Gift Basket Business Blog

Good Service Relieves High Stress

July 21st, 2009 at 08:46pm Lorie Obernauer

In the July/August issue of Specialty Foods Magazine, author Ari Weinzweig offers “Even More Low-Cost Service Tips for High-Stress Times”. This is the third installment of this three part series. If you missed the beginning of this series, read Part 1 and Part 2 for some great ideas.

I especially like two of the tips that Weinzweig suggests in the final portion of this series.

• “Just Say Yes”. When a customer calls you with a problem, he/she is often angry, disappointed or frustrated. Before dealing with the problem, it’s important to deal with the feelings. After listening to the customer make his/her points, you can simply say “yes, that sounds like a problem, let’s work something out”.  This type of response can diffuse the negitive feelings. It offers the opportunity for the customer to feel “right” and gives you a chance to start to solve the problem rather than being the recipient of all those negitive vibes. After all, if you’ve been agreeable, why would the customer need to stay angry? Now, you can offer some suggestions to resolve the issue.

• “Be Careful Where You Say I’m Going on a Break“. If I’m waiting for a someone to take care of me, there’s nothing more annoying than a sales clerk who sees me standing there, then announces “it’s time for my break”. It’s not that it’s wrong for your employee to take a break when there are customers around, but there’s a better way to deal with this situation. Approach the customer and acknowledge that he/she is waiting. Then tell the customer that you will find someone to help them immediately. This way, the customer feels “noticed” instead of annoyed. Once your employee brings someone else over to the customer and says, “this is Anna; she’ll help you right now”, your employee can quietly leave for a break without ruffling feathers.

These simple, straightforward customer service tips will impress your customers and make them feel that they’ve come to the right place! What other low-cost customer service tips do you use in your business?

Entry Filed under: Business Tips, Customer Service, Employee Training