Good customer service is priceless to any company. With customers sharing their experiences with businesses on Facebook and Twitter, it’s clear to see how a positive customer experience is vital to maintaining loyal customers.
However, customer service is not simply greeting customers at the door or handling the problems and complaints of consumers who were less than satisfied with your service. It is the art of keeping customers comfortable, happy, and trusting of your company.
To understand what represents top rated merchant service, you must first understand what really irks consumers.
Bad Customer Service Representatives
We’ve all had them. The ones who sound like they’re talking through a wool sock, the how to sell credit card processing ones whose attention seems to be diverted to a game of Tetris, the robotic ones with the monotone voice, and the ones from some country whose name you can’t pronounce.
Good customer service representatives are key when you’re in the business of accepting credit card payments. It’s critical that reps know what they’re doing, and that they care about it, too.
Knowledge is the Key
Knowledge comes from a thorough training program. Reps should be ready to field any new question pertaining to your company that you can think of. Good service representatives are passionate problem-solvers who have the tools and know-how to get things done quickly.
Show That You Care
Top rated merchant service is comprised of individuals who truly enjoy helping people. These are the kinds of lighthearted people that aren’t too busy to smile or chat. They make accepting credit card payments easy. This is important to make the customer feel comfortable to ask questions and tell service representatives how they truly feel. Customers can sense when a customer service rep cares.
Avoid Broken Trust
It’s common knowledge that people won’t shop with companies they can’t trust. Reliability is key to any good relationship; so outstanding customer service is about maintaining a trusting relationship with the customer.
Broken Promises
Not doing what you say you are going to do is the worst thing a company can do. Follow up with your customers to make sure their needs and expectations are being met. Consider investing in customer surveys and other customer feedback programs.
Nickel and Diming
If you’re committed to providing top rated merchant service, be willing to reward customers every now and then. Merchants often feel like they are getting nickel-and-dimed for everything they’ve got when they start getting charged for minor company costs. When you can, cut out the petty fees. Saving the customer a few bucks here and there can do wonders for their perception of your company.