65 Customer Service Best Practices

by Arnold Sanow

The results of a brainstorming session where the attendees came up with 65 customer service best practices.

1) How can we make it easier for our customers to do business with us? 2) Online message board to better communicate calls that are received 3) Questions and answers online - online help 4) Instant chat lines set up to answer customers concerns 5) Increase one stop shopping - get call answered 6) Technical staff should get out and meet customers 7) Have a profile and complete record of each customer. 8) Checklist for people who are at help desk for answers to frequently asked questions and for what questions to ask the customers 9) Customer rep for each floor 10) Focus groups/Brainstorming sessions with customers 11) Very clear instructions for customers. (i.e. little card for instructions) 12) Effective service level agreements 13) Call back after assistance to see if problem was solved 14) Pleasing personality - work on SOFTEN and phone personality 15) Have 800 telephone numbers 16) Support off hours and weekends 24/7

17) Onsite support for each floor and field office 18) Develop a pamphlet and online directions on how things work - step by step 19) Be accessible to customers 20) How do we meet and exceed expectations? 21) Good timely response 22) Have meeting with staff to outline and discuss what excellent customer service means. (Can't just say quality, but explain what exactly quality means) 23) Go beyond solving to explaining and educating the customer 24) Acknowledge customers - give full attention and listen 25) Contact after the problem has been solved - follow up 26) Customer advisory board 27) Anticipate problems and solve them before the customer complains 28) Underpromise and overdeliver 29) Do what you say you are going to do 30) Do it when you say you are going to do it 31) Do it right the first time 32) Train and educate customer base on what we can and can't do 33) Think outside of the box 34) Customer surveys/focus groups 35) Reward exceptional performance for meeting and exceeding expectations 36) Determine customer expectations 37) Set guidelines for being more reliable, responsive and credible 38) How do we overcome an attitude of indifference on our part towards the customer? 39) Listen to them

40) Follow up 41) Empower customers - Give them the tools to do things themselves 42) Get more customer involvement 43) More educational opportunities for the staff 44) Prompt assistance 45) Ask the right questions to find real problems and concerns 46) Customer focus groups 47) If cannot resolve customers problem direct it to the right place 48) One stop shop - one person should know answers or manage the response to make sure customer gets an answer and is not "tossed around" 49) Be sincere and genuine - not just insincere "smiles" 50) Don't add burden to customers frustration 51) Don't take it personally 52) Incentives for the staff 53) Customer relations training for everyone at all levels 54) Make everyone feel like part of the organization - connecting to the core mission 55) Don't think of customers as being a nuisance. If you do you will inadvertently treat them that way 56) How do we make the workplace a more positive place to work? 57) Improve managers knowledge about the real work environment 58) Empowerment for employees to make decisions 59) Rewards and strokes - appreciation 60) Teambuilding sessions with the whole team 61) Open communication

62) Clear guidelines 63) Say "NO" less often 64) More recognition for both internal and external customers 65) Showing the flag - get in front of the customer more often - visit