At Pennington & Trim Alarms, we always strive to provide the best in customer service. We don’t want our customers to feel like a number. We want them to receive that personal touch. Ed Trim has always wanted to have a receptionist who answers the phone, so our customers feel like they are dealing with human beings and not an automated system that tells you to dial 1 for this and 2 for that. Ed and I are always observing the kind of service we receive from companies we do business with, and we try to provide the kind of service that we ourselves want to receive. There are certain companies we go back to time and time again and recommend to others because we receive great service. That’s what we want at Pennington & Trim Alarms. We want our customers to have a great experience where they come back again and again and tell others to use Pennington & Trim Alarms. That’s the reputation we strive to live up to each and every week. In our recent department meetings, we went over the importance of using the customer’s name to impress upon our P&T Team the importance of providing the best in customer service.
The Importance Of Using The Customer’s Name
By Joe Rawlinson & Len Markidan and Matthew w/Natural Training
Delivering personal customer service makes a huge difference. Personal service, when done right, is incredibly powerful.
A few years ago, a survey by Genesys asked more than 9,000 consumers about what mattered to them most when it came to doing business with companies. 40% of them – more than double the responses that the second-place answer received – said “better human service”.
Personal service is about making the customer feel like they’re doing business with a human, not a company.
When customers feel like they’re getting personal service, they become better customers.
Numerous studies have shown that happy customers buy more, they buy more often and they tell their friends to buy too.
Another study found that 72% of customers are “very” or “extremely” likely to do business with a company because of their reputation for strong customer service.
In order to make your customer service more personal, ask yourself this question…..”Am I making the customer feel like they’re doing business with a human or a business?”
In a study published in Brain Research magazine, certain parts of the brain light up when we hear our own name. Not when we hear others’ names. Only our own.
Recalling and integrating your client’s name into a conversation – not to be overused – is very important for a few reasons.
- Names are unique identifiers. Dale Carnegie said it best, “A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.
- It brings you back into the conversation. If you’re actively listening to your customer, the best way to get back into the conversation is by using the customer’s name. Because people respond so strongly to hearing their name, you’ll get your customer’s full attention, and they’ll tend to listen more closely to your thoughts and ideas.
- People tend to like you more. It makes your words more personal and is interpreted as being caring and empathic. Naturally using your customer’s name will build strong bonds that are hard to break.
- You’ll appear more competent. A lot of people struggle to remember names, and you appear more competent in your customer’s eyes if you can remember their name easily and correctly. First impressions mean a great deal and it demonstrates that you take them and their business seriously when you use their name.
- It helps to build loyalty. People love doing business with companies that remember your name and provide personal treatment. Using a person’s name makes them feel important and validated, strong feelings you want your customer to feel during any interaction.
But, Be Warned…..
Don’t use the customer’s name too often. If overused, it can come across as insincere and condescending.
Next time you’re introduced to someone, focus your attention completely on that person, say their name out loud and ask them a question. This gives you time to anchor their name in your memory. Say their name silently three times and create a mental picture associating their name with something important to you.
If you see a customer in person, you should always use their name in the greeting and conversation.
On the phone, you can use a customer’s name not just in the greeting, but also during the call and as you say goodbye.
Don’t be lazy in your emails. Don’t just jump into the message. Start with a proper salutation and use the person’s name.
Be careful with using customers’ names incorrectly. Misspellings, mispronunciation, or even calling someone by the wrong nickname can really aggravate some customers. When in doubt on how to spell or say a name, just ask. Most people are not offended when you sincerely ask about their name.
Use your name – it makes the interaction with the customer feel more personal. Who would you rather get an email from, “Mike” or “The Support Team”?
Another way to make customer service more personal is by showing your face on an email. This will help you to make a deeper connection with the customer when they read your emails. Help them put a face to your name. Using photos of your face doesn’t just increase conversion rates on your site, it helps to humanize your business, build trust and make your customers feel as though they’re dealing with real people.
Finally, you can make your customer service more personal by knowing each customer’s history with your business. When you’re talking with a customer on the phone, tell them “Thank you so much for being a Pennington & Trim customer since ____(year). It means a lot to us that we’ve had your business for so long.”
Personal customer service is important. It’s a valuable concept that can help increase retention and grow business. Delivering personal support isn’t terribly hard, but it can pay off in a huge way.
With so many security companies in the market, we want to have a spirit of excellence and go the extra mile in providing the best in customer service.