Photo by Donald Tong
“When I compliment you, I compliment myself, because I am who I associate with.” – Jarod Kintz
The quote above is a great way to understand what compliments from customers mean!
Providing a level of customer service that focuses on a genuine desire to please and delight customers can elicit compliments from customers. Customer service has a cumulative effect on a customer. From the first interaction and through the life of the business relationship, it not only creates loyal customers but also customers who willingly compliment your services to others.
Receiving compliments from customers tells you that your company has done something very right and pleasing. The best compliment is when a customer ecstatically exclaims that they love doing business with you! That is wow! You need to celebrate this and keep doing the things you are doing as a company.
Work towards raising the bar for the customer service you provide. You can also use a tool to learn who is your ideal customer and what works for them. With a tool, like interactive decision trees, companies can create surveys and quizzes. Also, customer service teams can use it to improve customer satisfaction.
How to elicit complements from customers
So how do you provide a level of customer service that draws compliments from customers repeatedly?
- Before trying to sell, build a relationship. This connection should always remain uppermost in all interactions.
- Show customers what you have to offer. Presenting your brand and product or service well creates the opportunity for the customer to actually buy.
- Have respectful and empathetic conversations that show you care about their success. Avoid a sales rhetoric.
- Display a genuine interest in a customer. Let them express their feelings of friendship. Never cross the line between being professional and being over-friendly.
- If you are unable to solve the customer’s problem immediately, don’t have false pride in thinking you can and over-promise. Deliver what you promise.
- Keep updating your skills, knowledge, and technology know-how. This way, you would be able to connect with customers on any platform and still know what to do.
Complements attract other customers
Customer service that elicits compliments from customers makes other customers get involved. That’s especially when those compliments appear on large visible media sites. It generates a kind of euphoria and reputation that will give your competition a tough time trying to match up. Companies must be geared toward creating these ecstatic moments in an unrelenting manner.
It helps to ensure that customers are constantly raving about the customer service and the product or service you offer. Other customers should crave your kind of customer service. They cannot even consider going elsewhere if your products or service is what they need for their business. Encourage your customer service staff and every member of the company to deliver this level of customer service. Reward and recognize them openly when they do, to create a feverish momentum that will refuse to die down.
Satisfying customers work
It seems simple enough and it actually is, when leaving customers elated becomes the best reward. However, it is also as easy to ignore. Most of the time, satisfying customers seems to work. Businesses are too busy expanding and dealing with other issues. It is a normal human tendency to not disturb and make changes to something that seems to be working fine. However, just that little extra is what makes customers go gaga and shower compliments.
Why compliments from customers are important
Adding that little extra means making each customer feel special. Let them know you value them, remember their name, and use it. These gestures cost nothing, but the returns are huge. The compliments from customers come in the shape of repeat business, loyalty, and spreading the word across all channels. It results in profits and a better company to work for.
There can never be an individual who makes this magic happen. It is a team effort and indirectly, a company-wide effort. Receiving compliments from customers or criticism is quite unhelpful if the customer service teams are not told about it. Each person in the company should be aware. It provides important insights for everyone.
They know what is expected from them when it comes to serving the customers. All customer feedback must be shared with everyone – even the top management. This aspect is sometimes ignored but there are some easy ways to spread the word.
How to share customer feedback in a company
It’s essential to share feedback with everyone in your company. There are several ways you can use to share the information. That is through:
Notice board
A low-effort method is to use a notice board. Some companies even have notice boards specifically for customer feedback and news. You can place them in a strategic and high-traffic area. This information gets easily relayed to all. The cafeteria, conference rooms, and or office walkways are ideal spots for these notice boards. Pinning a picture of the complimented employee along with the comment serves as a morale booster. Others employees strive to get their picture up there someday! If a single individual is contributing heavily and receiving a barrage of compliments from customers, you can reward them at an all-employee meeting. It can be a better method instead of pinning all the comments on the notice board.
Big screen
For a large company, using a big screen to display customer feedback is another way to get the message across. As you do this, use constructive steps to serve as a gentle reminder of what needs to be done to maintain or improve the current service levels.
Share customer compliments at the start of the week
A great way to motivate teams at the start of the week is by sharing the compliments received from customers. Monday morning meetings offer this opportunity and praise must be shared across the team(s). If there is a specific compliment for an individual, share that too. But, avoid overdoing it as it could make other team members feel ignored.
Handwritten note
Recognizing great customer service ensures will keep it happening. A handwritten note to the team or the individual who’s consistently recognized in compliments from customers is a serious morale booster.
Employee portal
Use employee portals to forward the compliments received from customers. The company intranet and self-help portals increase the visibility of the feedback received. It has a direct impact on the personal growth and confidence of the recognized team or individual. A shy, and not-so-well-known friend delivered the kind of customer service that elicits rave reviews.
Her company recognized and spread the word about her exemplary work and she became quite a sensation overnight. Everyone knew her by name and she even received an award for her outstanding work. Honestly did not only get recognized. She also served as an example for the quiet and shy hard workers who were more willing to showcase their mettle.
Social media
Share these compliments on social media sites and your website for greater visibility. It also serves as a way to acknowledge the customers’ feedback.
Impact of customer feedback
Remember any feedback received from customers has a potential for an opportunity. Turn customer complaints into compliments by treating the complaint as a gift. If a customer is reaching out even if it is to criticize, companies must be happy. At least, the customer is not being indifferent or walking away without giving you the opportunity to improve. The fact is, through a concerted effort, if you can give the customer more than they expect when they are complaining, you will never fall short of compliments from this customer. In addition, the cycle of word of mouth will start.
Shows customers trust in your company
When customers complain, it means that they are comfortable enough with you to share this criticism. Not only do they consider you a friend, but also trust you with the issue. They know you will do something about it. Some customers also specify what they would like done.
Instead of spending loads of money on an outsourced company to get a feel of what customers think, listen to the statements and criticism. Do what the customers want. These also tell you what to expect in future customer behavior. This is free and very valuable feedback. All companies must welcome and use it to improve customer service levels to a point that elicits compliments from customers.
Final Verdict
Receiving these compliments from customers is a boon for business and a company’s reputation. Compliments in general make a person feel good. Receiving compliments from customers means that you have done something special. In turn, they feed those positive feelings back to you. This cycle of great service leads to compliments from customers. It leads to employees wanting to do even better and raise a company’s revenue and reputation to unprecedented and unimagined heights.