Regardless of what business you are in, you must not underestimate the importance of customer service. Excellent customer service creates loyal customers that are willing to recommend your company to friends, family members and colleagues. On the other hand, poor customer service will result in dissatisfied customers ready to share their negative experience with others and destroy your brand reputation.
That’s why it’s important to organise your customer service in a way that will provide maximum support to your exciting and new clients. There are several steps you can take to make sure that the customer service you provide results in happier, loyal customers.
Let People Reach You Online
We live in a time when people from all over the world can be reached with just a click of a button. Online communication is easy, swift and more often than not completely free. So, why limit your customer service to phone calls and face-to-face communication only?
If you fail to provide your customers with an opportunity to reach you online, you may end up losing many clients that prefer this type of communication. That’s why you should make sure to leave a contact email address on your website and leave one person in charge of answering the emails. Also, make sure that your IT department embeds an online form to your website that people can use for inquiries and complaints.
Live Chat
Live chats are another increasingly popular way of communication. Live chats are known to improve client satisfaction, as researches show that this form of communication has a higher client satisfaction percentage than phone calls or email.
Add a live chat to your website and have a person in charge of chatting with customers. Or use a chatbot that will conduct a conversation with clients on your behalf. Chatbots have greatly improved over the years and nowadays they are practically indistinguishable from a real human.
Use Social Media
With over 80% of people having a social network profile, social media has become one of the main channels of communication not just among friends and acquaintances, but also between clients and businesses. For many, social media pages are the first place they turn to when they have a problem. Your social media page can be a great way to answer inquiries and deal with complaints. But social media can be used to educate your customers as well.
Let People Help Themselves
Many people prefer to do things by themselves without asking for help from anybody else. Helping people solve their own problems can be both efficient and cost-effective. That’s why you should make sure to add a FAQ or a guide to your website that people can use to help themselves. This will not only keep your clients satisfied but will also save you time and money.
Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Did you know that almost 60% of internet searches nowadays come from mobile devices? It’s true. Still, even today, many companies have outdated websites that are not adjusted to mobile devices and can’t be navigated properly. If you want to provide outstanding customer service to your clients, ensure that your site is easy to navigate from every device. Many people will try to file an online complaint via their smartphone or tablet, which is why you have to make sure that your website is highly responsive and that they can easily reach you no matter what their preferred device is.
Team of People
Great customer service is impossible without a team of people who have the right training and the right skills to meet your customers’ needs. Remember that people who contact your customer service usually approach you with a problem. Their problem may not seem like a big deal to you, but it may be a big deal for them, which is why you must show a lot of understanding and respect.
Also, everyone in your team must try to make the conversation an enjoyable experience for your clients, which is why a nice and friendly tone is a must.
Ask for Feedback
If you are not sure whether your service representatives are providing an outstanding customer service, make sure to run a survey among your customers and ask them for their feedback. You can use surveys or questionnaires or ask them in person about your service. When you do, make sure to use the feedback you receive to improve your customer service process. You may be surprised by what you learn about your customer needs.
If your company’s customer service is friendly and responsive and can achieve efficient service for all of your clients, you’ll certainly improve your brand reputation and customer loyalty. Follow these steps to make sure that your customer service efforts are streamlined properly to the joy of both your employees and your clients.
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