Providing excellent customer service isn’t hard. But it’s vital to the retention of clients, the returning of customers, and the success of our business.
There are thousands of businesses that offer similar, if not the exact same, products or services. So what truly sets a company apart from its competitors?
It’s all about service. It’s all about how you interact with your customers from the get-go, all the way through to job completion. If you follow the customer service tips listed below, you will be providing better service than most of your competitors.
Why Is Good Customer Service Important?
Most people think that their brand is a name, a logo, or style. But that’s not true. At least, not completely true.
The most important aspect of your brand, and of how people view your company, is your level of customer service. If you treat people well, they will have a good experience and may buy from you again.
When it comes to brand loyalty, 96% of consumers say that customer service is an important factor.
If, however, you go above and beyond (which isn’t hard compared to most companies’ lackluster customer service), you can create a raving fan. They will become a natural brand ambassador.
Customer Service Tips to Implement Today
By focusing on customer service by inspiring, training, and incentivizing your team, you can actually create a unique brand that breaks through the noise of generic marketing.
As a result, your business will grow. 86% of businesses that focus on improving the customer experience see a revenue increase.
You can spark a wildfire of positivity that will not only retain customers but grow your business. If you are ready to set your company apart, you can start by following these customer service tips today.
1. Hire the Right Team Members
Whether it’s your customer support team, salespeople, or someone working at the front desk or service-counter, you can’t provide great service with subpar people. The first person your customers, or potential customers interact with, dictates their impression of your whole company.
If that person is negative, grumpy, rude, or just plain quiet and unhelpful, your customers won’t return. Most of the time, it’s easier to hire someone who enjoys interacting with people than it is to train someone who doesn’t. They will naturally be more helpful employees, making your job easier.
2. Lead With Positivity
Your customers want the best from you, and they want it now. Expectations for businesses have changed dramatically in the last few years, and there’s little room for error or delay.
While you should do your best to serve your customers, you can’t always provide them with immediate results. For example, a customer might want a product that’s out of stock. How do you respond when it won’t be in stock until next week?
Saying, “We don’t have that product right now,” is leading with the negative. The first thing your customer hears is “no.” This leads to angry customers.
Instead, you can frame the response differently. Try saying, “We will have it next week. Can I call you once it arrives?”
Instead of leading with “no” you are leading with a solution. It makes a big difference.
3. Allow for immediate Feedback
This is a strategy that benefits both you and the customer. When a client purchases and uses your product or service, give them an opportunity to provide immediate feedback.
The best way to do this is to send them a digital form they can fill out. If they had a negative experience for any reason, you can contact them directly to try making it right. The customer then ends the transaction on a positive note, even if the product initially failed them.
They are less likely to leave a negative review online without even trying to contact you. It helps them have a better experience and protects your reputation.
4. Provide Your Team With Better Tools
Regardless of what type of business you operate, your team needs effective tools if they are to quickly respond to your customers. Responding to dozens or hundreds of emails out of shared email inboxes is a sure way to frustrate customers and team members.
Invest in a proper CRM, or customer relationship management software. You are, after all, in the business of relationships. This software makes it easy to delegate incoming requests, emails, support tickets, and so forth.
A proper business phone system is required to keep people organized internally, as well as managing incoming and outgoing customer calls. For help setting up an effective cloud-hosted phone system that scales with your company, view this resource. Make sure to implement consistent phone etiquette standards for everyone to follow.
5. Be a Human, Not a Robot
As humans, we enjoy talking with other humans. Most people don’t enjoy talking to robots, whether that’s a chatbot on your website or automated emails. People don’t want to feel like a transaction or a number. They want to be noticed and valued.
Make it a priority for everyone on your team to express their personality, as well as your brand’s personality everywhere. Ask your customers how they are doing.
And if you do use automated communication tools, at least make them sound less robotic. In this age of technological advancement, personalization is king.
6. Respond Everywhere
With social media ever on the rise, it’s important for brands to maintain a presence in multiple locations. Your main presence will be your website. But you will likely have social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, along with video channels such as YouTube.
Every platform you utilize is another opportunity for new customers to find you. The thing to remember is that they often ask questions on each one of those platforms before ever going to your website.
When using multiple channels to produce content, it’s important that each channel is assigned to a member of your team. Make sure they check the account daily, if not multiple times a day, to ensure a timely response.
Going Above and Beyond
By implementing just a few of the customer service tips listed above, you can easily set yourself apart from most businesses that exist today. When it comes down to it, you simply need to treat people the way you would hope to be treated.
Nobody wants to be treated like a robot. No one wants to feel like a burden. Focus on improving your customer service etiquette and you can grow your business. And if you need more tips on improving your business processes, check out the rest of our blog.