Dear Freelancers,

Your customers and their needs should always be your focus.

Why?

Because they can recommend you to others. As a freelancer, you embody all the structures of a company: marketing, sales, accounting, operations…

If your customers become fans because you deliver more than they expect and recommend you to others, you don’t have to worry as much about marketing and sales. In this case, customers contact you because they have already heard about your service or product from your regular customers.

How can you offer exceptional customer service?
What can set you apart from the competition?
It’s the extra mile in customer service.

What does the extra mile look like? – A small practical example

When I worked in customer support for a large provider of supply chain solutions, we handled a well-known sneaker manufacturer. The SCS provider had a department called “Carrier Service.” Carrier Service was supposed to be the link between customer support and shipping service providers (such as DHL, FedEx, Parcelforce, Correos, etc.). Unfortunately, this contact was limited to follow-up requests, loss reports, and similar issues when parcels did not arrive at the customer’s address after a long time.

But what is the basic requirement for the successful delivery of parcels? Correct—the accurate delivery address.
So, what was the process when a customer reported an incorrect delivery address? The customer would be told to contact the shipping service provider to correct the address. However, this is not typically possible for customers, as only the sender can request a change to the delivery address. This led to the customer being referred back to the sender, and then to customer support again. This resulted in repeated contacts and frustration for the customer.

There was no process in place for the carrier service (i.e., the actual interface to the shipping service provider) to correct the address with the shipping service provider if the customer reported that, for example, the house number was incorrect or missing (usually due to a browser error). A simple ticket to the carrier service and prompt communication between them and the shipping provider could have avoided numerous returns and escalations. When I realized this, I proactively contacted the shipping service providers to correct addresses whenever customers reached out.

I particularly remember one customer who had placed an order for her daughter for Christmas. The customer was British, and the shipment needed to be sent to the UK. Had we not corrected the address in this case, the parcel would not have arrived and would have been returned to the sender (i.e., us) in Germany. By contacting the shipping service provider, a Christmas was saved. The customer was overjoyed and experienced outstanding customer service.

She profusely thanked the customer service team in an email.

The extra mile in this case took five minutes to contact the shipping service provider. This not only prevented an escalation but also avoided a return and a refund, including associated costs for the company. Additionally, the customer had a positive experience with the brand’s customer service, which she will now associate with the company.

So, how do you go the extra mile for your business?

Listen to your customers and ask them:

• Where do they face problems?
• When ordering?
• During delivery of the service or product?
• After the purchase? (For example, is the customer missing a way to attach a poster or picture that you could include?)

By asking your customers, they’ll notice that you care about them and are invested in improving your service or product. This already sets you apart from your competitors, as many freelancers only focus on selling. Aftercare and improving services often don’t matter to them.

If you’re unsure what the extra mile could be for your service, feel free to write to me at info@freelanceboosters.com, and I’ll be happy to help you!

Thank you for your time and see you soon,

Tobias