Experts Weigh In:

Experts Weigh In: What's your number one customer service tip?

Customer service is a huge part of running a small business. The kind of service you provide can often dictate how many repeat customers you'll get, and what sort of word-of-mouth marketing you'll receive. We asked our small business experts what their number one customer service tip is.

It’s no secret that providing excellent customer service can lead to earning repeat business, and overall success. We wanted to find out what customer service tricks other small businesses were utilizing to keep their customers happy. So we asked our small business experts what their number one customer service tip is. Here’s what they had to say…

“My favorite customer service tip couldn’t be more obvious or more often ignored. It’s simply this: Make people feel important. Every company in the world knows customers are important, yet, as customers, how important do we feel when dealing with these companies? Often isn’t it more like that infamous phone message, Because we value your business, please continue to hold. With all the talk about customer service, with all the blather about customer centric companies, making people feel important is still the easiest and the cheapest way to differentiate your business from the competition.” –Barry Maher, Speaker, Author, Consultant

“One thing that has been invaluable is sending gift baskets to clients who booked me. Not only does this show well deserved gratitude, it also leads to many more bookings. I even had one agent call me up sobbing – he said that no one had ever sent him a gift basket in 35 years of being an agent. Several times, I’ve had a client tell me Thank you so much for the gift basket – put yourself down for next year’s event, so it has paid off many, many times over.” -Dan Nainan,Comedian/Actor/Voiceover Artist/Computer Geek