As business owners, we constantly read and hear how we should be “wowing” customers: turning them into raving fans, creating armies of loyal followers, and creating “buzz”. But how do we do that? I haven’t really seen anyone explain how to go from “ok” customer service to “out of the park” customer service. So I wanted to share with you some tips and ideas on giving exception customer service and branding experiences to ‘wow’ customers and create raving fans!
7 Steps to Creating Exceptional Customer Service
The first step to creating raving customers that will not only be happy to pay with your wedding service, but also recommend you to everyone they know- is to have exceptional customer service.
Its astonishing how many wedding businesses don’t have customer service at the top of their list, and forget simple things.
Follow these customer service tips for ensuring you have raving fan customers…
1. Keep your commitments
If you tell a customer you are going to do something, you do it. Case closed. Think about the last time you had to get your car repaired. Did you go in for an estimate, agree to the repair cost, and all of a sudden the cost went up? Or, did you purchase an item that required shipment and you were told 1 week, but the item showed up on your doorstep 4 weeks later? Companies that make empty promises just to gain business usually end up out of business. The best way to make raving fan customers is to keep those commitments and promises. If a situation comes up that is out of your control making it impossible to honour your commitment, keep the customer informed and do everything you can to make it right.
2. Educate your customers
Whether it’s a personal phone call, an email, or through social media, you can create raving fan customers by keeping them informed. Let them know when new products or services are available, the latest wedding trends and styles, and any other helpful tips for their big day. Clients value professionals giving them advice and tips, and love to be educated on the latest and greatest!
3. Be consistent
Do you have a favourite restaurant that you can go to and always get a great meal? Customers like to do business with companies that are consistent. It takes the guesswork out of the equation and creates loyalty.
4. Acknowledge and fix problems
If you avoid customer complaints or issues they will avoid you. Honouring your commitment, educating the customer on what can be done, and making sure you are consistent will keep them coming back. Chances are they will tell their friends how well you handled the problem and generate more business for you.
5. Respond in a timely manner
These days speed is gold. The faster you get back to clients, the more they appreciate and trust you. People like to be able to easily contact you, and longer than 24 hours is not good enough. If you cant reply to emails or phone calls because its your day off, or you are out doing a job, be sure to have a friendly voicemail or email auto responder that lets your clients know you will call them back within a certain time period.
6. Deliver More Than You Promise
You will always need to promote your product or service, but as you convert your prospects into customers, give more value than they expect. Surprise and delight them with added value, and they will reciprocate in kind, sharing stories of your terrific service with their friends and contacts—who are then primed to become your next customers.
7. Continually Ask Them What They Want
Innovation is essential today. Your business must continue to evolve to effectively meet your customers’ needs in unique and powerful ways, or you face the certainty that someone else will rise to that challenge. So how will you evolve? Ask your customers. What is the biggest challenge they are facing? Why is it important that they find a solution? And then figure out how to help them, in ways that they can’t help but rave about to others.
‘Wowing’ Your Customers Through Your Marketing Materials
Developing a Client ‘Welcome Pack’
Another way to create raving customers is to provide them with something they aren’t expecting, and that create a ‘wow’ factor from the early stages of enquiring with you, and hiring you or buying your product or service.
Simply just providing a quote to a client when they enquire about your services isn’t enough to set you apart from your competitor, and it only makes your customer shop on price.
What you want to do to gain more business, more brides and more sales- is to create some ‘excitement’ about your brand or business, and build rapport, trust and excitement.
How you can do this is with a Welcome Pack. You may have one welcome pack for clients who haven’t booked with you yet, but are enquiring about your service, and one welcome pack that is for clients once they have booked with you.
Here are some examples:
Customer Service on Social Media
As social media becomes a big part of our online marketing it is more and more important in creating raving fans. It’s very easy to get caught up in building fans and followers but are you offering exceptional customer service and raving fans via social networks?
For a wedding business, in an industry where reputation counts for so much, it’s essential that you don’t see social media as one-way traffic. You need to be responding to customers promptly and professionally whichever way they choose to contact you.
1. Monitor
Check the activity on your Facebook page regularly.
Check the activity on your Instagram account regularly.
Set up notifications for Facebook and Instagram to your mobile, so that you know when people mention you, or comment on your page or post.
Google alerts will let you know when you are mentioned on blogs and forums.
2. Respond
Thank and acknowledge anyone who is good enough to say something positive about your business.
Ensure questions are answered as quickly as possible – if you need to check something, acknowledge the question and give an estimated timescale for a full reply.
Reply sensitively and professionally if a comment is negative. Try to move the conversation to email/telephone to make it private while you resolve. Never get into an argument via social media.
Business Assessment
Customer service is essential in creating a business, and obtaining loyal fans that will refer you to their friends and family. Word of mouth is the cheapest form of advertising, and the most powerful!
The below is an assessment for you to complete and hand in. Please email to : admin@lamodecollege.com.au
Questionnaire:
1. List 5 ways you can create exceptional customer service
2. What is the most ideal time frame to get back to enquiries from your customers or potential customers?
3. Why is social media important in creating loyal fans and customers?
Activity:
1. Research ideas of what kind of welcome pack or marketing or promotional materials you can give your clients when they enquire about your service. Think outside the square and beyond a A5 Flyer. ( this can easily be thrown in the bin… you want something they would be inclined to keep, and something that sets you apart.)
2. Design a Promotional item, marketing materials or welcome pack that you can use in your business. Find a supplier that can make your promotional item, or source the company that can provide you with the supplies for you to put together yourself.
3. On a A4 piece of paper, write about your welcome pack/ promotional materials that you have designed, and include pictures of what it will look like, and costings. ( note: you don’t have to physically put together the pack at this stage if you arent up to this stage- you can just collect pictures of what you would like- and the costings- so you are prepared when you want to proceed with it…)
Tip: Use the above photos in this eclass to help you collect ideas of what you could do for your welcome pack for your business. It could be an fan of centrepiece photos, a wedding planning folder, a beautiful envelope with ribbon and postcards of your work inside, a customised CD rom or usb with images or videos of your work on it- the list goes on!
When you have completed this assessment please email to : admin@lamodecollege.com.au