A business cannot thrive without a skilled customer service team. A large consumer base will serve no purpose if the customers are not happy or satisfied. Not to mention, bad customer experience is one of the reasons for customers to leave.
In a study, a whopping 82% of customers reveal that they switched to other brands because they were unhappy with customer service.
Today, most business owners understand the importance of providing excellent services for their customers. From one-to-one interaction to self-service systems, there is only one goal, i.e., to satisfy customers.
What is a Great Customer Service Anyway?
“Good Customer Service.” Perhaps, you have read and heard these three words several times. And if you work in the customer care service, then you may have lost count of how many times you’ve read or heard this. But what does it truly mean? Does it only mean to cater to the needs of your customer or something beyond?
Essentially, customer service is all about making your customers happy. But, in the long-term, the goal is to retain loyal customers. Your customer service team has a crucial part in acquiring and retaining customers.
You have to ensure that your client is satisfied at all stages involved in the purchasing process – from sales to delivery and installation.
How to Satisfy the Customer?
Let’s find out how to provide a great service to the customers at different stages.
Be Quick to Respond
Do you know how many people use social media for buying a product as compared to visiting a store? Well, a study by J. D. Power found that 67% of people are e-shoppers. The findings speak volumes about the significance of outstanding customer service via social media.
You have to make sure to respond to the queries of your customers as quickly as possible. Today, 37% of customers expect to receive an answer on a social channel within 30 minutes. Facebook and Twitter are the two major social media platforms that serve as a medium for brands to communicate with their customers.
The users of both platforms have high expectations when it comes to getting a response from a brand or service. 53% of the consumers who are active on Twitter expect to get a reply within 60 minutes of their tweet. The expectations get higher if the customer has come with a complaint.
So, when you are a part of a social media customer service team, remember the customer does not like waiting. Be quick; don’t frustrate the customer with a delayed response.
Be Proactive
Sometimes there comes a situation when you don’t know how to help the customer. However, the client should not get any clue from your tone or body language that you don’t have an immediate solution. This is all a test of your new problem-solving skills.
Think of ways you can satisfy your customer’s query. Also, effective communication is the key here. Keep the customer engaged and in the meantime, take a bit of quick advice from a senior who is trained to handle such situations. Don’t hesitate to accept your mistake and politely apologize to the customer. Get back to them as soon as possible with a solution.
Be Polite
Not all days are Sundays. Sometimes you get to interact with happy customers; on other days, you may have to deal with fussy or angry clients. You cannot imagine how one bad customer experience can tarnish the image of your brand.
As per the White House Office of Consumer Affairs report, an unhappy customer shares his/her bad experience with 9 to 15 people. As per Nielsen-McKinsey, one negative review can influence the buying decision of hundreds of potential customers.
So, you have to make sure to control the damage. In response to a negative post or review, you have to be polite with the customer. Come up with an apology and assure the customer that you care about their concerns. If needed, you may switch to DM and satisfy the customer.
Final Thoughts
Customer service is crucial for a business’ growth. To understand the needs of the customers, you have to put yourself in their shoes. Think about what type of support you would expect from customer service in a certain situation and take the necessary steps.