Are your customer service efforts good enough for the business goals you want to achieve? If you’re looking to grow your business (and who isn’t looking to achieve that!), then you need to ensure customers are satisfied with the experience they’re getting.
So if you’re looking to improve that experience for them, here are fifteen different ways that will help get you started!
#1: Always look for ways to exceed expectations
Covering the basic needs of each of your customers is a given, for any business. But what if you did more, to exceed those initial expectations? Examples include celebrating special events and milestones, adding bonuses, additions and updates and sending out thank-you notes.
#2: Actively seek feedback
Always look to seek out feedback, as it’s a great way to improve customer service and your business. So send out invites asking for feedback, create simple feedback templates and surveys, and build feedback into your overall customer journey.
#3: Personalise the customer service experience
Personalisation is a great way to improve the customer’s experience with your company. Look to greet them by name in emails and on the phone etc, and always respond and engage with your customers. And personalise the experience with targeted offers, etc.
#4: Set clear customer service standards
Ensure you have set standards within your customer service experience. This includes the tone and style you use, as well as response times and showing consistency in how you deal with clients. This will be a lot easier if you create templates and scripts to follow.
#5: Make use of automation
Automation is a great tool for customer service improvement. How could you use this in your business? Set up surveys, implement a chat widget, automate your emails and even your client onboarding process.
#6: Have a robust client onboarding process
Talking of your customer onboarding process, check that it’s robust enough for your needs. It needs to be a seamless onboarding process for your clients to help ease fears and regrets, whilst also setting expectations for working with you.
#7: Centralise your FAQs within a knowledge centre
Make it easy to find answers and solutions to the common problems and questions your clients may have. And remember many shoppers actually prefer self-help options they can explore themselves.
#8: Make it easy for your customers to contact you
If you want to improve customer service, make sure it’s easy to contact you. Advertise where and how to contact you, offer real time support, list your opening hours and response times.
#9: Measure and review your customer service efforts regularly
Are you measuring and reviewing your customer service efforts? It’s a great way to look for patterns and commonalities, celebrate achievements, tighten up standards where needed, and implement improvements.
#10: Use the right tech for your needs
Don’t muddle through if there’s an easier tech solution for you. Tech is there to help make your job easier, not harder! CRM systems help eliminate human error, data recording will capture client details, and email automation helps you provide a personalised email experience.
#11: Practise open and honest communication
Be honest and open in your communications – it’s one of the quickest ways to build loyalty and client relationships.
#12: Reward customer loyalty
Reward schemes are a great way to thank loyal customers and build brand loyalty in newer ones. Think how you can thank them – it could be as bonus content, early access, discounts, or even a private group.
#13: Improve your customer service response times
Response times are everything, with excellent customer service. So see how you can improve in this area – especially with social media interaction, complaints and feedback.
#14: Have clear policies in place to reduce risk
Your refund policy, trial periods and guarantees all help improve trust in your brand, alleviate fear and risk and can help exceed client expectations. So how good are yours? Can you offer an extended refund policy? Do you give access to everything or are you drip feeding it? And are you using plain English in your policy wording, or confusing them with technical jargon?
#15: Focus on providing long-term solutions
The changes you make can be quick fixes, but they offer long-term solutions. Common complaints and issues can be solved permanently, with a little feedback and thought, and many of the tips above will help. And finally, look to be open about how you’re improving things. Share what you’re doing and this will also help improve customer loyalty and support too.
If you’re looking for a little help improving your customer service efforts or implementing any of the above, why not reach out? We can help take some of these tasks off your plate and set them up for you. And if you need support with any other area of your business, we can provide you with the solutions you need there, too! So reach out and let’s discuss potential solutions – you’ll find our contact information here.
