No doubt you can recall plenty of customer service experiences you\u2019ve had yourself when using other businesses. Ask yourself this: which experiences are the ones that really stick in your mind? Most likely, it\u2019s either the very good experiences or the very bad ones. The in-between ones are more forgettable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, this is a point you need to bear in mind when it comes to your own customers. If you want them to remember you for the right reasons, you need to offer a genuinely outstanding standard of customer service.<\/span><\/p>\n But, what constitutes outstanding customer service? Is it about individuals who go the extra mile, or is it about a culture that prioritizes the customer above all else? Is it a matter of ensuring your team is well-staffed enough to be properly attentive to customers, or is it about <\/span>training<\/span><\/a> them in what customers are looking for? The correct answer is that it\u2019s a combination of all these things.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, staff need to be trained to understand the overwhelming importance of attentive customer service, but they also need to be given the support (and the resources) to make that a reality. Otherwise, they won\u2019t be able to do the job. If your team feels that it\u2019s respected, valued, and supported, your customers will be the ones who see the benefit – and this can only have positive effects for your business\u2019s reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n And in the modern consumer environment, reputation really does matter a huge amount. It\u2019s never been easier for consumers to give their opinion or to find the opinions of others, thanks to <\/span>online reviews<\/span><\/a>. Think about it – when was the last time you tried a new restaurant, or bought a new product, without checking to see what other people had said about it first? So providing exceptional customer experiences, and the question of how to be better at customer service, have never been more important than they are today.<\/span><\/p>\n With the rise of the internet, <\/span>customer reviews<\/span><\/a>, and social media, reputation management – as well as the satisfaction of doing a good job – requires you to prioritize customer service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps you\u2019ve asked yourself, \u201chow do I deliver world-class customer service?\u201d To help you in your efforts to impress your customers, we\u2019ve assembled our top 10 tips for customer service here. Read on for our list of customer service suggestions.<\/span><\/p>\n This might seem like an obvious, elementary point, but you\u2019d be amazed how many businesses don\u2019t take it as seriously as they ought to. It\u2019s very easy to tell your customers that you\u2019re listening to them, but it\u2019s quite another to actually take their feedback into account – and act on it. You really do need, though, to pay close attention to what your customers are trying to tell you, and if you fail to do so, your business is likely to pay a heavy price.<\/span><\/p>\n Again, put yourself in the customer\u2019s shoes: if you\u2019re asked for your feedback, and you go to the trouble of getting your thoughts in order and providing them, you\u2019d probably be pretty miffed if your input wasn\u2019t taken seriously. So, if you\u2019re going to ask your customers to tell you what they think of the standard of customer service you offer, you\u2019d better take it seriously. Customers are generally happy to provide feedback if you ask them.<\/span><\/p>\n However, you should respect the fact that customers are taking time out of their own schedule to provide their views – even if those views are negative. Indeed, even negative feedback can be useful; it may be that it highlights a genuine problem. Few people complain simply for the sake of it. If negative feedback hits upon an issue that genuinely needs resolving, then you need to take the requisite action.<\/span><\/p>\n Another one of the most elementary ideas for improving customer service is that of treating customers with respect when they contact you to make a complaint.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a simple fact of running a business that you will, every so often, receive some complaints from customers. You could run the tightest ship in the world, but there will be times when your business falls short of the customer service standards to which it aspires.<\/span><\/p>\n The point is to be prepared for any issues, and to know how to deal with these complaints when they arise. <\/span>Firstly, you need to appreciate that when a customer contacts you to complain about some aspect of the experience they\u2019ve had, whether that be that they think you need to provide a cheaper international calling<\/a> option for customer queries or you need to reply to instant messages quicker, they\u2019re probably already feeling a bit tense about the matter. They may even be angry. So your staff need to be thoroughly trained in how to handle these situations.<\/span><\/p>\n Whatever you do, you must ensure that your staff don\u2019t lose their temper and snap back at customers who complain. People have a right to their views, and to express them. You should at the very least give them a polite hearing, even if you feel they\u2019re wrong in some respects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Remember the old adage, \u2018the customer is always right\u2019. You don\u2019t necessarily have to swallow it whole yourself, but you must make customers feel as if you believe it.<\/span><\/p>\n The thing about customer service is that it\u2019s not just about giving staff a list of dos and don\u2019ts. Your approach to it has to go much further than that. It\u2019s a matter of instilling a particular type of ethos, and ensuring as best you can that your staff embody that ethos in their approach to customer service. This requires creating an internal, <\/span>customer-first<\/span><\/a> culture that accords customer service the overarching priority it deserves.<\/span><\/p>\n In every aspect of your business, there needs to be a laser-like focus on meeting the needs of the customer, and ensuring that they have the best possible experience. Everyone in the organization must be made to understand that the work they do is geared towards this fundamental end. It\u2019s not simply a question of training staff during the onboarding process and then leaving them to do the rest. There needs to be a continual emphasis.<\/span><\/p>\n Staff must be regularly trained in how to be better at customer service. However high you set the bar, you can never allow yourself to rest on your laurels. Likewise, they need to buy into that company ethos we\u2019ve already discussed. This is \u2018the vision thing\u2019, to borrow a phrase. There needs to be a clear and comprehensive set of goals, as well as a broader mission in pursuit of which people can strive.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve already noted how the rise of the internet and social media have made it easier than ever for customers to give their views on your business. But, on the flip side, it\u2019s also easier than ever to keep in touch with your customers. When a customer reaches out to you to raise an issue, you need to redouble your efforts to address it in a timely and clear manner, so there\u2019s no room for ambiguity or uncertainty.<\/span><\/p>\n Make sure you pay proper attention to your social channels, because customers will use them to contact you. The days when people solely raise issues via a phone call or even an email are gone. Of course, people still use those channels, but social has come to take on increasing importance over the last few years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The danger here is that everyone can see how you reply to a tweet or a Facebook post; this means that you need to be very careful in how you handle issues raised via these mediums.<\/span><\/p>\n When responding to a customer, keep them updated with any progress relating to the issue they\u2019ve raised with you. Don\u2019t bombard them with irrelevant updates as this will only antagonize them, but at the same time, don\u2019t leave them in the dark. Your communications with customers need to be friendly but professional, and they need to be strictly relevant to the matter at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n Again, you\u2019d think this was another self-explanatory point that needed no further elaboration, but many businesses are way too careless when it comes to their hiring practices. When thinking about how to improve customer service, you need to think about who you\u2019re bringing into the team. Do your new recruits have previous experience of providing top-class customer service? Do they really buy into the ethos you\u2019re trying to create?<\/span><\/p>\n Too many companies hire new staff out of necessity, indeed almost out of panic, and this means they don\u2019t always take the time to assess whether newcomers are actually likely to be a good fit for the company. But the calibre of the staff you hire will have a major bearing on the standard of customer service you provide, and hence the <\/span>customer experience<\/span><\/a> as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n It goes without saying that training can make a big difference, and previous experience isn\u2019t necessarily the be-all and end-all. However, you do need to take a step back before hiring and consider whether the person you\u2019re thinking of bringing in really shares your commitment to exceptional customer service. If you have any reservations at all on this score, it may be best to continue your search until you find the right addition to your team.<\/span><\/p>\n It takes a lot to build up a good reputation, but it takes nowhere near as much time or effort to knock it down. However well established you are in your field, and however many years you\u2019ve been providing consumers with amazing experiences, all that can be undone remarkably easily. A surefire way of wrecking a good reputation is to be dishonest with customers.<\/span><\/p>\n You have to remember that your customers are intelligent people. They\u2019re not stupid or naive Some may have years of experience of customer service, and they know the difference between good and bad. Trying to pull the wool over their eyes, or hoodwink them in some way, is a fool\u2019s errand. If there\u2019s a genuine problem, you need to own up to it and address it in a transparent and honest manner.<\/span><\/p>\n Mistakes happen: we\u2019re only human, at the end of the day. So if you find that the customer is indeed right in whatever complaint they\u2019re making or issue they raise, the best thing you can do is face up to it. This is a much more effective way of getting the customer back on side than kicking the can down the road or trying to pass the buck.<\/span><\/p>\n When a customer goes to the trouble of contacting you, it\u2019s because they have a point or a query they want to raise. You need to demonstrate that you respect them enough to respond to them in a quick, timely manner. This is one of the top tips for great customer service: your communications with customers need to cover the issues they\u2019ve raised in full, but they need to be as swift as possible, too.<\/span><\/p>\n As always in these matters, you need to think as best you can from the customer\u2019s perspective. No doubt these are busy people, with plenty of other things to be doing with their time. This is why their queries and complaints must be addressed with the minimum of delay. If you fail to do so, you\u2019ll probably find that the customer in question simply takes their custom elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n This is all the more important on social media, because – as we\u2019ve discussed – other people can see your interactions. Respond to social queries quickly and always be scrupulously polite, but know when to take them private. Potentially thorny issues are better discussed in private messages away from prying eyes. This is as much about the customer\u2019s privacy as yours. But again, always be absolutely polite and professional in private messages.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever been frustrated in your efforts to get hold of a business by phone, you\u2019ll understand perfectly well how people get so annoyed about it. There are certainly few things more irritating than being left on hold for hours on end, forced to sit through the same irritating music. Then there\u2019s the businesses that don\u2019t answer your calls at all, or fail to respond to your voicemails in a reasonably quick manner.<\/span><\/p>\n What we\u2019re saying here is that you\u2019ll have had these <\/span>customer experiences<\/span><\/a> yourself. So why would you inflict them on your own customers? You know already that many businesses make a big song and dance about how much they value their customers. Many don\u2019t live up to this in practice, even when it comes to something as simple as answering the phone. Here actions speak much louder than warm words.<\/span><\/p>\n If you really pride yourself on providing excellent customer service, you need to prove it by answering phone calls in a timely way. Don\u2019t leave people hanging around for ages. Make sure your team understands the importance of responding to calls – tell them not to leave any phones ringing out for more than a couple of rings. They must appreciate that your customers have their own lives to be getting on with. \u2018One way to improve this aspect of your business would be to replace your old POTS line<\/a> with a VoIP system or UCaaS (Unified communication as a service) set-up.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n Whenever a customer makes a complaint, it brings about a very sensitive situation – perhaps the most sensitive you\u2019ll have to deal with in customer service. The fact that they\u2019ve gone so far as to make a complaint already indicates that they\u2019re not happy with your business. You need to start by getting to the bottom of why this is, and then assess exactly what you can do to resolve the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re determined to grow your business and build its reputation for outstanding customer service, you need to be prepared to make compromises in the face of customer complaints. This may require you to do certain things that you\u2019re instinctively not comfortable with. For example, you might find yourself having to swallow an overall loss on a certain transaction. This may be a compromise worth making, if it helps to maintain your reputation for prioritizing the needs of customers at all times.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image12.jpg\")
<\/p>\n1. Listen to What Your Customers Are Telling You<\/span><\/h2>\n
2. Empathize, Empathize, Empathize<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bp-cta1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image5.jpg\")
<\/p>\n3. Create a Customer Service Culture<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n4. Communicate Clearly With Customers<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image4.jpg\")
<\/p>\n5. Hire the Right People<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image8-1536x1027-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n6. Honesty is Always the Best Policy<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image11.jpg\")
<\/p>\n7. Respond to Customers Quickly<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image6-1536x1024-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n8. Answer the Phone!<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n9. Try to Avoid Escalations<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image9-1536x977-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image2-1536x891-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n