Monday, February 11, 2013

Increase Customer Satisfaction: Your Employees' Role

The outcome of a customer's experience is directly related to employee behavior. Employees are important assets of all companies because they are the first and most of the time only connection between a company and its' clientele. The 4 factors listed below are important to consider during customer transactions:

The Employee’s Willingness to Become Involved:
Take the time to explain to employees, the reason your company is important to the clientele. The more informed employees are about the business the more excited they will be about helping customers. Motivate them to make a good first impression with the customers and it is acceptable to use salary based incentives.
The Employee’s Ability to Be Empathetic
The employee must always recognize the needs of a customer and find the best way to meet them. Sometimes it will not be possible to satisfy the customer within the first transaction, but the employee should be prepared to accommodate the client with other options. The customer will always remember an employee going out of their way to help because it will make them feel special that someone took time to listen.
The Employee’s Training
Training is essential to a business and should be a regular procedure for new and experienced employees. A well informed employee that knows solutions to everyday problems and the details of business procedures will make the customers feel more comfortable during their transactions. Scheduled training sessions and consistent communication with your employees will help them better serve clients on a daily basis
The Employee’s Authority to Deliver a Favorable Result
The employees must be aware of the power they possess with each customer they work with.  The customer is looking to the employee for assistance and opinions, which is the reason the employees need to be positive and informed. When there is conflict the employee must stay positive and find a fair solution. The turnout of the interaction can determine whether or not the customer will do business there again.