How important is a knowledgeable, friendly staff to your business? According to the findings of a recent survey by MSN Money and Zogby International, it's at the top of a list of important customer service features.

The annual survey asked over 3000 respondents to rate 150 companies across 15 industries. While much could be written about who is on the good list and who topped the bad list, the survey report also pinpoints which features are important to customer service. The results show that product and policies are bottom of the list, friendly and knowledgeable staff at the top. Here's the breakdown:

Which one of the following features is most important to you?

• Knowledgeable staff - 47%
• Friendly staff - 14.7%
• Readily available staff - 12.5%
• Service after a sale - 12.4%
• Flexible policies for merchandise, exchanges, returns - 8.0%
• None; product is all that matters - 2.6%
• Not sure/other - 2.6%

Of course, every business wants to be known for excellent service. Making sure your staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and readily available is the first step and is easily attainable. Meet with your staff regularly to discuss the benefits of your services, or to introduce new product lines to the staff. As your business changes, make sure to update staff on new trends or products coming into your store. Often, vendors are happy to make a short presentation to your staff extolling the features of their products providing valuable information and encouraging sales.

In addition to having a well thought out training program, consider an incentive program that rewards hard-working staff when positive comments are received from customers. Conduct a survey among your own customers asking them to rate your staff by product or service knowledge and include questions on wait time, customer satisfaction, problem-solving, etc. Surveys empower your customers and can give you good feedback to improve your business.

Another aspect of customer service is paying attention to your customers after the sale. If possible, welcome them to your company by phone or email and check in occasionally to see if they are using your service or product and if anything else is needed.

Good service is as important as the products you offer your customers. Improve your staff knowledge and attitude and you could improve business.

CrossCheck provides 24/7/365 customer service at no additional charge. Contact us for more information on our products and services.
We would love to hear from you. Call (888) YES-2CHX or email us at sales@cross-check.com