Customer Service Culture: 7 Tips to Surprise and Delight Your Customers
Reading Time: 7 minutes 
You have a beautiful website—one of the best sites in your market, in your view—with a desired product at a competitive price. But if your Customer Service culture is not firmly intact, you need to work on that right now, or it will be all for naught.
Like most website owners, you are concerned about being found among the thousands of alternatives online. I am asked about this topic quite often, and I have written a few articles on it as well—and it’s not what you want to hear.
Extreme customer service can help with this challenge. We’ll discuss what customer service culture is precisely and then offer some tips you can use for your business.
Customer Service is a Culture
Every day, I encounter unbelievable customer service failures from some of the top Internet and technology companies—names you would recognize. It’s simple, common-sense stuff. It isn’t that difficult.
Then there are those sole props and “Mom and Pops” that have sucky service. They may not know what to do, but the bottom line is they don’t have the time. However, dedicating time to prioritize your customer service practices and policies is right up there.
So, let’s talk culture…
Back in the day, there was a company called MindSpring. If you had to call about your connectivity or hosting, a real person was there to help solve your problems. No hassle, no long waits, no ifs or buts. Personalized, professional service where they listened and took their time to help.
They were so successful that a larger company, Earthlink, gobbled them up. From there, things went downhill for both companies.
They became too big, ambiguous, and agnostic about customer service—a 180-degree turnabout. What a shame. They lost the very thing, a customer-centric service culture, that got them to where they were.
Sadly, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen this situation replay itself repeatedly to this day.
Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Large companies “sell” their wares, claiming the customer is a priority. They don’t think they are just making a pitch — they genuinely believe in that methodology.
All the while, they don’t recognize that their behemoth organizations prevent that claim from being true. Most still aggressively market new product offerings when they cannot adequately support what they already offer.
They are going so far as to offer better “introductory” deals and discounts to new customers while raising the prices on loyal customers who’ve been with them for years or decades. How many times have you experienced that?
Enter “Customer Retention Departments” entirely based on price, not the product or service quality. How does that make sense? These departments wouldn’t have to exist if current customers were treated the same (or better) as “new” customers.
I can provide numerous examples of panels, surveys, or video meetings in which I was asked for my input to make improvements, only to witness that nothing changed.
That is because excellent Customer Service is not easy. It’s not a set-and-forget. Instead, it’s something that every person in the company has to “feel in their bones” to get it right. Everyone has to be on the same page and focused on that one task at hand — customer-centric service.
MindSpring was one of those companies. Was.
Small Biz Has the Edge
We “little guys” have the advantage of being flexible and evolving on a dime. You aren’t locked into ridiculous scripts that claim what we can or can’t do. If we see a need to do something outside of established procedures — we can do it.
Some of these enormous Internet companies are impotent to do what’s right, especially when it is the right thing to do. I’ve had “customer service reps” admit as much.
Whether you are a one-woman show like me or have a handful of employees, you must establish a culture. It is not a culture of the customer that is always right. (I never really believed in that approach. No one is always right.)
However, you must have a culture that supports what your company stands for and the type of company you want to be viewed as. If you mess up, own it. If a customer messes up and approaches you respectfully, and you can help them without destroying your bottom line, do it.
Customer service is the best customer retention tool.
On an aside…
There are buyers, and there are customers. Someone who buys from you once is not a “customer” in the true sense of the word.
Customers come back for more. They are worth every effort to make each point of contact a delight. When they hang up the phone or read an email and discover they are smiling, your level of service just knocked it out of the ballpark.
They yap you up to everyone they know, sign up for your updates, and maybe even post about you on social media. Now, that’s the kind of customer I like catering to. That’s how you gain exposure online.
It’s an Internal Thing
Everyone who represents your company must be on the same page. You want to instill a consistent experience in communicating and assisting your potential and current customers. These efforts are money.
If you are serious about long-term success, solid customer service practices must permeate everything related to running your business. This includes empowering everyone to have the flexibility to go off-script.
I can tell you that the key to my success is my personalized service and support, not just when I wear my WordPress Consultant hat but also with my other sites.
7 Tips for an Excellent Customer Service Culture
Here are the tips that have worked for me to help you turn buyers into loyal customers.
1. Listen, Listen, Listen
So many businesses fail to listen to what their customers say. Even if they claim to “listen,” they fail to implement solutions or strategies based on that information.
I’ve always noted every challenge my clients face and tracked those who keep coming up. I have an old-fashioned leather notebook for my off-the-cuff thoughts and reflections.
Next, I create solutions that solve those challenges and make them available, not always as a new service but to improve my processes.
2. Respond Promptly
Your business emails should be professional, personable, and detailed to each specific request. I’m not talking about automated or “template” responses—personalized responses that address each concern in detail—and then some.
You can make snippets or a swipe file available for commonly asked questions (which should be in your website’s FAQ). However, you want to personalize everything around those snippets.
Your contacts and customers must feel like you are responding specifically to them.
3. Under Sell and Over Deliver
You’ve probably heard this one before but for a good reason. I do not nickel and dime my clients, nor do I charge for every little thing. Depending on the relationship, I decide what to charge for or not.
Imagine their surprise when they receive their invoice and that the last task or phone calls are not charged and noted as a “courtesy” for being a loyal client. Or, for my e-commerce sites, do they open their package to be surprised to find a handwritten thank you note and a little extra something that wasn’t part of their order?
4. Organize Your Responsibilities
Time management is a thing. You need to plan for the necessary time to provide the level of service you want to be known for. Find an app or website to help you with this effort.
I use Google Calendar to stay on track. Because of my time constraints, I’ve turned down projects I know I don’t have time for, which would impact my customer service levels.
I do better when I manage my time correctly (and realistically), which includes prioritizing emails. I also schedule time for my eCommerce sites to ensure I can carefully pack error-free shipments.
5. Review Your Website Statics
Look at your site’s entry pages, search terms, and paths. Beef up the pages that are most visited. I do this once a month to keep tabs on what is happening on my websites.
Once you discover the information folks seek, give them more of it. You would probably be surprised at the data in your server and traffic stats that can help you assist your customers more efficiently. Look at that data through that lens.
6. Closing Customer Service Conversations
Make a point of asking if there are any additional questions or concerns. By consistently leaving the door open to receive further feedback or questions, you can offer even better service.
7. Don’t Get Locked-in
Avoid the “this is the way we do it” mentality that prevents you from improving and modifying your processes when it is indicated to do so. Your customer service policies, procedures, and methodology should evolve as needed and when needed without hesitation.
Go Above and Beyond
Don’t be like the big guys, who have so much volume or market control that they think they do not have to offer excellent service. That’s their Achilles heel, and they often don’t even know it until it is too late.
Look at your available data, develop policies, meet with your staff, and find ways to “Listen, Surprise and Delight” your customers. Your bottom line will thank you.
At your service,
