Achieving Customer Service Excellence in your own VA business - or any business for that matter - doesn’t have to be daunting. In fact, isn’t it precisely what you’re aiming for? Given the choice, wouldn’t you prefer to be the one who exceeds your client’s expectation rather than disappoints them, or the service provider who delivers such a fabulous service that they becoming raving fans, with the flow on effect being ongoing business referrals?
Who wouldn’t want the fact that they are committed to, and deliver Service Excellence, to be one of the key differentiators that sets their business apart from their competition?
So, what is Customer Service Excellence? In a nutshell, it’s the ability to build consistent customer centric culture and practices into your business in order to deliver and achieve a service that exceeds expectation, creating a lasting and memorable impression on your client.
Customer Centric Approach
How do you build a business that is customer centric in its approach? Well, here are a few tips:
Build a culture where the primary emphasis of the business is to deliver customer service that is nothing less than exceptional;
Come from a perspective that says “the customer is important” and treat them that way;
Show your customers that you are enthusiastic and delighted to serve them, and express gratitude and appreciation when appropriate – after all, we are in a service industry, and that’s the primary focus of what we are doing;
Anticipate your customer’s needs by taking the time to learn about your customer and what they like, dislike etc. Use this knowledge to add an extra level of service – one that goes above and beyond and exceeds expectations wherever possible;
Be flexible in your approach – everything should be negotiable in a healthy client relationship.
Ask for feedback, and then show that you’ve listened by tweaking your business processes – where possible and feasible - to satisfy client criticism, or be prepared to provide credible and workable alternatives that will meet their desired outcome.
VA Institute offers a range of workshops, short courses, and on call coaching / mentoring to support startup and established Virtual Assistants. For more information, please CONTACT Ingrid Bayer.