Proven Steps To Improve Customer Service Experience

Customer Service Experience is a vital part of conducting a business smooth and steady. A business or company rides on competition. Most of them score brownie points with their excellent methods of handling customers. With the advent of fast paced technology at our disposal, old school companies who are hesitant to jump on board lost out a lot.

As per a Deloitte research study, customers tend to spend 140% more than they usually do if they enjoy positive service. The study further states how they go on stay customers for close to 5 years unlike the ones who report negative scores for the service.

We all know of the man that Jeff Bezos is. He is said to have built the Amazon Empire by giving a total focus to customers. He is said to bring in an ‘empty chair’ for every single board meeting and thus prioritizing decisions for them.

Let’s understand some of the steps a company needs in order to improve their customer service:

1. Create a customer service mission for the company

This is the first and foremost step of a company while they priortise the current and potential set of customers. It is to simply have a straight focus and understanding the things a customer would expect out of your company. Create these principles in order for all the employees to follow it. Once they are set, employees working in all departments can make sure it’s followed for a great outcome.

2. Open up several platforms for customer support

We can’t deny the presence of social media in everyone’s lives and how it’s easier to connect through it. There isn’t a need to stick to the old school methods of posting letters alone as the outcome of it could be slower. Open up several channels for customers to reach out to you for feedbacks and complaints. Set up separate teams for all these channels and provide them with good training before it begins. Some of the mediums:

• Customer Forums
• Email
• Telephone or Digital calls
• SMS
• WhatsApp service
• Chat through the official website
• Self-help guides

3. Quick and timely response

This is possible only with round the clock customer service. If you are a global company, then customers are sure to contact you from several time zones. It can work out fine, if a 24 hour service is provided. Customers tend to put up queries over Facebook and Twitter and be quick to track them down to respond. This simply paints a reliable picture about the company.

4. Make sure you go for employee feedback

This is an equally important step as the staff monitors the complaints or feedbacks that are coming in. They tend to know the patterns well and it is easier to avoid these issues in the future. Call in for regular meetings with the representatives as its good to understand where your products/services stand. Do not forget to reward teams for timely solutions and make sure their efforts don’t go unnoticed. A good company thrives on customers and dependable employees.

5. Be first to take responsibility, but not credit

It is all about you being able to take the responsibility and not be negative to employees. Remember how the customer service executives are only taking down the complaints? It is not for them to own the mistakes and a dependable company would be quick to rectify the mistakes. When positive feedback comes in too, don’t get too snobby with the praise for you. Teamwork takes you places.

6. Make the customer service centre a profit point

We all know the expenses incurred for running a customer service centre. The more dissatisfied customers you have, the more people will have to work in solving them. We suggest feedbacks to be taken seriously and rectify them soon. When disgruntled customers come down, so can the costs of handling it. This in turn will leave them satisfied and return for further purchases in the future.

7. Give your customers a feedback form

It is always good to know how well the customers are satisfied with the services provided to them. Do not leave with the complaints solved and keep a communication loop with them. Send feedback forms in order for them to understand that their opinions matter. It is also a method of showing that their opinions matter.

We all remember both good and bad customer service experiences. The bad ones could be remembered longer with word of mouth publicity to it. Strong customer service is just a reminder of why you created the company and products in the first place. For a strong company, consumer is the king and you never underestimate their power.