Ringing in a new year is exciting.  You have renewed energy and have a positive outlook on what you plan to accomplish, and your sense of anticipation for what's ahead is further fueled by all of the uplifting messages from the important people in your life.  Like, "Here's to a healthy and happy 2014!" and "May 2014 be your most successful yet!" 

How do you maintain this elevated sense of excitement and desire to succeed?  You don't want to be like the vast majority who sets clear visions, but then loses steam within 1-2 weeks.  Commit now to setting your 2014 goals (if you have not done so already), and then throughout the year, constantly work on them and set weekly/monthly reminders to ensure that you're on track with successfully fulfilling your resolutions.  Determining goals can sometimes feel daunting, but keep most simple.  We can help you get your list of goals started, or we can help you by adding some additional helpful strategies. 

Here are 7 customer service improvement opportunities that we recommend for 2014:

1. Listen.  Be a better listener.  When you hear your customers, truly listen.  True listening gives you the chance to understand the spoken and unspoken needs and will result in you better serving your customers.  
2. Learn what your customers want.  Figure out a plan for regularly getting their feedback, and make it easy for them to provide this feedback.  What do they need, want, and expect?  Their responses will help you to determine new opportunities and find fixes for problems. 
3. Be generous.  Always make it your pleasure to go the extra mile.  Generosity to your customers will pay you back. 
4. Be accessible.  Fast response and accessibility are critical in achieving customer satisfaction.
5. Don't be a copycat.  There's a lot of competition out there trying to earn your customer's business, so be innovators by coming up with your own service ideas and solutions so you can retain and earn more business.
6. Don't make do.  Don't put off dropping what's not working for you and getting what you know that you need.  Too much time is wasted, and you risk losing your value.
7. Have fun.  Make sure that all of your customers can feel your smile, passion, and joy and that they witness your positive attitude.  When you deliver outstanding and fun experiences, your customers will keep coming back for more.

What other types of goals should you include?  You should also include goals that are measurable and are easy to quantify and to track on the scope of success.  For example, you will have some measurable financial goals that you need to add too.  No doubt, your bottom line is important, and keep in mind that if each of the above 7 are done well, your revenue will feel the positive results.  You should also set some customer service benchmarks.  Do you currently measure the service that your customers receive?  How will you define service success in 2014?  We have many tools and services that could be very helpful to you in ensuring that you are on track throughout the year.