It’s August and I am so excited! Happy new month to you! I wish you a great work month filled with endless possibilities. Today’s article is one I have been willing to write for a very long time but never came around to doing so. I apologize for not updating the blog in a while, last week was so hectic, but of course, I have no excuses for not posting an article. If you visited the blog previously for a new post, I am so glad I have this up now and I will try to keep up with my schedule.

After some time of job hunting, I finally got a job and I was informed that if I referred a friend I would get some extra income. Who wouldn’t jump at that? I hurriedly told my friend about the company, its services, pay rates and all other necessary information needed to make an informed decision. Before I could conclude convincing my friend she was in. Totally in and ready to start working. That was good enough for me. I was specifically elated to know that I would be receiving a bonus in two weeks since I referred a friend.

My friend started working for the company and things were going on well. We would talk about work and experiences when we could. One week into the job my friend had already started receiving tips from clients. I had never received a tip in over four weeks of working with clients for the company so you can imagine my initial reaction when my friend told me of her first tip from a client. It was a huge tip at that!

Was I doing my job badly? Was I unfriendly to clients? Were my services bad? These thoughts and more crossed my little mind. For a second I felt low and nervous. Was I going to lose my job soon? If clients weren’t tipping me then it could mean that they weren’t happy with my services and that could affect my performance rating.

Before I go any further, I would just want to explain that in regards to tipping, it, most times, entirely depends on your company’s policy. Tips were allowed by the company and it could be done online as well. Some companies don’t allow this for specific reasons but don’t go thinking we could just ask a client for a tip. That would be totally out of line and unacceptable. It was solely a decision that the clients could make out of goodwill.

So I pondered and went about questioning myself. Why had I never been tipped? The most I got from a client was “thank you”. The next time I met with my friend, I decided to ask her what she did to deserve tips. Oh, it wasn’t just once! I forgot to add that. She got tipped on a regular. I was becoming baffled. Was she better than me? Well, maybe. Anyways, I asked her and she was so candid!

It was customer service. Yes, you read that right….. Customer service!

What????!!! Who in the world would have thought that customer service was so vital? It turns out to be so important, no matter your industry and level in your organization. I would be talking about customer service in today’s post. Your client would be satisfied, happy and excited to conduct business again with you if you have great customer service skills. They will be glad to give you a tip as well (if necessary).

Please note that the essence of this article isn’t necessarily about knowing how to get tips. I just thought to give you an insight on one of the ways I realized how important customer service is in every workplace, hence the story.

Another point is, depending on your industry, you may not come in close contact with your clients but those emails or phone calls you may have with any client is really important. So learning how to properly interact with your clients through these tips is equally vital.

One thing you should always have at the back of your mind is that your client can carry out the services he/she contracted you for on his/her own. Otherwise, he/she can get someone else to do the job. What becomes unique and paramount is for you to carry out the job in a manner that satisfies the client such that he/ she wouldn’t mind paying more for your service if needed.

My friend gave me some tips and I have equally applied them in other places I have worked at. Here are ways to make your clients fall in love with you. Let’s put it that way.

  1. Make your client feel special

Your client wants to feel special. You may have other clients on your waiting list but you have to learn to make your client feel like the only client you have. That way he/she will feel appreciated and well catered for. It’s just the normal human feeling. Noone wants to feel less valued. 

You need to try to be available for your client and make him/her happy. You should not always readily refer a client to the FAQ. Most times your client wants a personal touch and to feel relaxed. Once you can do this, the client will fall in love with you.

  1. Improve your client interaction

We all love to talk about ourselves. Naturally, when you ask someone a question, that person would be happy to talk no matter how little. In that same vein, try to interact with your client even if it doesn’t relate to the business at hand. It doesn’t have to be an uptight conversation. This will give the client a relaxed atmosphere to carry out business plans with you. This may be applicable for a face to face contact or over the phone.

For example, ask the client about the weather, business plans, career, etc. You can even discuss on music or schools attended. Look for common grounds and interests with the client and start a conversation.Please do not over do it, let your instincts guide you. Just keep in mind that everything shouldn’t always be about the business.

  1.  Be Empathetic

You will come across different types of clients at work. Some may be irate or rude, and others may have so many questions to ask you. It is up to you to understand your client’s needs and reactions and choose a better approach in resolving issues or conducting business. You have to provide your client with up to standard service at all times and ensure that your client is satisfied.

What I often tell myself is –what is worth doing is worth doing well. If you are going to provide service to a client, you should do it wholeheartedly so much that your manager or employer will be pleased with you and value you as well. You should be glad knowing that you did something right. There is just some form of contentment that comes with it. This will indirectly give you happiness on your job as well.

In conclusion, you have to provide a positive experience for your client in any way that you can. That way, the client will always remember you and put out good words for you. Also, it is important for you to handle critic in a professional way and try to resolve issues where you can. It is also important for you to maintain good work ethics and stay true to your words.

Well, I later got a tip from a client weeks later (hahaha), but like I said, it wasn’t really about the tip but the valuable lesson I learned from that experience. I hope that you take out time to make customer service one of the skills you would improve on.

Have a beautiful month!

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by Zinny
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