Tips to Improve Your Customer Service
Last Updated on November 5, 2022 by Sam
According to HubSpot, around 68% of customers are of the view that they can pay more for a product or services, if the company offers robust customer service. This goes to show that an excellent customer support department can either make or break a business. Companies with greater rates of customer satisfaction are known for achieving more success than the ones with low satisfaction levels.
Thus, if you are planning on launching your own business or thinking of bringing some substantial changes to it to grow sales, then keep reading this article because we are going to walk you through 5 tips to improve your customer service.
Tips to Improve Your Customer Service
1. Communicate Properly
One of the prerequisites of creating an excellent customer support department is hiring agents that are experts at communication skills. Communicating well in general differs largely from communicating effectively with consumers. It requires certain skill sets such as using words and phrases that convey the message. Especially if the customer has a different native language.
You can take a few pointers from renowned telecom company – Cox Communications®. It is known for catering to non-native English subscribers. The sales support staff is well-trained in this area. For instance, if a consumer is of Hispanic descent, then they can contact Cox en Español and talk to the sales support agent without any language barriers.
2. Admit Your Mistakes
“To err is human” but when it comes to customer service, making a mistake and then not admitting it can cost your business a huge loss. Transparency in everything goes a long way. Of course, an agent is a human and they can fail to understand the consumer’s problems or at times something can go wrong with your product or service.
However, when the agent chooses to deliberately avoid accountability, then it can lead to consumers pointing fingers at the business.
You might be surprised to know that admitting mistakes can actually resolve the situation more quickly and can help greatly in restoring your brand’s image in the market. In fact, according to Salesforce Research, 78% of consumers are always willing to continue doing business with you after a mistake, considering that your customer service is remarkable.
3. Be Patient and Composed
Customer service is far from being an easy job. It demands patience and calm composure. As a sales support agent, you cannot afford to lose your cool while communicating with consumers, especially those that call you to file a complaint about their poor experience with your product. An agent must be capable enough to grow thick skin because they come across callers of all types.
Therefore, the more patient you are, the more memorable experience you will make for the customers.
4. Be Well-Equipped with Technical Knowledge
If your customer support agents lack product knowledge, then how can they assist the consumers? This should be one of your major concerns. Hiring employees solely based on qualification is not the wisest decision. These employees will represent your company on your behalf and if they fail to resolve the issues due to the lack of technical or product knowledge, then it will become near to impossible for your company to retain the customers.
It is highly recommended that during the onboarding period, the agents must learn all the information regarding the products and services they will be selling. It can also be great if they get to spend some time with a product specialist so they can get all their queries answered.
5. Be Open to Feedback
Creating an accessible medium for customers to put in their feedback or criticism is essential for the growth of any business. This also sends out the message that your company is willing to work on its shortcomings and mistakes. Moreover, after receiving those feedback, you will realize how you can improve your overall services to achieve more success and consequently, more revenue.
While collecting feedback, as an owner, you can get overwhelmed by the possibility of receiving any type of comment. However, keep in mind, it can give you insightful information regarding the areas you need to work on, and the areas that customers already appreciate about your company.
Closing Thoughts
Robust customer service plays a significant role in the success of any business. Therefore, if you are launching your business, then don’t forget to train your agents well so you can build a strong customer service team. Plus, keep in mind the tips we have mentioned in this article.
