Customer Relations Tips


#1) Answer all questions that a customer has for you. Answer them completely and in as much detail as possible. Speak NORMAL language! Customers are NOT familiar with abbreviations or slang words used by an individual business! For example: In Tupperware, we call our online ordering system WOE...a customer does NOT know what that means! Web order Entry! If you do NOT know the answer to a question, make sure you are honest and tell them you don't know. Make sure you find out that answer from a manager or company rep. and get back to that customer ASAP with that answer! Delay.....they can go some where else & get the answer and give business to another consultant!

#2) Make sure you calculate all totals correctly. Customers get irritated if you make errors in adding up their orders, over charging them etc. Always double check your totals when a customer is paying cash! You don't want to embarrass yourself by short-changing a customer! If its a home party, make sure you take a calculator or adding machine with you! The math you do in your head is NOT as accurate as using a calculator! I always double check when adding things up with a calculator too! Its better to be safe and take the extra time then to short change a customer or short change yourself!

#3) ALWAYS provide contact info! If you are doing business online or thru mail order it is important that a customer get your contact info...provide several avenues for a customer to make contact with you! I provide my phone, fax, 2 emails and home address! (I include that info on business cards, automatic email signatures etc).

#4) Always thank your customer for their order! Make them feel like they are important to YOU! If its an online order...send them a free email thank you card or a thank you email! Again, include your contact info on that! If its an offline book order....follow up with a postal postcard or thank you note via postal mail. Include a business card. This is VERY important if its a FIRST TIME customer with you! You want their repeat business and future referrals! I try to THANK ALL my customers all the time whether they are a new customer or a repeat customer.

#5) Allow 2 weeks for a customer to receive their order then follow up again with that customer! You can email them, call them or jot a note to them via postal mail! Let them know that you are still there for them! Make sure their order arrived on time and was complete and accurate. Ask them if they are satisfied with the transaction and if NOT....do your best to make it correct ASAP! Don't let customers hanging when something goes wrong!

#6) I usually wait 3 months and make contact with that customer again. Let them know of any upcoming sales specials, hostess specials etc. You can do this by emailing them or sending them a postcard, note card or catalog. You want to keep your customer exposed to your business but NOT overwhelmed or pestered by you...so I suggest contacting them every 3 months unless they have signed up to receive a more often email newsletter etc from you. These days alot of customers don't want overwhelmed by constant emails so keep them limited.

#7) If a customer calls your home or place of business and leaves a message for you...make sure you follow up within 24 hours. Customers don't want to wait days or weeks for you to respond back! Again, be as prompt as possible when dealing with customers! If you are out of town, make sure your loyal customers who order very frequently know you will be unavailable. You don't have to say You will be on vacation...just say your home office will be closed on such and such day or week.

#8) Attitude....this is also important! Do not use vulgar language at any time! Do not eat, smoke or chew gum while speaking to a customer in person or while on the phone to them!  Make sure you speak in a pleasant tone of voice! If you are on the phone with a customer, please do NOT have a bunch of "phone interruptions" by other members of your household while you are speaking to the customers...they consider this rude. If you have children, try to call your customers while they are napping or when your spouse is at home to entertain them while you make your call backs. If you are in a bad mood, hold off in returning calls. Customers can sense your bad mood, just like your children can!
Do NOT use a cordless phone for this as you will be tempted to do "other" things while you are speaking to a customer...YOUR CUSTOMER DESERVES YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION WHEN YOU ARE SPEAKING TO THEM!

#9) If you are delivering your customers order, make sure you are presentable. You don't have to be wearing a suit or dress, just make sure your clothing is clean and presentable...casual CLEAN wear is fine! Don't wear cut-off jean shorts, sloppy t-shirts etc. This sets a bad impression and is NOT professional! Your appearance speaks volumes on how you run your business!

In addition, Make sure you bag or box your customers order in a presentable way. Do NOT bag their order in the FREE plastic or paper grocery bags you get at the store! Try to use bags from your company or go to a outlet business supply store or buy solid color cheap gift bags to bag their orders but NEVER bag them in nasty store grocery bags! Very Unprofessional! Make sure you provide a receipt and a future contact card! If you can afford it, throw in a inexpensive surprise Thank You for ordering Freebie gift! (the dollar store is great for this).

#10) Another way to make your customers special is to offer extra services to them! For example:
a. Local Delivery if the item they purchased is a gift. It is okay to charge a minimal fee for local delivery to cover your expenses.
b. Gift Wrap Service....again, its okay to charge a small fee for this or better yet, offer it FREE. The dollar store again is CHEAP to buy plain gift bags, wrapping paper, bows, cards etc!
c. Postal Shipping...if the customer is shipping a gift out of town and you live near a postal office....offer to ship it to the recipient if the customer pays for the additional shipping & a small fee for that service.

DON'T JACK UP PRICES & TRY TO MAKE ADDITIONAL PROFIT BY ADDING THESE TYPE OF SERVICES!

Only add them to make your customers happy and to feel special...but only adding them because you want to MAKE profit off of those services is the WRONG thing to do!

#11) If you do home party plans....your Hostess of the party is ALSO a customer so don't neglect her! You need to make her feel special! Offer encouragement and support...make sure she has everything she needs to have a successful party for YOU! After, make sure you follow up with her! If you don't impress her the first time she has the party from you, I guarantee you she wont have any more from you and you wont get referrals from her! You could LOOSE alot of business by not treating your Party Host like a Queen!

When running any type of home based business...its a building process, one customer at a time...one party hostess at a time! Remember that! Once you build a GREAT foundation, you can then build the rest of the "house aka business" upon that! If you start out with a "weak" foundation you will have a "weak" business!

Shelly Hill
Tupperware Manager
http://my.tupperware.com/Ravish30



 

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50 Tips for Starting and Succeeding 
at  a Work a home Business   
Work at Home Business Ideas
by Kay Green
Copyright 2003