Page 20
Once you have met that customer’s basic needs, what could you do to show that
you are committed to providing the best service possible?
Try these simple tasks where applicable:
Remember someone’s name and use it frequently in conversation
Remember what someone has purchased
Learn your customers likes and dislikes
Contact your customers regularly
Put their needs high on your priority list
Inform customers of specials and sales
Be available to meet his/her needs
Follow up when you say you will
Be organized and thorough
Return customer calls promptly
Demonstrate you want to fulfill their customer needs
Customer service is not just about giving the customer what they ask for. Many people who provide
customer services will express the importance of providing to a customer, things over and above what
they had asked for – things which, although they may not be “needs” in the sense of things that are
absolutely necessary, are certainly nice to have. This is what people call “going the extra mile” – you
have taken the transaction to its destination, and now you can take it that little bit further by showing
an extra touch to your customer service that the customer will remember the next time they need
something.
Going the extra mile is important for the very reason that it is not necessary. The customer will
remember the things that someone did for them that were completely unexpected, that another
organization or salesperson might not have done. The thing about providing customer service above and
beyond is that it allows you to show just how good you are at giving the best customer service. It is easy
to provide a certain, expected level of customer service – by many people’s estimation it is a minimum
consideration. It is the extras that will make the difference, much of the time.
As far as those extras go, it can be something as simple as carrying the item which has been purchased
out to the customer’s vehicle. It might be something as small as writing a thank you note, to recognize
that the customer had a wide range of places to choose from, and appreciate that they chose you.
Whatever the case, it is important to consider how you can best provide the customer with not only
what they need, but something extra which will stay in their memory for some time.