Increasing This Skill by 10% Will Skyrocket Your Business

There are many things that separate average people from great people. Similarly, the difference between average companies and great companies are many underlying factors relating to operations, strategic output and productivity.

However, in an era of competitiveness where many products and services are in the marketplace, and where many people are establishing businesses, it can be very difficult to distinguish between which products are superior. Despite this fact, whether dining at a restaurant, or asking a sales associate a question in regards to your product, deciding whether to stay at the Ritz Carlton vs The Holiday Inn; the one underlying factor that customers look for is not price but service.

In a competitive marketplace, customer service has become a crucial element of a business’s ability to thrive. The days are gone where a few big companies could promote a product and people would mindlessly purchase the product. As technology continues to advance and provide consumers access to more information, consumers are becoming empowered in their decision making abilities, and it has never been more important to provide quality customer service than now.

Dustin Black is the owner of Black Tie Moving Services, which is one of the  fastest growing independent moving companies in the United States. Dustin’s company has had a growth of over 1180 percent in the last three years, and he has worked with countless athletes and celebrities and individuals to help them create an effortless, red carpet-like moving experience. His business has been featured in outlets like Bravo and The Million Dollar Listing ,the Altman’s brother popular real estate show.

Dustin has built his company on this sole fundamental of over-promising and over-delivering on customer service in an industry where movers are known for displaying poor customer service. It is about being able to create an experience and creating a feeling which is the best thing you can do for a consumer. Creating exceptional experiences and high level services will lead a company to have high-quality customer service.

Customer Service is essentially being able to provide remarkable service not only during the actual sale, but in the steps you take before and after the sale has taken place. Customer service is the perception the customer will have of your business, whether they decide to purchase with you or not.

Customer Service does not always have to be in person, even though face-to-face is the richest form of communication. In a digitally advanced world, the customer is just one click away, so even though it is as important to service your customer offline, it is vitally more important to service their needs and solve their problems online.

To explain the consequences of delivering poor consequences for an organization, here is a  shocking fact: 89 percent of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service. (Right Now Customer Service Experience Report).

This stat underscores the importance of having solid customer service. Customer service shouldn’t just be practiced by a customer service representative, but by every individual that works for the company, from the President, to the Janitor. Everyone should display remarkable customer service at every point.

In addition, a business must create 12 positive customer experiences for 1 negative experience, so what is the lesson?  Deliver world class service the first time, so you can create a memorable interaction with 12 other customers.

Here are three tips that businesses, entrepreneurs and the average person can implement in their daily life to ensure their business continues to thrive and prosper.

Build Trust or Your Business Will Bust

As mentioned earlier in this article, with a lot of competition in the marketplace, people will stay loyal to a brand as long as they have reason to. That is why it is imperative that organizations continue to provide world class customer service which will lead to an increase in trust. This boost in trust could be the difference between a loyal customer and someone who jumps business to business.

Communicate Effectively

Communicating in a manner where the customer understands your message is vital. The basic fundamental principle of communication can be studied by listening to Steve Jobs. Jobs was one of the best communicators we’ve had yet in the business world. His speech and nonverbal cues were congruent and intuitive.

Exceed Expectations

Being able to create a positive, memorable experience for a customer is a crucial skill because it leaves a long lasting impact if done correctly.

70 percent of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated.

“Very few companies live up to the standards, you either train to be the best or perish. If you set high-level expectations about your business from branding then you are forced to be undeniably good. Great customer service is not about having a great smile or being polite but they are added features. The biggest thing you can do is solve a customer’ problem and address their spoken and unspoken concerns. Saving a customer time, money, and stress will move your customers in a big way.”

– Dustin Black

Share with me a story of the last time you received great customer service!