Almost every company that relies on customer service has customer service standards written down somewhere. For some companies it will be posted on the bulletin board in the back room, others will have them outlined in the employee handbook and others will have them listed all over the place.

Those standards are important and every salesperson/employee who works for that company should adhere to them. They are a key component in delivering quality customer service. However, it is the things that are not on those lists that often take good customer service to great.

A common customer standard is to always use the customer’s name when possible, but it is the salesperson who takes it to another level that will excel. For example, in addition to using the customer’s name, maybe the salesperson knows the name of their kids, what their hobbies are or where they went on a recent vacation. Those types of things allow a salesperson to better relate to a customer and is a great step in building a long-term selling relationship.

Another typical standard may be something like “follow the sale all the way through to the end”. This standard may mean to make sure the customer gets checked out ok and does not have any problems or questions. In my mind, however, it means offering assistance in getting their products to the car but more importantly it means following up after the sale. Take the time to make follow-up calls, send thank you notes and more. It is the extra steps that will bring that customer back to you.

Some customer service standards are as simple as smiling. Even that can be taken to another level. A smile is an act but it is the attitude that the customer is going to notice. If a salesperson has a smile on their face but is just going through the motions and not really interacting with the customer, then is that standard really working? On the other hand, if the salesperson is smiling and brings energy to the process then the customer is probably going to be more engaged in the process.

Customer service standards are a great starting point but that’s all they are. If you take the starting points, make them your own and use them to best serve your customers then you have achieved exceptional customer service.

FINAO - Brad Huisken