We as a nation live in a day and age where online transactions are the norm—face to face interactions have become few and far between. People have become dependent on their smart phones and tablets for purchasing, selling, and all other social interaction.

It appears that most people have forgotten the art of having a conversation with a live person.

While this may in fact be true of our society, when it comes to running a successful business, we must still put customer service as the most important factor.

How many times do you call a business or technical support line for help? You are guided through prompt after prompt, only to be disconnected or asked to leave a message. You then wait and hope for a call back. Let’s face it, no one wants to deal with that hassle!

Customer service can be defined as the act of taking care of a customer’s needs by providing and delivering professional, helpful, high-quality service and assistance before, during, and after the customer’s requirements are met.

In essence, a company’s job of providing great service to a customer does not end at the time of purchase. It is in fact just beginning.

In the world of rent to own, there are many misconceptions associated with the industry. This is why the most important benefit you can give any customer utilizing rent to own is exceptional customer service. The rent-to-own provider your company chooses reflects heavily on your business.

What characteristics of customer service should you look for in your RTO provider? In our opinion there are six crucial criteria manufacturers should keep in mind: Knowledge of the product, empathy, customer focus, patience and flexibility, language skills, and legal compliance.

Knowledge of the Product

When you call a business to obtain information on a product, service, or to get answers to a question, does the person answering the phone know what they are talking about? Are you transferred to person after person to help you? Do you get the runaround when they are unable to answer your questions?

While the support staff of your RTO provider may not have the skills to build your product, they do need to know enough about it to explain it to the customer. Being knowledgeable communicates trust between the RTO provider, your company, and the customer.

Empathy

Empathy is a characteristic that is vital in customer service of rent to own.

There is nothing more frustrating to your customer than the feeling of being insignificant, undervalued, and misunderstood. Creating empathy with the customer is more than just being friendly; it means understanding the customer’s point of view.

Empathy can resolve a number of problems. It allows a customer to calm down when they realize their issue matters to the representative. It also helps the customer service representative keep his cool, even if the customer seems to be irrational.

Your RTO provider should be able to put themselves in the customer’s shoes at all times to resolve any underlying problem with ease.

Customer Focus

We have all heard sayings like “the customer is always right” or “put the customer first.” The most accurate representation would actually be to put your customer at the center of the focus.

When your RTO provider makes the customer the most important business asset, everyone wins. The customer will be happier with the level of service with any given situation, and the company develops a reputation of caring for the customer above and beyond what is expected.