We have all had at least one bad customer experience when shopping online or otherwise. A lack of product knowledge, late query responses on social media pages, and challenging terms and conditions are all potential ways brands lose customers. Good customer service can sometimes save you from losing a customer, even if the order is problematic. However, bad customer service can cause a business a consumer no matter how good your product is.
What is Good Customer Service?
It is essential to form a bond of understanding and trust with your customers like any other relationship. Your employee-customer representatives are your front liners. They might be bad for business if they cannot deliver your brand promise of keeping customer needs first. In such a case, you must either cut your representative loose or rethink your training sessions.
In today’s world, good customer service is a defining factor that gives businesses an edge over each other. It is as much a core competency as a good, differentiating product in your portfolio. Below are things you can do to help build a rapport with your customers and gain their trust. Customer advocacy and word-of-mouth marketing can be crucial to a brand’s reputation and growth.
Respond Quickly
Be it a query over email or a phone call on your customer support helpline, ensure the customer is answered or responded to as quickly as possible. This point is the first rule to reliable customer service by good brands. A waiting customer is an angry customer, and an angry customer is unsuitable for the business. Brand managers should train customer representative employees to exhibit professionalism and promptness and align with brand values when interacting with customers.
Train Your Employees Thoroughly
The most important aspect of the business. Richard Branson says, “Take care of your employees, and they will take care of your business.” Suppose your employee is feeling unsatisfied or unappreciated. In that case, it is your responsibility as the body in charge to make sure you understand them to carry your mission forward. Running a business is a two-way street.
Do Not Make Empty Promises
No matter how angry or dissatisfied the customer is, making a promise that the brand cannot fulfill will tip the customer off the edge. Imagine a customer disappointed with a particular product aspect only to be further upset with the brand’s services. This point comes as an easy decision. If the brand does not work a certain way, for instance, providing refunds in a day, you cannot promise the customer.
Ask For Feedback
Good customer service continues beyond solving problems. Especially in 2021, when communication is critical over a screen, you must ensure that the consumer is satisfied throughout the customer journey. Good brands constantly communicate with their audiences, incorporate this feedback in their processes, and continually improve customer touchpoints. Continuously check your social media handles and other customer support platforms to ensure you answer as many people as quickly as possible.
Brand and Product Knowledge
Imagine blanking out when a customer calls up to ask what the maximum voltage level of an appliance is. Embarrassing, right? It is also bound to upset the customer. Often, it might not be your fault as the customer representative if the brand does not provide you with the proper training. As a brand, you are responsible for ensuring your frontline soldier is equipped with the appropriate ammunition before they step onto the battlefield. You are only as strong as your weakest link. In an environment with tons of brands offering the same competitive product or service, customer switching costs are typically low. They will not even bat an eye before changing their brand of choice.
Of course, depending on your industry and nature of work, there are many ways to satisfy your customer and build a connection. It is best to use previous experiences as learning points to keep training your employees in the future. Good customer service is a process that keeps evolving; hence, you must keep learning with the evolving behavior of customers.
Parting Thoughts
No matter the size of your business, your customers need to feel heard and understood. Good customer service will give you the competitive edge you sometimes need, even over corporate giants, to help you succeed in your industry. Companies underestimate the power of being there for the customer, eventually losing out on growth and customer-brand loyalty.
Prompt responses to customers in need, thorough employee training, fulfilling your promises, and requesting customer feedback are basic things you can do to get ahead of the competition. Getting to know your audience and its needs can also give you an advantage in defining your point of differentiation amidst so many businesses competing for their share of audiences in a world entirely of competition.
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