Business trends will come and go, but one thing that is always important for a business to get right is their customer service. Without good customer service, the work you put into attracting new customers will be for nothing, as you won’t be able to retain them. Here are the top customer service tips that no business should ever forget. 

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1. Practice empathy, patience, and consistency. Some customers will have a lot of questions for you, some will be talkative, and others will be angry. You need to be prepared to empathize with customers and handle all kinds with the same level of service. A call-answering service with urgent call handling can help with this. 
2. Understand that good customer service is a continuous learning process. Every customer is unique and will need different support. If you’re going to handle unpredictable calls, learn to sense a customer’s mood and address new challenges, then you need to be willing to continue to learn. Aim to have an in-depth understanding of the challenges your customers are facing and how you can best address and solve them. 
3. Ask customers if they understand. Your customer needs to understand what you mean. You don’t want them to think they’re getting money off when they’re actually getting more product. Always ask if they understand. Use positive language, and stay cheerful no matter what. Don’t end a conversation without checking that your customer understands you and is satisfied with the call. 
4. Show your customers your work ethic. Customers appreciate a sales rep who take responsibility and stay with them until their problem has been solved. However, you know you can’t spend too much time focusing on just one customer when you have other customers waiting. You need to remain focussed in order to get the balance right. 
5. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” Your customers are relying on you to know your product back-to-front. You need to stay informed in order to be able to properly respond to questions, or where to turn to for answers if you can’t answer the question yourself. If you don’t know the answer to something that a customer asks, it’s ok to tell them that you don’t know, as long as you follow it with a promise to find out. Customers will appreciate the honesty and the effort to find the answer. 
6. Have thick skin. There’s an old saying in customer service; “the customer is always right.” The best customer service representatives are able to accept blame or negative feedback and are able to handle unreasonable customers in a calm manner. Making your customer happy should be your primary goal, no matter what. If a customer is unreasonable, try to level with them and let them know that you are doing your best. 
7. Show your customers that you’re human. Do the best that you can to find some common ground or shared interests with your customers. By humanizing your relationship, you will find it easier to resolve conflict, make customers like you, and make them like your business too.