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‘The customer is always right?’ This sentence has become fixed in the minds of both sellers and buyers. Clients sometimes behave like they are the centre of the universe, and you – the seller – have to take care of all their needs. This is how the business world is created and what customer service is all about. It’s simply the interaction between the company and the client. It’s not only about the sales process, but also about everything that happens after and before. How to serve your clients to keep them happy for many years? Read more about it in this article.
To acquire or to care?
Acquiring new customers cost much more than keeping them (even 20 times more!). It’s also obvious that a ‘new’ client is harder to convince to make a transactions. Because not only do they not have a positive experience with your brand, but they also might have a negative one related to another company (e.g. you have similar products). You spend money so that the client can find you, then choose you, and finally to get from him the remuneration in the form of a purchase. Obviously, with a client who already knows and respects you, there are no costs. So I can easily answer the question posed in the first point by saying, that it’s better to take care of the clients you already have than to acquire new ones.
Achilles service?
Does the answer to the first question seem obvious to you? It may be so, but nevertheless so-called poor customer service is not uncommon. It’s not that a customer service in this particular department can’t serve anyone or does it poorly. Rather, what I’m referring to, it’s paying too little attention to it. Sales are indeed the goal, but a client who hasn’t bought anything can also be useful. Unfortunately, even the biggest companies sometimes fail to take full advantage of customer service; even the famous Achilles had his heel, right? But it doesn’t mean every warrior has to be the same.
What matters most in customer service?
First of all, remember that customer service is a long-term concept . To build the right company’s reputation it sure takes a long time, but the process of losing it can be very fast. That’s why it’s important to focus on a positive customer experience at every stage of your customer service. Recall your favourite brands. You trust their products, right? So if the need of buying this or that arises, the first place you go is to that familiar brand. We won’t discuss brand awareness here, but that’s how it works. Products are important, but sometimes people are even more. Because bad service can turn a client away even from the best product… Yes, behind every company are the people, and only then the products. The human factor is very important. The high quality customer service also means the contact possibilities (the more the better):
- social media (contact with a client)
- emails (e.g. complaints, questions)
- phone calls
This third element of customer service is particularly important. Despite passing time and the development of technology, the telephone conversation with another person is still something that cannot be replaced. It’s often a company’s first or last line of defence against a dissatisfied customer… Because someone satisfied is unlikely to call to praise a product, right? (unless they’re interested in it, or have some questions). When used properly, it’s also a good way to offer a product. Let’s focus on clients who want to contact you. What do customers dislike most about calling you? When you don’t answers their calls…
Then they believe that the company is avoiding them, and frustration grows. Later, this experience is often shared on social media or among friends.
How to eliminate such disgruntled ‘telephone’ customers?
It’s worth having Callback24, an intelligent customer service support tool. In a nutshell, it’s a widget installed on your website thanks to which the customer have a choice. Clients can ask for a callback as soon as possible or at another time (and this time is set by the customer). Pros? No customer feels dismissed, overlooked, or forcibly pushed to the competition. If you devote your time to a customer, or that they at least feel that you have time for them, then you’ve already won. A dissatisfied customer is a lost customer. Did you know that even a complaint is an opportunity to sell and advertise? Of course, this has to be done sensitively, because it’s all about customer satisfaction, not your own. Although, in fact, customer satisfaction should make you happy.
Now think again about…
…your favourite brands. How long did you wait for a complaint to be processed? How long did you wait for an answer to your question? How long did you ‘hang on the phone’? How annoyed did you feel when no one picked up and showed no interest? I don’t think these are positive feelings…
Even the return of a product should be made with a proper service, because it doesn’t rule out that the client will come back to you. And even if he doesn’t come back himself, then he will probably recommend you to his friends. The key word here is professionalism.
That’s why customer service has to be like…
…Robert Lewandowski. As a sportsman, he not only does his best in matches for cups, but also has to remember about things that others do not always pay attention to. About training, about diet and about less important meetings. All this adds up to his success. Without small victories there would be no great success. And the failures? They are included in the athlete’s career. In the same way, you can treat as a failure the situation when a customer complains about your company, product or something else… How to take advantage of this? Learn from mistakes and respect the rules of this business game. This is the customer’s right.
Are all customers unique?
Not necessarily… But make them feel that way. Sometimes it’s very simple, all it takes for the people working in the customer service department is to be professional and friendly. Personal culture should always be the company’s calling card, no matter what the situation. The size of the company obviously matters here. The larger the company, the greater the number of people, thus it is harder to keep the same ‘quality’ of the employees. But let’s focus on customer service department here.
Is customer service also the marketing?
A paragraph above I mentioned the importance of customer service people as a business card. This is nothing more than marketing. Personal branding is a very important issue in this day and age. Bosses and specialists in the human resources industry know about it. Thus, when hiring new employees, attention is paid not only to competence, but also to the fit between personal culture and the company.
A paragraph above I mentioned the importance of people dealing with customer service as a company’s attribute. This is nothing more than marketing. Personal branding is a very important issue in this day and age. Bosses and human resources specialists know about it well. Thus, when hiring new employees, attention is paid not only to competence, but also whether they fit the personal culture of a firm.
Be ready
When a customer inquiry arises, whether a complaint or interest in a product, you need to have people on standby. After all, no one likes to wait long. So, analyse whether you have the right human resources to handle many calls and provide customer service. These days, you are supported by emails, chatbots on Facebook or mentioned before Callback24. The latter not only helps to deal with the rush of phone calls, but also supports sales outside customer service or sales hours. Generate leads 7 days a week 24 hours a day.
How to provide the best customer service?
This is also where Callback24 will help. Its call recording feature will allow you to see what went wrong and what needs a praise. We’re talking about telephone consultants who – when they know they’re being recorded – act… better. They don’t fear the pressure, because they put 100% effort into conversations. Sometimes the human factor requires discipline. Another thing is that Callback24 is also an ally of consultants (because it’s easier to explain something with a recording than arguing about the truth). A customer who has been informed about the fact that the call is being recorded, can also sometimes keep his emotions in check, so the call will take place in a calmer atmosphere.
Customer service at the highest level?
- React quickly
- Concern yourself
- Be human
- Take a professional approach to everything
It sounds simple, but it is all more complex, of course. That’s what this article is about, after all. We re not done yet. Speed of response to messages is important especially in complaints. The later you take care of a customer’s issue, the more probable it becomes for a customer to get impatient and complain about the service. Nobody likes to wait, it’s just the way people are. We only differ in our degree of tolerance for waiting.
This all applies to every communication channel, from phone to social media and email. Sometimes all it takes is a simple notification to the customer that the issue has been accepted for processing.
Did you know that PLAY responds to Facebook comments in less than 200 seconds? Pretty impressive, right? You have to react fast, because problems in social media often have a form of a ‘snowball’. Someone complains about something, someone picks it up and it turns out that a group of customers has a common, bigger problem with the company.
Besides, the times of omnipresent social media have made us somewhat accustomed to quick responses. We ask quickly and expect the same response. But let’s remember that there are also people working in the customer service office. So we should demand a human approach not only from salespeople, but also customers.
No one is flawless
In a perfect world, customers would also remember this, but well, the world is not perfect. So you, the entrepreneur, must remember that even the best employee can make a mistake. Regardless of what you sell or design. No matter what happens you have to take responsibility for it. You also have to learn from your mistakes – repeating them is the worst thing that can happen to a brand. Such a mistake, if someone notices it happens again, is already much more difficult to fix than the first time.
And what if as a company you are not responsible for the damage? You should clear the situation up regardless. Example? A courier delivered a package to client’s neighbour, who dropped the package off at his door later, but the client claims that he didn’t receive it… A large corporation Amazon has had such a situation before and instead of blaming the client or the neighbour, they simply sent the product again. Surely, that taught something everyone who was involved, but the most important thing was that the client was satisfied. To sum up – sometimes you have to step out the box and procedures.
How about brand ambassadors?
Your good reputation makes the job of customer service much easier. Why? Because there is a higher degree of trust towards it and even if a mistake happens such an ambassador not only advertises the brand, but also defends it. To have brand ambassadors, you can hire influencers or use agency services in this area. In either case, it’s good to know your customers. But ‘an average Mr. Doe’ can also be your ambassador even unknowingly, if after being served well, he posts a favourable comment on social media or uploads a review on store.
Knowing your customers is also useful for…
…future actions. It’s a good starting point during interactions, if a customer reports a defect again or has used your other products in the past. After all, it’s much easier to serve a customer that you know. Then, it’s easier to express empathy and find a topic to talk about.
In this case Callback24 comes in handy, because it has a lead database feature, so you can effectively manage your customers’ data. Because after all, we are discussing here not just handling a customer complaint, but also sales and other activities to increase your reputation and profit. Although, in the case of customer service quality, reputation is your profit too!
How to support Customer Service?
There are, of course, plenty of tools for such support. Such as the previously mentioned Callback24, which allows you to call back a customer in just 15 seconds. Remember that you need to think about all of the types of communication – from social media to phone calls, emails, chat rooms to face-to-face contact depending on your type of business. One customer can often try to ‘hook’ you through several paths, so it’s a good idea to treat such an action as a whole, not separate – this is where cooperation within the team responsible for customer service comes in handy.
Customer service specialist – is it worth investing in?
Of course! Without the right people, there is no quality level in the service department. Even the tightest procedures cannot replace a human approach. Such people must be well organised, meticulous, but also simply human. A customer service specialist must be able to – and even like – talking to people, so it’s good if he or she has a traits of a good psychologist. After all, whether he deals with complaints or other service, the end goal is customer satisfaction. Because as we mentioned at the beginning of this article, getting a new customer is a much higher cost than keeping a current one. That’s why you don’t want to lose them!
And automation? Yes, it’s important, but according to research, still more than half of those surveyed prefer the contact with a real human than with the best bot. Speed of service and availability is also a very important aspect we mentioned. Customer service department opened 7 days a week and 24 hours a day? Not every company can afford it. However, Callback24, which will ‘welcome’ your customers on the website (thanks to a personalised widget) can you help with that. An interested customer leaves their number and schedules a call even when your business is closed. This will surely alleviate their impatience, because they will know when to expect the contact, if it’s not made immediately.
So why do you need to invest in customer service?
I hope the entire article above answered this question. Improper or low quality customer service is not only a lack of profit for your business, it’s a loss! A customer poorly served will not only not come back to you, but will probably go to a competitor. It’s sad truth, but it’s not like you can’t do something about it. Invest in customer service, take care of those who are already with you and fight with quality for those who can still choose you. Don’t wait – maybe your competitors are already reading this article and are about to act?
Content Marketing Specialist
