Tell the Customer What You Are Going to Do – The Next Step

The Customer Care Guy episode nine, written by Jimmie Aaron Kepler, The Customer Care Guy.

The Customer Care Guy ’s Tip – Tell the Customer What You Are Going to Do – The Next Step

Let’s face it; we have all had bad customer service experiences. Like me, I bet you can recall the details of every instance of bad service. If you are like most people you probably told anyone who would listen about your dreadful experience.

The average customer will tell many people of a bad experience. That’s the type of word of mouth advertising we do not want.

One way to avoid painful misunderstandings is to tell the customer what you are going to do. Make sure they understand the next steps in the process.

Here’s a checklist to help:

1. Recap in summary form what has been discussed.
2. Ask the customer if your understanding is correct.
3. Tell them your name and that you are the person responsible for resolving the issue.
4. Tell the customer any requirements they have. Examples would be:
   1. What paper work or documentation do they need to provide?
   2. What format is the paper work or documentation needed? Electronic or paper?
   3. When is the paper work or documentation due?
   4. Contact information if they need help, have questions, or need an extension?
5. Tell them what to expect from you.
   1. Will you acknowledge receipt of the paper work or documentation?
   2. How long will it take to process?
   3. What you they expect to receive from you and when?
   4. How is notification handled when it is completed? The is a great touch point for a courtesy contact of the customer.
   5. Contact information if they have questions or if they feel you are too slow and need a status update.

Having a road map to help the customer understand the next steps is a great way to create goodwill. The customer has confidence when they have an understanding of the process. Knowing by name a contact person who is responsible for managing their issue is a key ingredient to world-class customer service. You can give this even if the work is assigned to someone else. The name you give is the one managing the incident or case.

Follow through on all promises. A great plan requires execution. Failure to follow through will lose all the great service and goodwill you work so hard to create.

The Customer Care Guy ’s Tip – Tell the Customer What You Are Going to Do – The Next Step.

Written by: Jimmie Aaron Kepler, The Customer Care Guy