An Introduction To Customer Service

Customer Service

Customer Service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction, ensuring that a product or service has met the customer’s expectations. It’s importance varies by product, industry and customer. Customer Service should be an integral part of any company’s activities.

In their book, Rules to Break and Laws to Follow, D Peppers and M Rogers, write:

Customers have memories. They will remember you, whether you remember them or not.

Customer’s trust can be destroyed at once by a major service problem, or it can be undermined one day at a time, with a thousand small demonstrations of incompetence

Customer service should be perceived as an ongoing commitment.

It involves acting as a professional, making a good impression, listening and communicating effectively, “going the extra mile” and making the customer important, special and care for.

It involves the following:

• Making it your responsibility to give customers a high quality service by acting in a professional manner.
• Providing a safe environment as laid down by the Health & Safety at Work Act.
• Making sure that equipment is up to date and in good working order.
• Being empathetic and treating everyone with an unconditional positive regard.
• Offering equal opportunities and valuing diversity as laid down by the Equality Act.
• Showing concern for your customers and any problems they may have with regard to your services.
• Upholding client confidentiality as laid down by the Data Protection Act 1994.
• Observing individuals’ personal space.

Why Is Customer Service Important?

Customer service is important because it is the direct connection between your customers and your business. It can help you retain customers, increase customer loyalty, boost your reputation, and generate more referrals.

Here are some data-backed facts to support this claim:

• 89% of customers are more likely to make another purchase after a good customer service experience.
• 77% of customers would recommend a brand to a friend after having a single positive experience.
• 96% of customers say customer service is important in their choice of loyalty to a brand.
• 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies who offer excellent customer service.

Customer service is not only important for your customers, but also for your employees, your brand, and your bottom line. By providing a top-notch customer service, you can create a positive company culture, differentiate yourself from competitors, and increase your profitability.

It is important that participant care is upheld within the organisation you work for as it will provide:

Enhanced Customer Experience

lively facilities are those with superior customer service. Going the extra mile e.g. “Hello! How can I help you?” and “Thank you, have a nice day!” will help you make your organisation attractive to current and future customers by creating a good “customer experience”.

Good service is part of that “experience”, but there are things you can do to connect even more with your customers. Remember, happy customers will recommend your services to their friends.

Retention

A fitness professional’s main priority is helping people achieve results. A gym must therefore, by set up in a way that supports this. Individuals need to feel welcome and nurtured and exercise programmes need to be effective and fun in order for clients to keep coming back. Interaction with clients need to be efficient and focused on the client’s needs and wants.

Achieving Short, Medium and Long Term Goals

Achieving a goal often presents an important personal challenge. A great deal may have been invested in terms of time, money, effort and commitment on the part of the individual. It is your responsibility to be realistic in identifying and agreeing achievable goals with your client. Failure to do this will to disappointment, de-motivation and loss of business. Your reputation will be tarnished. Conversely, individuals’ success will encourage loyalty, and you can further enhance the experience for your clients by considering simple and thoughtful rewards such as; a gift voucher for a session, a water bottle bearing the facility’s name, t-shirt advertising the facility etc. We all like to be acknowledged and rewarded.

Potential Referral Opportunities

Clients are one of our main referral channels. They can be influential ambassadors. They may encourage friends and family to join.

Reputation

Your reputation is affected by your actions and will precede you. By committing to be appropriately qualified, conscientious, maintaining high professional standards and high level of customer care you will enhance your reputation. Remember customers pay your wages.

Professionalism

Professionalism in the workplace is important to ensure that good working relationships and high levels of performance are achieved. There needs to be a strong sense of team spirit, where individuals feel valued and respected by their colleagues, line managers etc. Good communication systems will contribute to efficient use of of resources and smooth day to day running.

A healthy, professional working environment will contribute to job satisfaction and encourage individuals to aspire to greater challenges, such as continuing professional development, which in turn will further raise standards. High levels of self-esteem will keep employees happy and motivated. They will be excellent ambassadors for the organisation.

Increasing Competition

Increasing competition from other fitness facilities is forcing businesses to pay much more attention to satisfying their customers.

High levels of customer satisfaction are crucial in securing:

• Repeat custom
• Achievement of goals
• Referral of service to friends and family
• Recruitment of new customers

Engaging Clients In Activity

Introducing the client to different styles or disciplines e.g. circuit training, exercise to music or personal training to offer variety and enhance stimulation.

How Is Good Customer Service Achieved?

Create a Good Impression

It is important to present yourself and your organisation positively to your client/participant as it helps to promote a professional image, a united front and high standards that are more likely to impress a client and ensure they feel part of a reputable organisation.

This can be done in the following ways:

• • Take time to establish a rapport with your clients and use appropriate language.
  • Look the part and be smartly dressed in the appropriate clothing and footwear. Always present yourself well groomed, clean and tidy.
  • Wear a name badge so that customers will be able to address you by name if they need help.
  • Use positive body language. Smile, look attentive, make eye contact and show the appropriate facial expressions. Your body language can say more about the way you feel than the words you speak.
  • Learn individual customers’ names, but remember to ask permission before using their first name.
  • Always acknowledge the customer’s presence. Greet each customer by using his or her name. Use formalities such as “good morning” or “good evening”. Greet them formally by saying “hello” or “I’m pleased to meet you”.
  • Smile and be cheerful. It says that you are pleased to meet them. It’s also likely that the customer will smile back.

• Make and maintain positive eye contact, (don’t stare or glare at them for long periods). Positive eye contact shows you are interested and attentive to what they are saying.
• Speak clearly, politely and courteously to convey respect and consideration. Use good grammar and pronounce words properly, avoid the use of slang.
• Give undivided attention to your customers and try not to be distracted by what is going on around you.
• Show unconditional acceptance, treat everyone equally and have a positive regard for every single customer. Avoid making assumptions based on your own values and beliefs. You must put your judgements or attitudes to one side as they will influence the relationship with your customer.

Going The Extra Mile

Going the extra miles means giving the customer extra time and services which uphold good standards. It is what sets you apart from your competition and helps toward client/participant retention. Employ all of your skills to ensure that the customer feels looked after.

Consider the RIGHT approach.