COVID Customer Service: Randi Busse

As businesses around the country struggle, taking care of your customers is more important than ever before. Does your existing customer service model still deliver the level of service that it did before the pandemic? My guest today is here to discuss the importance of examining your plans to meet the unique challenges we are all experiencing during COVID-19. My guest today is Randi Busse, the founder and president of Workforce Development Group. She is also the author of Turning Rants Into Raves: Turn Your Customers On Before They Turn On YOU! She is here today to talk about forming a COVID customer service model, and how to adjust your existing model to take care of your clients. This week’s episode of The Profit Express is brought to you by Corbett Public Relations, Promoting and Protecting Businesses and Brands for over 30 years. Putting Customers First While vaccines have started to roll out and we are nearing the end of the pandemic, many people are still on edge over the threat of COVID-19. Listen at 12:35 as Randi explains how this concern should be a major factor that influences how businesses operate. Consumers have options, and if a business owner cannot control his or her environment to keep customers safe, the customers may not come back. A Human-Human Approach We’re all familiar with business-to-business and business-to-consumer models. At 18:45, Randi says that right now, those models should be tossed out. When it comes to customer service during COVID, we need to take a human-to-human approach in how we interact with customers and employees. No matter what industry you are in, listening to the customer and choosing empathy is the most important thing. What makes a good customer service experience? Every company has a different set of goals. But hitting those sales goals is not the most important part of customer service. At 28:40, Tim and Randi talk about different service experiences they’ve encountered. In one, Tim went to purchase a new cell phone, and despite making it clear that he wasn’t interested in being upsold on other products and services, the customer service representative kept going through the motions. He made the sale, but was he successful at his job? Take Care of Your Customers In sales, it is all about the numbers. When creating a COVID customer service plan, the numbers don’t matter as much. Listen at 38:00 as Randi talks about how to become more outward thinking in business today. It is essential that small businesses pivot to fit the needs of their customers. The Social Media Megaphone Social media was a game changer for business long before the pandemic began. Now during COVID-19, it has amplified the customer voice more than ever before. At 41:30, Randi speaks about a Facebook group she is in that covers companies following COVID protocols. Businesses that are anti-mask are being blasted, and the voices doing the blasting are louder because of social media. Separating Yourself from Amazon Small businesses around the world are facing bigger challenges than ever before. At 49:05, Randi discusses how they can separate themselves from major corporations like Amazon. Part of creating an effective COVID customer service plan is to keep doing what is working. As long as you take care of the customers, they will want you to succeed. It is important for business owners to be flexible and to take a walk in their customers’ shoes. Whether it’s creating a contactless pickup system or building an outdoor dining setup, think about what your customers want and need as you navigate these times.   Download more episodes of The Profit Express to help inspire you as you take on the battle for business, and subscribe to The Profit Express on YouTube for exclusive video content. The post COVID Customer Service: Randi Busse appeared first on Healy Success Solutions.