BUILD-A-BROKER
Creating A Top-Tier Customer Experience Customer service cannot be left on the backburner BY BRETT FARMILOE | SPECIAL TO NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL Quality customer service plays a huge role in a customer’s loyalty to your brand. If their experience is positive, they are more likely to return. For that reason, a business’s customer service must be top tier. How can you ensure that your customers have a memorable experience with your brand? We asked 11 thought leaders to share how businesses can improve their customer service and brand experience.
ENGAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA It can feel hard to interact with clients in the virtual environment; engaging with your clients on social media can help them feel like they haven’t lost touch. Commenting back to them, resharing their content on your profile, or posting about featured clients can improve their customer experience with your company. -LIZ RIGGLEMAN, ARROW LIFT
RESPOND IN A TIMELY MANNER Know and improve your average response time. 90% of customers want an immediate response and 60% of customers define “immediate” as 10 minutes or less. Fast response times make your customers feel appreciated and provide a sense of instant gratification. Plus, they set you apart from your competition! Only
7% of companies respond within five minutes of form submission. Take the opportunity to be better and outshine your competition with lightning-fast customer service. -JAYSON DEMERS, EMAILANALYTICS
REWARD YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS Reward your loyal customers. Be creative with the loyalty programs you run and the incentives you offer. Discounts and coupons are great but go above and beyond to reward the customers that keep coming back. -PETER BABICHENKO, SAHARA CASE
BABYSIT THEM AS THEY EXPERIENCE YOUR PRODUCT This is not as literal as it sounds. Be sure to guide them and check on them especially if they are first-time customers. Doing so can make them feel that you care for them and that you are not just after their money. It is better that your customers feel how much you care and how much you value their comments and suggestions. -WILLIE GREER, THE PRODUCT ANALYST
HAVE ONE PERSON DEDICATED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE Small businesses are sometimes shortstaffed or juggling many tasks at once.
However, customer service is a crucial aspect of your business that cannot afford to be put on the backburner. Customers will gauge their experience largely on customer service, so small businesses must make it a point to have a person dedicated specifically to customer service. That person should greet customers, handle any grievances, and answer all customer calls. Customers need to feel heard, respected, and cared for. -VANESSA MOLICA, THE LASH PROFESSIONAL
KNOW YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE In our recent LinkedIn poll, we asked, “What’s your biggest customer service complaint?” The poll showed 43% said, “Not being more knowledgeable about your product.” Job knowledge is one of the, if not the top traits of customer service. Customers get extremely frustrated with staff and employees who aren’t knowledgeable. Job knowledge is critical for in-person, on the phone, and virtual customer service. The answer “I don’t know” should not be allowed (because one can always find out). The best answer is “Good question, let me find out for you.” This tells the customer you have some common sense and will soon have the answer for them, even if you need to return the call. -NANCY FRIEDMAN, TELEPHONE DOCTOR
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE //
> Atlantic Home
Mortgage announced Tyler Pate joined its Alpharetta, Georgia branch as a senior loan officer.
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| NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
> Dave Bricker
was named chief financial officer at Mortgage Capital Trading Inc.
> Equity Prime
Mortgage promoted Eric Skates to chief marketing officer, after more than five years as director of marketing for the company.
> Michael
Wilberton was named chief financial officer for Radius Financial Group Inc.
