Customers want to be handled as individuals rather than numbers in a queue. For customer service-driven development, humanize them and yourself.
All of the elements mentioned below work together to provide excellent customer service. Great customer service gives you a reputation for being helpful and pleasant to work with, and it keeps your customers loyal to you and your business. This includes being available for them beyond “business hours” only, which implies that your customer support operations are literally closed 70% of the time (when factoring nights, weekends and holidays).
- Be familiar with your product
A broad understanding of your product is important in delivering great customer service. You should believe in the product, be able to explain features and use cases in a clear and concise manner, and demonstrate to your customers how the product will help them, not to mention troubleshoot any issues!
- Stay Positive
When it comes to delivering outstanding customer service, attitude is all, and having a good attitude goes a long way. Be aware of how your responses sound to the person receiving it. It is very difficult to convey tone in all forms of written communication and sometimes words or phrases can come across as “cold”. When you are communicating with someone face to face, that person can see facial expressions and hear tone which are both absent in written communication.
- Solve problems in a novel way
If you ask most people, they will have a bad customer service story to tell you. If you truly want to help people, then this won’t be a problem. Don’t be afraid to dazzle your clients when attempting to resolve their issues. You could simply fix the problem and move on, but by creatively serving their needs in ways that go above and beyond, you can create loyal customers who will support you and your product. A great example would be to offer extended hours, or 24/7 customer support. This commitment to customer care will dazzle your customers and turn frustration into satisfaction.
- Be quick to respond
Everyone’s time is extremely important to them. Responding quickly to customer issues is a key component to great customer service. Customers are aware that more complicated issues take longer to address. Return customer calls as soon as possible, but don’t try to get them off the phone or close the ticket without fully resolving the problem. Make sure your support team is available when called upon. First contact resolution, when it is convenient for your customer, is a key success component in the customer support business.
- Make your service personal
Most of the time customers prefer human interaction. They want to be more than just a faceless ticket and are savvy when they are dealing with technology rather than a live person. Customers prefer to communicate with people rather than businesses. It may not be possible to know each and every customer by name or to know their hobbies or interests, but by adding a personal touch and not simply “going through the motions” is a great way to show your customer that you care.
- Assist customers in assisting themselves
Customers do not often want to speak with others to solve their problems; instead, they prefer to solve their problems quickly. Studies have shown that customers will attempt to take care of the issue themselves before they reach out for support. Providing a self-service option is a great way to help your customers help themselves. Making your support center easy to find is a great way provide this type of assistance. If these customers then require more assistance, then finding that help from a live person is just a click away! Self-help first, available live agents when self-help does not produce a satisfying outcome
- Make customer service a priority
Customers are the most important aspect of your market, and they take precedence over goods and profits. Treat them as if they are the most important person in your life. People will react positively to being treated like a person. Humanizing your customers is an investment that will pay off in long term dividends. After hours customer support says “we care” and today there are specialized, affordable outsourced solutions for your afdtr-hours support that offer high quality with “pay for what you need” budgets. Take your SMB to the next level.
- Pay attention
Pay attention to what your customers are saying instead of pursuing your own agenda. Don’t make the mistake of assuming you know what your customer would think. Going back and reviewing data, as well as listening will show your customers that you hear them and understand their issue. Not only will this help you to resolve their issues quicker, but it gives them the feeling that you care and are doing everything you can to help. Active listening often entails being aware of your customer’s distinct personality and current emotional state in order to tailor your response to the circumstances.
- Stick to your word
It is a common-sense customer service practice to deliver on what you promise, do not disappoint your clients. For example, if you are performing maintenance on software that is used by your customers, make sure that you do so in the stated window of time so as not to inconvenience your customers longer than needed.
If it is necessary to break your promise, such as promising to contact a customer within 24 hours but failing to do so, compensate the customer with something. If your customer’s delivery is damaged, offer to repair it and reimburse their money. In the short term, you will lose revenue, but you will gain a loyal customer.
Afterall, the game of business today boils down to “getting” and “keeping” customers. Effective around the clock customer support is a great way to differentiate your business and build a loyal; customer base of raving fans.