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Joyce Morse

Joyce Morse is an author who writes on a variety of topics, including small business and marketing.

Joyce Morse has written 26 articles for SB Informer.
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How Can We Better Communicate with Customers?

Joyce Morse

November 28, 2014


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Customer service is one of the most important, if not the most important, aspects of a small business' success.

It determines the level of customer loyalty that the business enjoys, and even impacts marketing to an extent since a referral is one of the most effective ways to gain new customers.

Communication is key to achieving superior customer service and a strong reputation.

Lack of Communication

A lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings that cause customers to leave. Most customers won't say anything when they are unhappy with the service they receive with a company.

Instead, they just leave and find someone else to meet their needs.

In fact, a business should be thankful when a customer complains about a problem. It gives them the opportunity to correct the mistake and retain the customer instead of losing them to the competition.

What causes a lack of communication?

In many instances, it comes from not knowing what to say. Whether it is a salesperson, a customer support agent or other staff members, they may not know how to respond to a customer, so they say nothing.

This is the wrong method, but learning effective communication skills is not impossible.

How to Improve Communication in Your Company

If you have not always had the best communications with your customers, don't lose hope.

Make it your goal for 2015 to work on improving this important area of customer service.

Among the ways to improve:

• Train staff on communications - Send them to seminars or hold in-house training to teach staff about different methods of communication and how to handle complaints effectively.

• Create processes and procedures - Address common issues and situations and have written guidelines for handling them. Include instructions on when to use email or phone calls and what time line is expected.

• Write scripts for specific situations - Make sure they don't sound forced or rehearsed, but scripts can make staff feel more confident.

• Use surveys to gauge customer attitudes and feeling about your business.

• Don't assume - Review all information provided to customers to ensure that it is easy to understand and not ambiguous. One of the big issues for businesses is when customers assume one thing and the business meant another.

• Don't avoid confrontation, but learn how to handle it in the right way to retain customers. Make sure all staff also knows how to handle problems that lead to improved customer relations.

Learn how your customers like to communicate.

As the article “Is Your Company Communicating Like It Should” states, everyone has a different communication style. One person may prefer to use email while another may want to discuss issues over the phone or in person.

It is important that a business utilize multiple methods to ensure that it is meeting its customers' needs.

While communication is often complex, it need not be difficult.

Take the time to learn how to communicate with your customers and train your staff.

Avoid misunderstandings that result in lost customers by providing open lines of communication and problem resolution.


                   



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