A business or a company is called successful when it receives returns on its investments or profits. These profits are not made overnight. It takes skill and extreme hard work to achieve it. But ultimately, success is a result of customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the product of excellent customer service. So it can be safely concluded that success of a company is directly proportional to the quality of customer service a company or business provides. Bad customer service will never lead the company towards triumph. This can very well be verified by the precedents in place. A happy customer is more likely to return to the company for its service and products and also recommend it than an unhappy customer. The point here is that an unhappy customer has the potential to tarnish the reputation of the company in the market. Even though the company may have thousands or lakhs of customers but even a single bad review can ruin its effect on the remaining customers. This proves that it is extremely imperative to have a well functional customer service department in a company with well-trained customer service representatives who also possess customer service skills.
Here are 5 ways to ensure your customer service is a hit this year:
- High quality interactions- It is very important to keep the quality of the interaction between the customer service representative and the customer high. If there is a communication gap or an unsuccessful interaction, it may lead to an unsatisfied customer. Unsuccessful interaction could be a result of miscommunication or even wrong information. If the customer service representative is not well versed with the probable solution to the customer queries, then that will reflect negatively on the company. This means that the customer service representative must be highly skilled and excellent at his job. Also, if the customer care representative misbehaves or is ill mannered then that might also result in a low quality interaction. This means that the quality of interaction between the customer service representative and the customer must be of high quality.
- Knowledge of products and services- The customer service representative is expected to have a good and complete knowledge of the products and services it is endorsing. It is only when he is well equipped with the required information that the customer service representative will be able to serve the customer to the best of his capabilities. This will in turn leave a happy and satisfied customer. When the customer service representative will have the desired knowledge, he will be able to provide appropriate solutions to the customer. This will prove highly beneficial for the company in both, long and short run.
- Empathy and sensitivity- The reputation of the company lies largely in the hands of the customer service representative. He is the point of contact and the bridge between the customer and the company. So this requires the customer service representative to be skilled at dealing with the customers. He needs to have appropriate customer service skills to interact with the customer. He needs to empathize with the customer and keep in mind that the customer is in need and then act accordingly. The work also requires the customer service representative to be sensitive to the situation. If the customer care representative is insensitive to the customer’s needs, no matter how big or small, it will ruin the reputation and image of the company. The customer service representative must listen intently to the customer and with precision and needs to give a viable and easiest solution to their problems. This will also save time and leave the customer happy.
- Create resources- The idea of providing customer service is not restricted to the customer care representative. The company needs to focus on providing one step solution to all commonly faced problems by the customers. In every business, there are several queries or problems that are faced by almost all customers mutually. If all these problems are left at the mercy of the customer service representative, then it will take a substantial amount of the company’s and employee’s time. This can be resolved by putting out alternative resources on the company’s website like frequently asked questions (FAQs) with their solution. This will lead the customer directly to the solution of their problems without actually interacting with the customer service representative.
- Appreciation- No matter which way the conversation is leading, he customer service representative must always show appreciation to the customer’s effort of contacting the company. It is not just the customer’s effort that needs to be appreciated. Even if the customer is in the wrong, the customer service representative must not misbehave with the customer and try and get the customer back on track. There are times when the customer is stubborn and leaves no space for the customer care representative to lead him towards the right direction. But with patience and appreciation, the customer care representative can divert the conversation back on track and show the customer that his approach his, in fact, incorrect and then lead him towards the right direction.
