Serving and managing your clientele is one of the fundamental pillars we must nurture and improve so that a business evolves in the best possible way over the years. When we think about customers, we indirectly connect to sales — since revenue depends on them — and this thinking can generate stress and lead us to make poor decisions.
If we want a healthy relationship with our clients, we need to understand that this commercial relationship doesn't mean the customer is always right, nor that our company must operate solely and exclusively based on the customer's needs or demands.
At this point many questions arise around customer management, such as: What is customer service? Why is customer service important? When is the customer wrong? How do I respond to a customer who is wrong? What should I never say to a customer? We'll answer all these questions in this blog.
If you don't have time to read it now, don't miss my YouTube channel video. In it I explain how I managed to resolve many misunderstandings with a single measure: saying what I do NOT offer.
What does customer management involve?
Customer service is a term used to describe the assistance and attention a company provides to its customers. We can say that a company's duty is to offer good customer service to ensure customer satisfaction — this can include giving useful advice, solving problems, and providing solutions. Customer service also involves understanding how customers carry out their daily activities and what their needs are in order to offer them an optimal experience. To do this, you can use an empathy map that helps you identify with a customer's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Now that we know what customer service involves, we need to talk about customer management.
Customer service management is the process of managing customer service operations and activities in order to maximize value for customers. This includes various aspects:
- evaluating customer feedback
- improving customer service processes
- developing strategies to improve customer engagement
- establishing systems for tracking and responding to customer inquiries
Good customer service management helps companies better understand their customers and build stronger relationships with them.
Why is customer service important?
Customer service is one of the most important aspects of a company's success, as it is essential for delivering an excellent customer experience and ensuring loyalty. This service can help you maintain a close, positive relationship with both new and existing clients, helping them find a suitable product or service that meets their expectations.
With excellent customer service, companies can keep their customers happy and increase the likelihood they'll come back to buy again. In turn, new customers are more likely to recommend a company if they've had positive experiences. Good customer service can also help companies differentiate themselves from the competition and attract new customers. Therefore, it's essential that any company ensures its customer service is top-notch in order to retain existing customers and attract new ones.
When is the customer NOT right? Examples
When the customer is wrong, the situation can be complicated. The key is to speak with customers respectfully and professionally, acknowledging their feelings while also respecting company policy. For example, if a customer complains that a product is defective but they have mishandled or misused it, you must explain why it doesn't qualify for a return without invalidating their experience. If the customer insists on returning an item that doesn't meet the returns policy requirements, suggest alternatives such as store credit or an exchange. Ultimately, your goal should be to address their concerns in a way that makes them feel heard and respected, even if you can't give them what they want.
What should you never say to a customer?
When speaking with customers, it's important to be professional and courteous. That means knowing what not to say.
- Avoid making negative comments about the customer or their situation.
- Don't be overly critical of their decisions or minimize their concerns in any way.
- Never raise your voice.
- Avoid making promises you can't keep — this will only lead to customer disappointment.
Focus on how you can help them solve the problem they're facing and offer a solution that meets their needs while respecting the guidelines established by your company.
Tips: how to deliver great customer service?
Good customer service is the cornerstone of any company's success. If a customer isn't satisfied, it's important to maintain a professional level of service and respond politely and respectfully. Here are some tips for providing good customer service when dealing with an unhappy customer:
- Listen carefully to their concerns
- Acknowledge their feelings
- Be empathetic
- Offer solutions tailored to their needs
- Ask questions to better understand the situation.
- Find a solution that meets the customer's needs while also protecting your company's interests.
Taking the time to offer good customer service can go a long way toward building client relationships and making them feel valued.
How do I know who my ideal customer is? The buyer persona
My ideal customer is someone who has the power to make a purchase decision for their company and can recognize the value of my product or service. They're open to the marketing and sales strategies I recommend and are looking for ways to further improve my offering. They're loyal and come back again and again for more. My ideal customer is adaptable and willing to try new things when necessary.
But can everyone be my ideal customer? The answer is no — we can't and shouldn't sell to everyone. That's what the buyer persona is for. With a well-defined buyer persona I can effectively target my ideal customer to maximize sales potential. It's important that I identify my ideal customer so I can adapt my sales tactics accordingly — which will allow me to build relationships with them and with others like them.
My best customer is someone who knows how to appreciate the quality and value of what I offer. They're willing to pay for what they believe will deliver the best result, they're knowledgeable about the industry, they seek out new information, and they understand the importance of customer service and their own satisfaction.
My solution to avoid misunderstandings with clients
I've solved the biggest problem I had with my clients, and I'm sure you've faced the same issue too — because it happens to every company and every freelancer. The problem was: having clients who ask for things I don't offer in my services, or who assume they'll receive things I've never mentioned.
This misunderstanding often led to arguments and frustration on both sides — on my end because I couldn't or shouldn't do what the client was asking, and on the client's end because they expected or wanted something that wasn't really theirs to receive. This indirectly affected my client retention.
The problem
Among the businesses I own and manage is Menford, an agency specializing in link building. That is, we connect our clients with blogs and news outlets to publish quality articles containing links to our clients' websites.
Being intermediaries, one of the main problems was connected to the article content.
As you can imagine, clients wanted more promotional articles to advertise their business, while blogs wanted to inform their readers rather than run pure advertising. On top of that, the number of links and their type was another point of contention. As you can imagine, I was caught between two fires.
The need was: to clarify everything in more detail while keeping it as simple as possible.
The solution
Here's the simple, effective solution: when we send new potential clients our proposal, we dedicate an entire page to what is NOT included in our service.
Putting it in writing has drastically reduced problems — because as the ancient Romans said, "Verba volant scripta manent" — "Spoken words fly, written words remain." Writing what you DON'T offer in your proposals is something very simple and yet very unusual.
I'm also a customer myself with my own suppliers, and when I receive proposals I see a lot of attention given to what I'll receive — and that's good — but none of them tell me what's not included. And the few times it is written, it's buried in terms and conditions so long and boring that you forget about them.
That's why it's fundamental to write it directly in your proposal — a simple document that your potential client will actually read — stating what you do NOT offer.
This was an incredibly powerful work optimization measure.
