You may have a great product, but if your customer service is inefficient, unreliable, or simply difficult to reach, people will complain, and you will lose customers as a result.
That is one of the primary reasons why investing in customer service is critical to long-term business success. But what does it mean to deliver outstanding customer service, and how can you ensure that every customer that contacts your company has a positive experience?
Good customer service demands more than simply thanking your online consumers. It’s no secret that providing excellent customer service is critical for businesses of all sizes. You can boost client loyalty, attract new customers through social proof, and raise the amount of money a customer spends at your firm by providing excellent customer service. However, it is also true that your company is only as good as the people that work for it. When it comes to improving the quality of your customer service, having talented, happy, skilled, and appreciated customer care personnel is critical. This is why we’ve created a guide for assembling an outstanding customer service team!
What is great customer service?
Great customer service involves not just adhering to best practices such as respecting customers’ time, maintaining a pleasant demeanour, and providing informed and resourceful resources, but also going above and beyond to surpass — rather than simply meet — expectations.
Why Having an Excellent Customer Service Team is Essential?
Most business owners recognise that keeping customers happy is an important aspect of running a successful company and that a strong customer service plan should prioritize keeping customers happy. However, not all business owners realize how a customer service team may benefit their company beyond the fact that “they deal with dissatisfied consumers.” There’s a lot more to it than that.
It Increases Customer Retention
If someone calls your customer care department, they are most likely already a customer. Perhaps they purchased your product and are unsure how to use it. Maybe the product isn’t working as it should, or maybe they’re still waiting for it. It could be for any number of reasons, but keep in mind that they are already your customer. This indicates you’ve already persuaded them to purchase once!
It is not easy to convert a potential customer into a customer. Even the world’s wealthiest corporations struggle with this, and most shopping carts are abandoned, never to be completed. If you can provide these clients with a positive customer service experience, they will be more inclined to purchase your goods again, resulting in more profit for your firm. Not only that but the more times a customer buys your product, the more likely they are to buy it again and spend more money with subsequent purchases. A horrible customer care experience will turn a first-time customer into a one-time-only customer, potentially costing your business thousands of dollars in future profits. According to one study, a 5% improvement in client retention might result in a 25% increase in profit. Because your customer care team is an important aspect of your client retention strategy, it should be as robust as feasible.
It Increases Customer Loyalty
Customers who are dedicated to your brand will continue to purchase your products over competitors. This is true even when cheaper or even higher-quality alternatives are available elsewhere. These customers have identified with your company and your message. These clients may return to you because you provide something extra that is valuable to them. They might appreciate how simple it is to purchase your goods or service from start to finish.
They may agree with your attitude to social concerns like sustainability and charity, or they may like how simple it is to handle problems with your organisation through your customer care team. Whatever the cause, you must instil loyalty in your consumers. Customer satisfaction leads to happy customers, and happy customers lead to loyal consumers.
Unhappy Customers Are Louder than Happy Ones
If the benefits of having happy customers aren’t enough to encourage you, consider the consequences of having disgruntled customers. A disappointed consumer will tell between 9 and 15 individuals about their negative experience, with approximately 13% telling more than 20 people. The poor customer care provided by a low-quality customer service team might potentially harm your company’s reputation and deter new customers from purchasing from you.
How to Pick the Right People for Your Customer Service Team?
Customers are willing to pay more for a superior customer service experience in today’s society. 42 percent of customers indicated they would pay more for nice and inviting customer service, and 52 percent said they would pay more for quick and efficient customer service. The quality of your customer service representatives will determine how good your customer service experience is.
There are numerous techniques for selecting the ideal individuals for your customer service staff, but there are a few crucial aspects to consider. Let us investigate.
Friendly and Positive Attitude
We strive for openness, cheerfulness, and friendliness in our daily encounters, and it should be no different when speaking with customer service representatives. In addition, there has been a noticeable change in the recent decade toward more personable and honest communication. Traditionally, most organisations presented a corporate character that was heavy on statistics and short on personality. We no longer live in that era. Even the world’s largest corporations like to get personal with their customers and have some lighter fun these days. Customers return to companies that make them feel good, and it turns out that corporate jargon doesn’t make them feel very warm and fuzzy, who knew?
When employing customer service agents, seek someone with a cheerful attitude. If a customer calls customer service, there is a good likelihood they have a complaint. A cheerful and polite attitude toward dissatisfied customers might help put them at rest and alleviate some of their worries. It is not only better for clients, but it is also better for the agent. When things go well, an agent with a positive attitude will be more suited to assist consumers, and they will be more likely to feel job satisfaction.
Problem Solving, Creativity, and Communication Skills
Customer service representatives engage with customers in real-time, thus they must be quick to meet and exceed the customer’s expectations. Customers contact customer care because they are having a problem, thus having agents with strong problem-solving abilities is crucial.
Making logical connections between data and coming up with creative solutions to problems is what problem-solving and critical thinking is all about. Assume a customer calls your customer service team to complain about not receiving a purchase confirmation email.
The consumer is concerned about the lack of this confirmation because it provides proof of their purchase, which they want to secure. An agent may offer to email the consumer another confirmation, which may or may not address the matter. This solution does not address the root of the problem.
In this case, an agent should remain on the phone to determine whether the consumer has gotten the second confirmation email. If the customer does not receive the second one, it is foolish to keep sending them more – it just does not address the problem. A representative with great problem-solving skills will inquire, “What are the possible reasons the consumer isn’t receiving this email?” It’s possible that it’s being routed to the customer’s spam folder. It could be a technical issue on your end, or it could be for any number of other reasons. If the agent is unable to effectively deliver the email, they may confirm the purchase in another way, for as by reviewing the customer’s account information and providing them with a copy of the evidence.
Communication abilities are also crucial. Being a good communicator entails not only speaking clearly and concisely but also being a good listener. When a customer has a concern, they want to be heard. They want to feel as if their situation is as important to you as it is to them, and an agent with good communication skills will make this happen.
Loyalty
It’s no secret that customer service representatives have a high turnover rate. The average turnover rate in the United States is 15%, however, call centres have a turnover rate of around 45 percent. This is enormous, but why? This is a complicated issue, however, some of the main reasons are as follows:
A lack of recognition for a job well done.
Poor pay and compensation.
Lack of training: poorly trained customer service agents are less likely to meet the customer’s needs and will, therefore, fall short of targets, and have lower levels of job satisfaction.
No opportunities for advancement: if an employee can’t have something to work towards (and something that is realistically within reach), then they are more likely to pursue an entirely different job and career path.
Companies are frequently far too ready to blame bad performance on the individual rather than asking, “Are we providing our people with the tools, skills, and recognition they need to do their jobs well?” This is especially problematic in customer service professions, where there is a greater emphasis on reporting and data collection. Managers can become engrossed in the numbers and lose sight of the people.
Employee turnover will decrease as employee loyalty grows. So, how do you retain your employees? You make them feel appreciated by incorporating incentive structures for good performance, you properly compensate them, and you provide an opportunity for them to contribute fresh ideas. Customer service representatives don’t want to feel like a robot reading from a script; they want to contribute to the organisation and be a part of it, so let them.
A cycle is also present. If your organisation is regarded for providing excellent customer service, more agents will want to work for you, and they will feel as if they are contributing something worthwhile. If your organisation is known for providing poor customer service, you will attract employees who perceive your company as a secondary alternative, perhaps even a last resort. These personnel will not give their all to improve your company because they do not intend to stay.
How to Make the Most of Your Customer Service Agents?
You need to help your agents be the best agents they can be by offering them the tools they need:
An Omnichannel platform |
The preferred method of customer care is now an omnichannel platform. With an omnichannel platform, your customers may communicate with you in the manner that most suits their communication preferences, resulting in a consistent and easy experience. The same is true for customer service representatives. In the past, systems were compartmentalized and did not communicate with one another, resulting in inaccuracies in client accounts and a lack of clarity. The agent will be unable to do their duties efficiently unless they have a complete image of the employee. An omnichannel platform is also preferable because it requires only one set of training for your agent to become proficient on your platform. They will no longer be required to learn numerous systems in order to do their work.
Advanced technological tools |
There are now numerous technologies available to assist agents in making sense of consumer data and using it to inform their decisions. With the development of AI and machine learning, the business world now has some tremendously powerful technologies that can be leveraged to provide a better customer experience and assist agents in performing their jobs.
Freedom to make decisions |
Your agents should feel valued and autonomous members of your team, capable of making their judgments. Thinking outside the box and making decisions without direction from their manager are frequently required for effective problem-solving. You should trust your agents enough to give them the freedom to make the best judgments, and you’ll reap the benefits both in terms of customer satisfaction and agent job satisfaction.
To be able to provide top-notch customer service the key is to let your customers know you’re listening. It’s that simple.
Great customer service keeps your customers loyal to you and your company — and wins you a reputation for being helpful and pleasant to work with.
Customers prefer to be handled as individuals rather than as numbers in a ticket wait. Humanize them, as well as yourself, for customer-driven growth.
If you want to outsource your customer service to an experienced team who is capable of handling more than 500 calls a day, contact Shergroup. Our experts will delight your customers with a warm and welcoming experience and make sure that the conversation translates into a sale for you.
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