Remembering the “Service” in Customer Service

As direct sales representatives it’s important to remember that our customers are who we are serving, not the other way around. Without them we wouldn’t have a business and so, we are their servants - working for them to keep them happy with our products, our service, our company.

The key to developing a good relationship with your customers starts with communication. Once a direct sales consultant has established a customer/rep relationship with someone it’s important for her to communicate clearly what service the customer can expect. When appropriate, even a written formal agreement can be used to ensure that both parties are clear on what will be provided. Communication can come in many forms:

1. Follow up calls - Communicate clearly several times regarding your customer’s orders and/or upcoming party that she’s hosting. Make calls to confirm the booking, to let her know you’re excited about the upcoming party, to secure a guest count, to talk through any last minute details and to answer any questions she might have.

2. Website statements - If you’re able to personalize your company provided website, make it clear in the wording there what you’ll provide for your customers and hostesses. Be specific and give them a way to contact you if they have questions about anything you have written here.

3. Business contracts - When appropriate, write up an agreement or contract with your customers and hostesses further clarifying what they can expect from you, as well as what, if anything, they are responsible for with regards to your relationship with them during each transaction or point of contract. This is particularly necessary if you are in a direct sales business where you are taking a deposit, have a minimum number of guests or anything else that might seem worthy of a more formal written agreement.

4. Emails - Emails are great for back up support but should not be used as your primary communication source with an established customer or hostess. Given the increased use of email and the potential for emails to get lost or end up in a spam or junk folder, this is not the most reliable form of communication when you’re interacting beyond sending general information.

The more you can communicate in each of these different forms the better. Take pride in the service you provide. If you’ve communicated clearly the chance for snafus and problems are minimized but when they do come, you can deal with them graciously and clearly remembering that you are serving them, not the other way around.

How can you insure that your communication levels with your customer are high enough to avoid problems? The easiest way is to automate and/or systematize your follow up system. Have a clear checklist of how you’ll interact with your customers and hostesses from the moment your relationship with them starts. Use calendar and to do list software, a tickler file, autoresponder for emails and even scheduled mail cards and post cards to help. And if you are not one for organizing, then bite the bullet and hire an assistant to help you.

These days, especially, with the direct sales field booming and more and more reps vying for customers, excellent customer service skills are a must. Spend some time today thinking through how you can take it up a notch to keep your customers - and you - happy with your direct sales business.