Why just satisfy your customers when you can WOW them!

Every interaction with every customer is an opportunity to start the WOWing process.

All too often, when we are busy or stressed in our businesses, our mood spills over to the way we treat our customers.

When we think about service, we sometimes just think about the way our team members treat customers. But remember that every point of interaction – from your phone waiting time to your check-out process to the cleanliness of your facility – are things that are filed away in our customers minds. If we deliver a less-than-wonderful experience, those negative experiences can take on lives of their own and spread like a field of weeds around communities and social media sites.

These 20 tips need to remain top of mind during those times – and all year round.

Here are some other pointers to help you get through crunch time:

• How to deal with a difficult customer. Remember, it’s not personal! Stay in control.
• Reward happy customers for referrals and loyalty. A customer “thank you” could be as simple as an e-mailed note or a modest discount on services.
• Look for ways to automate customer service. Appointment-setting systems make scheduling services easier and more convenient, especially during busy times.
• Practice smiling. Yes…it sounds silly. But your attitude is contagious. Here’s how!

Make sure that WOWing the customer is a topic of conversation at your team meetings and share your stories of how you’ve turned around tough situations. Reward team members who have gone above and beyond.

Want to learn more about how to become a customer service rock star? Here are some suggestions for summer beach or bedtime reading. They include stories from brands – both big and small – that have made customer service a top priority in their business models.