Business Owners: Five Tips for Offering First Class Customer Service

We all love to be pampered and made to feel special. Many people are willing to pay extra for that first class experience. Sometimes though, we get caught off guard by spectacular customer service that it just makes the relationship with the business that much more special. I recently had the experience of staying at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their customer service was superb. Does your business offer over the top experiences for your customers? My tips will help all business owners recreate that first class experience.

Five Tips for Offering First Class Customer Service

1. Smile. It doesn’t cost anything for you and your employees to put a smile on your face. A smile just breaks the ice and makes everyone feel comfortable with the experience. From the minute I arrived at the Wynn Hotel I received friendly smiling people who were willing to make my stay enjoyable.

2. Use the person’s name. When you address your customers by name it makes them feel valued. They realize they are just not another number. You have taken time to get to know them. While leaving the Wynn Hotel I disembarked off the elevator with my big clumsy suitcase. One of the hotel staff immediately saw me and called out to me by name. You know that made me feel like a celebrity.

3. Take control. Depending upon the situation you can offer first class customer service by taking control of the situation. The hotel staff member grabbed my suitcase and whisked me away to my airport shuttle. He took control. He confirmed my airline and relayed the information on to the driver. Review how you and your employees can take control and assist your customers. Sometimes the customer or client just needs you to do the task or job for him or her instead of telling him or her what to do or how to do it.

4. Take away the guess work. If your client or customer doesn’t know the surroundings you will win brownie points by explaining the surroundings or what he or she needs to do to navigate the terrain safely. My airport shuttle driver did not just drop me off at the airport. After he got me ask close to my airline as possible he took time to point out the traffic patterns and explain how to navigate the lanes of oncoming traffic and where to go to find my airline. He didn’t just leave me standing in the middle of the street guessing how to cross or whether to take a left or a right. He eliminated the guess work and thus saved me time. I did not feel like a small lost child. I felt like a well informed consumer.

5. Eliminate. When flying first class I did not have to pay for my luggage. I did not have to stand in long lines. When you eliminate the annoying additional fees and long lines you create a pleasurable experience for your customer. It is not just a perk it is a stress eliminator and time saver. Think about places you know that offer free gift wrapping or free gift bags. Doesn’t it make you just a little bit happy to not have to wrap the gift or spend extra money on gift wrap? It does me. Think of ways you can eliminate a hassle for your customers. Maybe during the holiday season you use gift boxes that just need a bow added instead of a plain box.

The holidays are fast approaching. Shoppers will be tired and in a hurry. When you greet your customer with a smile and by name you make him or her feel special. When presented with the opportunity to take control of the situation and eliminate the guess work for the customer you reduce his or her stress level which allows him or her to enjoy being in your business. Lastly, when you eliminate those little pesky fees or long lines you offer your customers a first class customer experience. When customers have a first class customer experience they will refer you and your business to their friends and family. They will return to your business and become a loyal customer.