Is Your Customer Service Excellent?

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"The last person to buy from you is the most likely to buyagain and soon." This quote is an old one and I do not knowthe author but I do know it to be true.
After ... years of my life own "The last person to buy from you is the most likely to buyagain and soon." This quote is an old one and I do not knowthe author but I do know it to be true.
After spendingfourteen years of my life owning and running a retail artgallery, I was witness to this happening over and overagain.A repeat customer does not happen by accident. A repeatcustomer is the result of excellent customer service fromyou.A man by the name of Harold Stanley Marcus was born on April20, 1905 in Dallas, Texas.
His family started an upper-endretail store in 1907 and called it Neiman-Marcus. Stanleystarted at the bottom in the family business in 1926 as afloorman.
He began to work on the store's image and customerservice. Mr.
Marcus has been quoted as saying "Quality isremembered long after the price is forgotten." His sonRichard, who took over from his father upon retirement, puta different spin on his father's words of wisdom."Care for your customer and they will return... care foryour merchandise and it won't."Stanley Marcus retired in 1975 as a chairman who hadshepherded the store to international prominence through acombination of uncompromising quality in merchandise andunwavering commitment to customer service.
In 1984 Neiman-Marcus inaugurated retailing's first customer loyaltyprogram, InCircle. If you have a few minutes, take a look atthe InCircle program at http://www.neimanmarcus.com.
At themiddle of the page on the left, click on InCircle Rewards.It is a secure page but you can scroll down to see what theyare giving their good customers.Granted, Neiman-Marcus is an upper-end retailer and it isinconceivable for you or me to offer anything to comparewith what they are doing for their loyal customers.The point is... what are you doing to bring your customerback?Your new customer will receive a thank-you confirmationelectronically which will probably contain other URLs toyour other programs or products.
Correct? But what else?Right now you have the perfect opportunity to send a verypersonal email to that new customer. You may be thinking "Idon't have time to send out personal emails after everysale." Well, you can't afford not to.
The next merchant willif you don't, and that's the merchant who will gain a loyalcustomer.Offer your new customer your personal assistance andattention after the sale. Give them all of your contactinformation: email, phone number and address.
Also, let themknow that you have a "complimentary gift" for them as a"thank-you" for their purchase. Try to avoid the word"free." This word seems to have lost it's power due to itsbeing used in almost every ad on the Internet.When you offer to give personal assistance to your customer,make sure you are available during certain business hours.Answer your emails as quickly as possible.
An immediateresponse is impressive and creates trust."Once you have your customer's trust, you have won the mostvaluable prize in business.""Care for your customer and they will return..." Article Tags: Customer Service Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .