Caring and supporting your customers has never been more crucial in this day of marketing automation. Many times we get so caught up in getting things done and getting them out there that we can forget to add the little touches. It's those little things that can often mean the difference between good and great. For example, if you run an Internet business, ensure that you have not just an email but also a phone contact. This means that customers can reach a 'live' person. Perhaps you also offer several payment options instead of just the usual one or two.
That small touch goes a long way in creating happy customers, the added value being that a happy customer is usually a repeat customer. When you give your customers this top-notch level of customer service, they look to you for more great work, they tell their friends about the great service they received, and above all they grow to trust you and what you're offering them.
The idea is to deliver customer service that goes beyond just handling problems to exceeding normal standards and expectations. This might sound cliché but in my opinion, "experience is everything." The experience hinges on the quality of interaction Customer Support can bring to the customers, no matter which angle they are coming from, what emotional state they are in, how difficult their issues are, etc.
The point is the experience can be mastered and applied uniformly. These are 6 major factors that constitute excellent customer service:
1. Listen: "God gives you 2 ears and 1 mouth so you jolly well listen twice as much as you speak." This statement probably is another cliché but how so true it applies to almost every situation in life, generally speaking. The funny thing is you may provide a specific range of products or services, but the problems customers give feedback on can arise from many different perspectives and situations and contain so many variables.
Being able to listen attentively means the Support person must keep his emotions and judgment in check. By 'judgment', I mean that he should not rattle off a solution in a condescending tone while thinking "the customer is so stupid to have thought of something so simple". Humility and respect for customers are great attitudes that make room for customers to participate by voicing out their problems as they see them, so that Support can gradually turn the conversation around and invite them to see the problems from Support's perspective.
When both sides can gain clarity and mutual understanding on a common definition of the problem, it makes the subsequent resolution a whole lot easier. Great listening skills come with time and experience, but seriously, if nothing else, point 1 is all that matters in this article.
2. Initiative: Customer service is not just a department's realm of work, but a collective effort from everyone in the company. It was said that customers don't deal with staff; they deal with company representatives, and as representatives, everything they do adds on to the overall impact and perception of the company and its branding.
If the spirit of Service is embodied by every worker, they would take it upon themselves to find a solution to every customer problem they come across even if the work does not fall into their job scope. How do you think customers feel from the moment they are assured by someone—whom they don't necessarily know is from Customer Support or not—that their issues will be taken care of and they will be followed up by the appropriate personnel within 24 hours?
3. Response speed: The best practice is to return call or email to customers within 24 hours. 'Immediate' is the ideal case. The reason is you can get hold of them while they are still preoccupied with their issues. It proves to them that you are on top of their situations in terms of service.
4. Valuable content: Provide exclusive, customer-only content to keep them in the loop of consumer changes, trends, product development etc. and to encourage feedback while they stay passive. Add the personal touch by sending them a greeting card on their birthdays and anniversaries.
5. Incentives: Reward your customers for their long-term loyalty by offering reward points, discounts or vouchers for future purchases, free product upgrades, dedicated support etc.
6. CRM system: Invest in a CRM platform like HubSpot Sales to keep customer records organized so that any staff can track each customer's history of interactions. Such records empower staff to strategically plan for cultivating long-term relationships.
Putting the needs of customers first is what excellent customer service is all about—not only can you retain them, you will also attract new customers solely on the strength of positive word-of-mouth about your service standards. Make customers happy and they will come back to you repeatedly.
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