to keeping a relationship strong.
At Bakers Pride, we take great pride in our products and the rave reviews we get from our customers. For more than 25 years, we have delivered delicious seasonal specialties and perennial favorites daily in the St. Louis area. You can count on us for the highest quality fresh-baked goods and on-time delivery. Contact us to learn more about how we can sweeten your customers’ day.
With Gratitude,
Cheryl Lauer
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