Customers fear there'll be nothing but a skeleton left by the time their questions are answered.

It’s the peak of the holiday season. Most retail businesses make upward of 75% of their profit from black Friday to the end of the year. If your business isn’t raking in the dough right now, it might be because customers are frustrated and having a hard time getting what they want, be it products or service. Here are ten ways you can make it smooth sailing for customers to easily get what they want.

  1. Really fix the top ten complaints by customers. If you aren’t continually polling your customers to find out what they like and don’t like, start asap. Once you’ve got a grip on what needs to be changed, change it. Make it what your customers are asking for.
  2. Make sure your website works seamlessly throughout. Often times different departments use different styles and criteria when building their part of the web site. This can often leave customers confused and unable to navigate the different parts of the website.
  3. Train your staff to really listen. To hear what the customer is not saying in amongst what they are. Being able to get to the core of the issue and dealing with it, will really placate frustrated customers.
  4. Deliver what and when you say you will. This doesn’t just mean making sure that an online order gets to the customer on time. If you say you’re going to have an update or be offering more selection by a certain time, then make sure you have that available. If you promise someone you’ll have an answer for them by a certain time, have the answer.
  5. Make it abundantly clear who they need to contact within the company for any given question. One thing I hate about Apple’s site – you can never figure out where what you want is hiding. And if you have a complaint or bug, it could take you a lifetime to find a way to let them know. They have no contact numbers anywhere in site, grrrr.
  6. Quit passing customers from one rep to another. Once a customer has worked with someone, given all the details, etc. they don’t want to have to reiterate it over and over to dozens of other reps. The same rep should work with the same customer until they are satisfied.
  7. Be up front with your customers. Don’t make them opt out of things. Let them know it’s in their hands to decide how much contact they want from the company in the form of emails, specials, etc.
  8. Pare down your phone labyrinth. Consolidate where possible. Make your “phone tree” a shrub, so that customers can get to who they need to with fewer steps.
  9. When you make a mistake, admit that you’re wrong and then fix it. Don’t play ignorant or righteous. Simply state the obvious, then do what is necessary to repair the damage.
  10. The old adage that the customer is always right isn’t right, but it should be considered. Many customers go through the third degree just to return a product that didn’t meet their needs/expectations, or is damaged. Make it easier for people to understand you policies before they buy. Then in the even of a problem treat them with respect and be willing to bend the rules once in awhile. Most customers are not out to get your company, but most customers believe you’re out to get them. Change that image.