One thing is for sure – it’s easy to tell when a company wants your business and when it doesn’t. Customer service is the business equivalent of a sincere, mutually beneficial, caring relationship. When it is genuine, you know it. When it’s not, well, you know that too.

Some companies, small to medium-sized companies especially, may not even realize where they are falling short until it’s too late. And if you lose one customer to a misunderstanding or customer service oversight, it can ricochet into something much larger.

Customer service is always important but especially important when things go wrong for the customer. When they do, you need to be prepared to handle it in such a way that lets your customer know that you really do care. In the age of ratings, reviews, and social proof, this takes on even greater importance as one customer slighted can reverberate that negativity into the foreseeable future.

If one of your resolutions in this new year is to up your game to take you to a new level of success, this article is for you. Here are three actionable tips to help you make your new customers happy and keep your existing ones coming back for more:

1. Make customer satisfaction #1

The truth about customer service is that you don’t often get a chance to redeem yourself once things have gone south. Make sure that your customer experience is easy, intuitive, and responsive to avoid frustration. Resolve to fix any issues before you let the customer off the phone – because bad reviews can’t be removed and it may impact your business for years to come. Long wait times for support, a lack of empathy for the problem, and ambivalent support representatives are fuel for the fire. Ensure that the process of finding answers and getting help is an easy process for the customer.

2. Strive for clear and consistent communication

There is nothing more exasperating than having to repeat yourself several times in order to get the message across to the right person. If you have several people fielding support, ensure that your customer’s needs are understood before they are forwarded to a support agent. Alternately, if you outsource your support, map out an omnichannel solution so that each representative can view the result of the customer’s previous calls.

3. Waive return fees on defective equipment

It happens occasionally: you purchase a product, but when it arrives it simply does not work. It should be a simple case of return and replace. If this happens, don’t take it out on the customer by charging them return fees, restocking fees, repair fees, or asking them to pay for shipping. Regardless of what happened, it’s not their fault. Go the extra mile to ensure a seamless, easy return process. Sure, you will have to absorb the cost, but it really comes down to the cost of doing business. Guaranteed you will get it back many times over in customer loyalty if you do the right thing, so don’t gripe about it.

Do you have a customer service story you can share? We’d love to know what you do to keep your clientele coming back for more! Lakeside Office Suites in Weston, FL, is dedicated to supporting our small business tenants with flexible office solutions to help them grow. Drop by for a tour, or call today to find out more.