The market is full of competitors. This may be bad news for you as a business but for customers it means they have more choice. If they don’t like one company, they’ll find another one soon enough that meets their needs better.

This means that customer service, one of the top complaints people have for businesses, is vital to get right if you want returning customers and to stand out among the competition. Here are some tips for improving your customer service experience.

Market research

Market research is essential in the beginning. However, don’t stop there. Customer needs and expectations change regularly so it’s important to keep up to date with them. You need to know what you’re getting wrong so you can put it right. Get into the habit of collecting data from questionnaires and surveys to inform your choices in the future.

The human touch

Everyone gets fed up with dealing with faceless companies that lack the human touch. Customers want to know they are valued and treated as individuals. A personal touch is usually easier for smaller businesses so make sure you’re going the extra mile to make the customer feel valued.

Rewarding customers

People like rewards for remaining a loyal customer. Try regular deals or another customer reward program like loyalty cards to give people an incentive to keep coming back.

Listen to reviews

As a business it’s important to listen and consider all your reviews, both good and bad. Complaints are a great learning curve, especially if the same ones keep coming up. Use them to inform your next move and improve the service you provide.

Train your staff

Hiring staff to simply complete work is one thing, but if they’ve had no training in how best to work and communicate with customers, this could be hindering your progress.

If you can spare the time and cash, invest in training for customer service. Good service can mean the difference between someone coming back or not so the results will justify the costs eventually.

Some businesses find it helpful to set guidelines or even scripts for staff to use when dealing with customers. Make sure you listen to and consider what your customers and staff are saying about these interactions to come up with the most suitable approach.

Don’t neglect your staff morale

While the customer is heart of improving customer service, don’t forget your staff. If your staff are overworked, not listened to and generally unhappy, they’re not going to be giving each customer the best experience they can. You don’t want customers coming in feeling uneasy or witnessing tension so make sure your business is a good place to work as well as shop.

How do you keep your customers happy? What other tips would you give? Please leave your thoughts below.