Describing Customer Service
Q: I need some clarification of what interviewers mean when they say "describe Customer Service."

A: Thank you for contacting CPSA’s Sales Advisor. From an organizational perspective, c ustomer service is all about the organization's ability to supply their customers' wants and needs.

ACA Group defines excellent customer service as “the ability of an organization to constantly and consistently exceed the customer's expectations." From an individual salesperson’s perspective, the following pointers will help you demonstrate to interviewers that you genuinely care about exceeding your customer’s expectations:

Answer your phone and leave information about how you can be contacted. Customers who call want to talk to a live person, not voicemail. If you are going to be in client meetings all day, state that on your voicemail and leave an emergency contact name and number.

Keep your commitments. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you tell a customer that “Your equipment will be delivered to the plant on Tuesday”, make sure it is delivered on Tuesday. Otherwise, don’t say it. The same rule applies to client appointments, deadlines, etc.. Think before you give any promise – because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.

Listen to your customers. There’s nothing more exasperating (or irritating for that matter) to a customer than telling a salesperson what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that the individual hasn’t been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? Can the sales pitches and the product babble. Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.

Handle complaints quickly. As with any relationship, problems and complaints do come up. Look upon them as an opportunity to reinforce your relationship. Don’t adopt the philosophy that you can’t please all your customers all the time. Maybe not, but if you give the customer’s complaint your full attention, you may be able to please them this one time and keep them as a customer for life.

Be helpful - even if there’s no immediate profit in it. Always go the extra mile and respond to your customer’s requests. Even though there may be no business or order forthcoming immediately, the opportunity to reinforce the value you bring to the relationship is priceless.

Take the extra step. For instance, if a customer calls and needs to have product delivered and your delivery schedule is not flexible enough to meet their demand, take the initiative and arrange to have the product delivered by your courier or staff. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but customers notice when a salesperson makes the extra effort and will tell other contacts.

Throw in something extra. Whether it’s a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, customers love to get more than they thought they were getting.

Providing good customer service pays untold dividends and the lifetime value of a loyal customer is more important than seeking out new ones. The irony of good customer service is that over time it will bring in more business revenue than promotions and price discounting ever will.