A strong approach to customer service is an essential element for any successful business. After all, customers are the core of every company – and going that extra mile with your service helps to build credibility and increase sales figures.
It is said 77% of customers would recommend a business to a friend if they received a positive experience. On the other hand, it’s safe to say that percentage would be even higher if customers suffered a poor experience, and they then told their friends to avoid a company.
So how can you improve your customer service? Here are five important steps to follow:
1. Receive feedback from customers
Before anything else, you should reach out to your customers. This will help you to understand their experiences better, and any aspects they judge in a negative light. You can then use this feedback to strengthen your customer service, improving your company’s sustainability and growth in the process.
There’s just one issue: how do you gain customer feedback? One of the best ways is with a survey. For example, CentraCX is a specialist platform where you can create a customer service surveys. It allows you to collect and understand customer feedback easily, and you can then act on this data effectively.
2. Improve response time
Instant responses are almost expected in this day and age. If you don’t respond to an enquiry within 24-48 hours, for instance, you could end up losing out on a potential customer.
Fortunately, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook make it easy to connect with customers. It’s also worth exploring the possibility of adding a chatbot to your website, which utilizes AI to reply to customers within seconds.
3. Go personal
A personalized approach to service is always going to be appreciated by customers. They don’t want to feel like a bog-standard client that receives the same old cookie-cutter messages.
To go to the next level with your personalization, ensure you use the customer’s name whenever communicating. Also, ask open questions, listen to what they have to say, and appear genuinely interested in their situation.
4. Accept negativity
No business likes to receive negative comments or reviews. Yet instead of being hurt by these negative messages, use them to your advantage. If these negative reviews follow a trend and feature constructive criticism, you can use these to learn and grow your company.
Additionally, make sure to address any negativity in a considerate manner. Simply responding helps show that your customers are being heard, while a professional and thoughtful reply reflects well on your business.
5. Invest in team training
If you operate with front-line staff, they must receive an extensive level of customer service training – whether in-house or via an external provider. They are the face of your company, so these employees will ultimately define how customers perceive the products and services you offer.
This training should also be conducted regularly, as this will keep your team refreshed about the right protocols to take with customers.
