Customer service is still king, especially in the small business world where one on one interactions are more common. Bad customer service experiences will always have negative impacts on the business but some startling statistics from Zendesk illustrate how critically important the customer service experience is:

56% of consumers never complain or note bad customer experiences and instead, just switch to a competitor

Half of the respondents indicated they would switch to a competitor after only one bad experience

Over half of those surveyed said great customer experiences were more important than price

There is a lot riding on that customer interaction and in this competitive marketplace, each of those interactions must be viewed as a valuable asset and maximized to its fullest potential. Taking the customer’s perspective on the customer service process can reveal opportunities for improving experiences as well as obstacles that could be hampering the process. Basic customer service skills can elevate the experience as well as increase the individual transaction.

Skill 1: Active Listening

Customer service is all about communicating and interacting with the customer but providing exceptional experiences starts with not saying much. Active listening refers to skills and abilities that promote better understanding of conversations. Some core concepts behind active listening:

Focus on the speaker’s mouth and visualize what is spoken

Use body language to convey enthusiasm

Allow speaker to finish and never interrupt or appear distracted

Provide acknowledgments throughout the conversation

Active listening skills are appropriate for any customer service scenario and are an essential component to resolving customer concerns and relieving tension. Active listening can also reveal additional customer wants and needs, potentially generating additional opportunities. Practicing patience consciously and training oneself to focus will improve active listening skills.

Skill 2: Asking Opening Ended Questions

The goal of customer interactions is to find out what their needs and wants are and fulfilling those with goods and services. The style of questions representatives ask can improve the quality of information gathered and reveal additional potential opportunities. By asking open ended questions, representatives can encourage deeper through processes in the customer and receive expanded and more detailed answers. Questions that require only one word or a yes or no answer limit the potential for conversations and stop the thought process too quickly to reveal any other information. Formulate questions to gather more information from the customer and to lead the customer towards upsell opportunities. Getting the customer talking also builds rapport quickly and establishes a faster connection and trust, key facets that encourage purchasing.

Skill 3: Associative Selling

In many instances, there are additional products and services that can be added to the core item or service and having a full understanding of product and service knowledge is crucial in building sales and increasing transaction value. Associative selling brings the first 2 skills together and having full details on associative products and services will convey a degree of confidence to the customer. Associative selling is the most effective way to maximize each customer interaction and will also elevate experiences which can yield additional external benefits to the business.

The Bottom Line

For many small businesses, customer interactions are the main revenue generator and each customer engagement should be looked upon as an opportunity to drive business and increase brand reputation. Customer experiences carry a lot of weight in small businesses and can affect profitability and brand reputation. Defining customer service goals is a starting point for developing better and more effective customer service processes. Honing basic customer skills among staff, management and ownership can greatly improve the experience and build a culture of customer service within the business. In the digital era, brand reputation becomes even more important as many consumers take to the internet to research products, services and brands before they interact with them.