How can I ensure my business is customer-service focused?

The best suggestion I have is to hire customer service-oriented people. If you want your staff to be friendly, then you hire friendly people. Hire people that are kind, extroverted, and helpful. Hire those that like to smile, and genuinely like to be around people. You start here, then put them into a customer service training situation tailored to your business, the way you would like your customers to be served, and see how your business is represented.

Now that you have friendly, well-trained staff that enjoys assisting others it’s time to implement a customer feedback program. This program should be designed to allow your customers, vendors, contractors, staff, and others to comment on staff members’ attitudes, service, friendliness, whether they smiled, or anything that you might feel is important or valid. You may even want to offer incentives to fill out these forms. This would not only help you keep track of how your staff is doing, but it also gives your customers a reason to return and take an active role in the improvement of your business while offering them a reason to tell others.

I would also offer staff incentives when they get great feedback. Remember, they are the face of your business, and the bigger they smile the more your customers will smile too. All of these are steps to help keep your business customer-service focused, but do not negate the fact that everything starts from the top. If you are customer-service focused, your team will be in the right place.

—Kaptain Kirk Clothing Co.