The Do's and Don’ts of Customer Service for Recruiters

Instead of merely listening to your customer’s needs, a business needs to understand their unexpressed wishes and anticipate their next move. Staying one step ahead of them—literally giving them what they didn’t know they needed—is how you will stand out from the rest. This builds exceptional rapport with your customer and makes them feel like you really, truly value their business. They will want to come back, and what’s more, they’re going to tell their friends all about your customer service.

Do: Be Honest

Broken promises are the fastest way to destroy trust. So always follow through on your promises. Prices, additional fees, and extra charges should all be reasonable. Make it a point to have clear return and refund policies. Deliver on time, if not ahead of schedule. When you say you'll respond and follow up, you should. Provide the services you advertise in your correspondence and marketing. According to the old adage, honesty is the best policy. It certainly applies to good customer service.

If you haven’t heard it yet, here it is: customers want to feel appreciated and they value an honest relationship. If your customer service staff can build, nourish and manage relationships, then you’re in a great place! One way for you to build the relationship and make them feel special is by genuinely caring about what they’re telling you. Listen to them grumble, show sympathy, laugh when they laugh and don’t be afraid to get personal. Something as minute as memorizing the name of their granddaughter or asking about their last trip to Hawaii will help solidify your relationship.

Digitally speaking, doing this well means using chat bots and social media to engage in a conversation and being open and transparent online! Your online customer service is as important, if not more so than the face-to-face interactions. At the root of it all, the customer wants to feel that they’re spending their hard-earned dollar on a business that cares about them!

Do: Express your Gratitude

Words of thanks will make your customers feel valued for their devotion to your brand. Saying "Thank You" to those who support your business will not take much time or effort, but it will demonstrate how grateful you are that they chose your product or service. It also demonstrates that you value the opportunity to be helpful and assist the customer.

If there’s one thing a customer hates to hear more than “no,” it’s that something is “company policy.” Why? First of all, the customer likely doesn’t care what your store policy is. Second, they don’t see you as a customer service provider following policy, but rather as the company as an entity restricting them from getting what they want. Another reason this is such a big no-no is that it’s like putting a big road block in the conversation. With both you and the customer at a loss for what to say, the interaction (and possibly the relationship) is subsequently squelched.