I have our local video store phone number saved in my phone. This may seem a bit unnecessary but it comes in handy, particularly when my kids request an older movie like “Bolt”. Not one to waste a trip, I make a point to call before we head over. No sense wasting our time AND disappointing the kids.

So I call ahead and frequently Jeremy picks up the phone. He always identifies the business and himself. Then he answers my questions quickly, thoroughly and politely, often while politely letting people in store know that he’ll be right with them. He manages many tasks and finds a way to be polite the entire time.

When we walk in to the store, he often remembers us and has our request ready before we’ve even confirmed who we are and what we came for. He anticipates our needs and makes our customer experience pleasant and easy.

So what can we learn from Jeremy?

• Be Responsive When someone reaches out to you, respond. End of story.
• Identify Yourself Nothing can get a conversation off on the wrong foot more than calling a business and having the person on the other end answer with a terse “hello”. It puts a customer on tilt, unsure if they’ve called the wrong number and disturbed an individual. Identify yourself to set customers at ease with your professional demeanor.
• Be Polite Don’t you just love it when people are nice to you just because? I sure do. It makes me return to a business over and over again. Be polite to your customers to encourage them to return.
• Be Clear When your client asks for something, like a copy of Star Wars, you may need to ask a few follow up questions to be sure they get what they’re looking for. DVD or Blu-Ray is probably a great question as a follow-up to this example. You may also want to clarify which episode of Star Wars they’re looking for. A few questions on the front end can save much confusion on the back end.

Good customer service is a valuable commodity in any business, but it is especially important when conducting business that is not in person. People don’t have a friendly smile to connect with – which means these lessons are all the more important.

What customer service fail makes you most likely to halt business?