4 Ways to Bring Transparency to the Customer Experience
Being honest and open with your customers is a great step to pull in business, having a level of transparency when doing business is more important than you might think, especially if you want customers to keep returning. Below are 4 tips on how you can keep customers satisfied whilst still being honest and never forcing a sale.
Be Open About Flaws
If you don’t offer a specific service that a competitor might, that’s OK. Customers tend to shop around for the best deals and will often phone up to check if your company is offering the product they’re after. Although the thought of losing a sale can be though, telling the customer straight, not stringing them along or trying to sell them an alternative product will always work best in your favour. Some organisations try the term ‘we don’t offer that, however we do have..’ this is a less forward way of trying to make a sale as although they may not use your services that same day, that are more likely to remember you offer those products in the future should they need them.
Own Mistakes
Owning up to mistakes can be though and embarrassing for people, however, it’s better to own up straight away than let things drag out. When it comes to dealing with customers words can sometimes get lost in translation resulting in the customer thinking one thing and the employee meaning another. If this happens it’s best to correct the customers as soon as possible to avoid any further confusion. Taking the full blame is hard on one person, however it looks better form a customer’s point of view and will most likely have a more positive impact on the sales of products.
Design and Serve with Empathy
Customer experience is and should be at the heart of every business. Giving customers an experience, they won’t forget is a main priority for all businesses. When it comes to delivering a product, it should be done with the customer always in mind. Putting yourself in the shoes of a customer is also an approach some companies take; this allows employees to take a step back and imagine how they, as a customer, would be feeling. This is an interesting approach to delivering customer services, being able to read people and their emotions would be a key skill needed.
Ask for Honest Feedback – and be Open to Receiving it
If a customer phones up to say they are stopping using your services, there must be a deeper underlaying problem. Asking them to take a few minutes out of their day leaving a review on your websites or giving them a feedback form to fill out will help you better understand what went wrong and how you can ensure other customers don’t end up feeling the same way. If you think they’re being unreasonable with the comments they are making, try to remember they must feel that way for a reason and take any negative comments on board.
