Excel at the four pillars of great customer, described by the Small Business Computing article “How to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service,” to keep customers coming back and spreading word of your business’s virtues. Even a minor customer service gaff can be disastrous for a business’s image. And, on the other side of the coin, providing over-the-top, amazing service is the best way to get people talking positively. The key is to be proactive; provide the best product and service from the start, and have a plan in place to deal with any issues that may arise. Here are the key aspects of exceptional service:

1. The Perfect Product. Don’t wait for something to go wrong. Exceptional customer service should be your goal from the start. Design your services and products to work perfectly in order to keep negative experiences to an absolute minimum.
2. Caring Delivery. Even if your product is top notch, customers will tend to stray if you don’t deliver it with care and attention. Think about the little things you can do to make a client’s day.
3. Timeliness. Most customers have a “want-it-yesterday” attitude. So, do everything you can to eliminate wait times, and if a customer has to wait, offer them something to make it worth their while. Also, make sure to keep up with your product stock so you don’t end up with a customer going elsewhere to get what they want.
4. Build an Effective Problem-resolution Process. Even though you’re doing everything you can do prevent issues, always expect things to go wrong. And when they do, be prepared to compensate. A little extra effort, and perhaps cost, is well worth it as opposed to losing a customer and risking them telling friends about their negative experience. Never try to convince a customer that their problem isn’t a big deal. When you make every issue, no matter how minor, a big deal, clients will understand how committed you are to their satisfaction.

Click here to read the article from Small Business Computing.