How to Treat Your Customer

People have computers but they don’t all understand how to take care of them and keep them free from harm. If a computer owner/user finds their computer has become infected or infiltrated by virus and spyware attacks, have hardware or software problems or are just looking to upgrade you can be their best friend or their worst enemy.

Lend a Friendly Ear  

When a person who is concerned, frustrated, or angry at their equipment calls you on the phone they want a person who will listen to them first and foremost. Many people with expertise have the habit of interrupting the client before they even have a chance to tell you everything they think is important. Even if their comments are seemingly irrelevant you need to ensure that you do not stop them mid-sentence to impart your great and magnificent knowledge and skill upon them. Try to put yourself in their shoes and see how you would feel if you were trying to tell someone about the greatest new gadget just to be interrupted by a peer who read another article about the same device. Listen attentively, ask questions as they pause, but do not stop them from telling you about their computer woes.

Get Right to Work

Once you’ve heard their story it is a great idea to get right to work. In this way you show your interest in getting their computer back up and working, plus it is great professionalism. If they wish to chat you can certainly give them your personal attention once the work is done. Don’t get distracted. A good way to get the customer to agree with you is to treat them with respect, and let them know that you will be happy to talk with them once you have finished helping them with their problems. They will be happy to know that their computer problems are your top priority and give you a moderate amount of quiet time to fix their computer. Remember, though, that they are your customer and many want to know more about their computers and take the opportunity of you being there to ask questions.

Teach While you are Working

People who call computer consultants do not know much about their computers. Adventurous people will try everything on their own and invariably probably ruin their Windows system before they’ll agree to call in professionals. This gives you a unique opportunity to help your customer to help themselves. Issues that seem very basic to you, like email or how to sort a field in Microsoft Excel, are many times mysteries to the novice computer user. Especially when you have an elderly client, you may find that they have more questions than problems. Take this opportunity to write down some simple steps for them to make their computing experience more enjoyable. Most people like these have bought their computer to use for internet and find out there is much more software available. Encourage your clients to experiment and explore their computers. Show them how to open their applications and even give them tips on keeping their system clean. 

Go Above the Call of Duty

If you notice that your client visits specific internet sites often make them favorites for these on their link bar in Microsoft Internet Explorer. Give them shortcuts to the "temp" folder on their desktop and show them how to go in to clear out their temp files on occasion. Configure their Internet Explorer to delete temporary internet files on exit, and do other little things that will help their computer to run better. If you notice they have no antivirus or spyware removal software, offer to install a free utility on their computer and explain how it will help them. These little things show you care about them and you can rest assured that they will call you back because they know that you will help them.

All-in-all, it is really all about talking to the customer in a professional yet friendly manner, Take the time to care about the customer, their computer, and their unique personality. Ask them pertinent questions and offer them help with what will make their computing experience more enjoyable. A happy customer is a customer who will call you back in the future.