Top Strategies for Excellent Customer Service Reviews

Customer service reviews are a crucial online marketing tool, one that can make or break your business. Your official content is undoubtedly important, but the customers usually have the last word. You need that word to be in your favor to keep your revenue rolling and growing. We’ll look at why reviews matter and which strategies will help you enhance customer service.

The True Value of Bad Reviews

Poor reviews translate to less business — even when you feel relatively secure in your market position. It leaves openings for competitors to come out swinging, and left to its own devices, can destroy a business from the outside in. When it comes to online reviews, there may have been a time where you could remove a few negative remarks, but that window is long past now. Review authority sites won’t stay authorities if business owners are allowed to edit their rating.

Set Standards

Quality leads start with a trustworthy reputation. Corporations can get a lot of flak for setting company-wide expectations, but there’s a reason why leaders do this. When employees have a benchmark, they’re more likely to live up to it. When it comes to customer service, the key is better communication. Too often, customers are told one thing, then told another. They have to repeat the same concerns to different employees. When you set specific protocols, especially for customer service, you can ensure everyone is on the same page. It means less hassle for the customer, less confusion for the employees, and ultimately less mess to clean up if an unforeseeable issue occurs.

Listen to the Customer

You’re not going to be able to fulfill every customer’s request, but you do have to listen to every single one of them. As you discuss different options with them, it’s your team’s job to ensure that their needs are heard. So while certain items might well be outside their budget (e.g., granite countertops on a shoestring, etc.), the key is to walk them through how it works. As they talk through their ideas, you should be able to come to a compromise. This starts with prioritizing the deal-breakers before moving on, so the customer at least gets what they need even if they can’t get what they want.

Offer Solutions

A home renovation project often looks very different than its original conception. This is something that company owners have long accepted. But a customer isn’t going to have that same insight, and they’re liable to get frustrated along the way — and sometimes very early on. Instead of writing these customers off as problems or nuisances, look for ways to improve the situation by offering options. So instead of waiting to tell them that an installation is going to be delayed, you should be telling them as soon as you (or your staff) know. Whether it’s that your employees are going to be late or an unexpected part needs to be back-ordered, you need your customers to trust that you’re taking care of it. You also need to be ready to respond to unsatisfied customers, doing what you can to make a situation right.

Err on the Side of More Communication

This tip goes for both your employees and your customers. Every company has its own hierarchy when it comes to how information is dispersed. It’s usually better if people know more than less though, simply because there are fewer chances that a customer will have to wait for an answer. If you’re a smaller home improvement company, your size can actually work to your advantage. It’s easier to communicate with one crew than multiple departments.