Gold Medal Customer Service

Keeping Clients With Little Or No Acquisition Cost

Retaining clients is simplistic as long as you focus on your current base and not on those that you suspect as clients. Research indicates the cost of maintain is less than 55% trying to acquire new clients.

First Impressions
The first tool of trade, or those that you employ, is a smile. Yes, a warm empathetic smile. Nothing cures the ills of a day or a situation than a smile. The best techniques for making a great first impression is to always do it! Smiling creates enthusiastic client service. Try being mean-spirited with a smile on your face - it's impossible.

Body Language
Statistics show that when engaged in direct conversation, we remember 38% of the words used, 43% of the body language, and 19% of the tone. Basically, we watch more than listen to words. With telephone conversations, we recall 45% of the words and 55% of the tonality. If you do not believe your smile is "heard" on the telephone, think again.

Trust
Client service is about humility and comfort. Your personal and professional goal is to ensure your clients trust you and you can build an honest relationship that assists in meeting a want or a need. Your lack of desire will clearly create angst and poor service ratings. For those of you reading this in management, it might cost you business!

Listen
Human nature has us speaking too much. We are prone to telling and speaking and not much listening. I encourage you to question your client. Questioning takes the focus off you and places it on the client. Questioning gets the client to speak and not you. Questioning enables you to acquire helpful information used during your call.

Sincerity
One of the greatest gifts of mankind is the ability to be humble and sincere. Client service meets needs, but it also suggests a problem solver. The customer service area is the linchpin of the organization since good customers tell others about positive experiences. The cliché is correct; one good client tells another, one bad client tells 20. You mission is to provide empathy and hope that you will resolve issues when then come to you.

Finding the Right Talent
A stereotype exists for customer service. It is doomed to fail. Many advertisements state a representative is required to have good computer skills, oral communication, and an ability to make 50 or more calls per shift. If this is the only criteria for hiring, I suggest you rethink this important process.