You can use customer service as a powerful way to set yourself apart from your competition. It"s one of the strengths a small business has, and by emphasizing customer service, you can compete with larger companies who may offer more variety, lower prices, and other perks you can"t afford. Here are four maxims to help make sure you leverage your small business status to provide the best customer service possible.
If a customer has a problem, apologize and fix the problem. Make sure to let customers let off their grievances, even if you are tempted to interrupt and over a refund creates ill will. Keep in mind that a complaint about your company is an opportunity to turn the situation around and create a loyal customer. Obviously, some customer requests are too outrageous to comply with. If that"s the case, do your best to offer a moderate, appealing alternative.
Ask your customers to rate your service on a regular basis. This can be done via a short questionnaire included with every product sold or mailed to key clients. Keep the questionnaire short so that it is not a burden for customers to complete. Always let customers know the purpose of the survey is to serve them better. If they fill out the survey and have no problems, it is a reminder of what good service you offer. If issues do arise, they can be addressed.
You must be flexible when it comes to your customers and clients. This means doing a project for a client in a pinch, having an early morning meeting even if you like to sleep in, and meeting on Saturday even if you usually reserve your weekends for yourself.
Flexibility can also mean getting information for your client, even though it may not be in your area of expertise. Say, for example, you"re catering a wedding and your client needs information on Irish wedding customs. It"s just as easy to make a call to your local library and fax the information to your client as it is to say "I don"t know anything about that." And making that extra effort will ultimately pay off with a very satisfied customer.
Make your customers believe they are important to you by always appearing to go the extra mile. Build a little cushion into a deadline and deliver early.
单选题
The author believes that small businesses
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] “作者认为小公司……”通过阅读上下文，可以判断出第一段第二句的主语“It”指代的是第一句中的“customer service”，所以文中的“you”则是指“small business”。由此可知“customer service”是小公司的优势(strength)。另外，此题也可用排除法解答。从第二句中的“...larger. companies who may offer more variety, lower-prices, ...”可知“lower prices”是比较大的公司的优势；从第三句中的“...make sure you leverage your small business status...”可以判断出与较大公司相比，小公司的地位要低一些。因此B、C都被排除了，A为正确选项。
单选题
What attitude does the author think a small business should take to customers" problems?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] “作者认为小公司应该对顾客提出的问题采取什么态度?”可以用排除法做本题。通过第二段第三句开头的关联词“then”可知，上句的内容描述的是应该先做的事情，即应该先让顾客把抱怨、牢骚都发出来“let off their grievances”，不要打断他们，也不要更正他们可能会有的一些错误说法，然后再给他们退货，或者更换个新的，或者用其他任何做法来解决问题。因此，A、B两项被排除了，C为正确选项。
单选题
The questionnaire on your service should be issued to your customers
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] “针对你的服务做的调查问卷应该……发放给你的顾客。”第三段第二句的主语“This”指示的是前句中的“ask your customers to rate your service”。把一、二两句结合起来看就应该是把调查问卷定期地发放给顾客。因此B项正确。这里“periodically”替换了原文中的短语“on a regular basis”，意思一样。
单选题
To offer a good customer service, you have to
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] “为了给顾客提供优良的服务，你必须……”从倒数第三段的第二句话可以看出A、B两项所述内容只是作者在举例说明“You must be flexible”，但并不是说为了给顾客提供优良的服务就必须少睡觉或在周末工作。所以C为正确选项。这道题在于测试考生是否知道being flexible的具体含义。
单选题
If your customers need some extra service, you should
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] “如果你的顾客需要一些额外的服务，你应该……”本题可以用排除法。倒数第二段的倒数第二句告诉我们给当地图书馆打个电话(询问一下)，然后把相关信息传真给客户和直接对客户说“对此我一无所知”一样容易。既然如此，我们为什么不做前者呢?而且这样做得到的回报是“a very satisfied customer”，因此A项可以排除了。C项提到的做法只是就这个例子而言的，而B项的叙述是全面的，所以选B。
单选题
The author thinks
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] “作者认为……”根据倒数第二段最后一句可知，“你”所提供的额外服务能赢得一位非常满意的顾客。因此A项与原文相符；文中没有提及B项；C项表述的内容与倒数第二段的倒数第二句话“It"s just as easy to make a call to your local library and fax the information to your client as it is to say "I don"t know anything about that."”的意思相反。所以A为正确选项。