Consumers are increasingly taking center stage in business strategies, and knowing some customer service tips is essential for businesses today.
With so much competition and possibilities for research and comparisons by users, the way they are treated is a differentiator for them to choose a particular company .
More than just purchasing a product, customers seek positive experiences that add value to them and expect that, every time they need to resolve a problem, it will be done quickly and extremely efficiently .
When companies positively impact people, they not only gain loyal customers, but also brand advocates.
Providing quality service may seem obvious, but many companies still fail in this fundamental area.
How have you been treating your customers? Have you ever encountered any difficulties in this area? We've put together 7 customer service tips for you. Check them out!
1. Train and qualify your team
Investing in differentiated service goes far beyond answering certain customer questions at certain times of the day.
It is important to have a structured team and strategies that align the company's entire communication process , correctly conveying the organization's values.
Therefore, it is necessary to train the team and empower employees so that everyone has the same objectives and is focused on the customer.
Invest in training, workshops , and follow-up to ensure that information knowledge is consistent across the team.
Having motivated employees is essential for efficient customer service.
2. Know your audience and your service
One of the most important customer service tips is to know your audience. After all, to know how to speak, you need to know who you're talking to .
It's essential to have in-depth customer knowledge, including characteristics, desires, dreams, needs, expectations, and more. Creating personas, or representations of ideal customers, can be helpful in defining these profiles.
By having so much relevant information at hand, it will be possible to direct and align service, create language codes and various types of approaches.
The more you know your customer, the greater your chances of offering what they want at the right time, surprising them with every interaction.
Additionally, always seek feedback from your audience to learn more about them. With each interaction, encourage surveys and feedback , which will be useful for improvements and decision-making.
Another key point is truly understanding the product or service offered. The team must provide confident service and be ready to answer any questions.
It is essential that information about resources, advantages and differences is known to better approach customers.
When a customer service team is well-versed in the business and the product or service offered, interactions flow smoothly, avoiding pre-planned, memorized scripts and impersonal actions.
3. Listen to the customer
Not all customers are easy to deal with or have quick resolutions. It may seem natural to talk about listening to customers, but this point is often overlooked in customer service.
The team needs to listen to the audience's concerns, be patient, and pay full attention to what is being said.
It's essential to put yourself in the customer's shoes. This can make the agent act differently and make it easier to defuse difficult situations .
Another important point to understand the customer's pain is to invest in personalized and humanized service .
4. Apply SCOT communication
Some techniques can also be used during customer service, so it's worth including them in our list of customer service tips.
According to SCOT communication, good service must be based on four elements: security, clarity, objectivity and transparency .
You need to be sure about what you're selling, speak clearly, be objective throughout the process, and approach the salesperson honestly, valuing transparency.
The combination of these concepts creates effective service, which increases consumer confidence and is a good step towards a lasting relationship.
5. Be quick in your service
There are many channels available for customers to contact, but there is no point in a company offering several channels and not being quick in providing service .
Set up automatic responses for specific cases, and never leave the customer talking alone or waiting too long for a response.
Even if the resolution doesn't happen immediately, it's important to show concern and provide deadlines for responses and solutions.
6. Use a CRM
Customer Relationship Management strategy is very useful for building relationships with contacts.
This type of tool stores consumer information, conversation histories, and important data that optimizes the process .
Having a CRM in your company makes processes easier and more consistent for the entire team, in addition to further boosting customer relationships.
7. Set goals and monitor results
After training your team and ensuring good service, you need to set goals and monitor metrics and results .
It's important to have individual and group goals. Make sure the goals are realistic to motivate the team, rather than creating an impossible obstacle for everyone.
Tracking metrics is crucial for staying on top of customer service and making business assessments. This allows you to gauge whether the training offered has been effective, identify what's missing, and assess the team's performance.
Some metrics that can be monitored monthly include the volume of answered and resolved calls per month, the volume of pending calls, open calls, customer satisfaction levels, average response time, NPS – Net Promoter Score, CSAT – Customer Satisfaction Score, CES – Customer Effort Score, among others.
Conclusion
Understanding the customer journey is essential for developing strategies and knowing the best time to offer new solutions and solve consumer problems .
Placing the customer at the center of the business is essential to differentiate companies and ensure competitive advantages in the market.
It's important to align the organization's values with the teams and make it clear where you want to go to convey these values to customers.
Customer service can be provided in a variety of ways and should be as personalized as possible, so structure your communication and offer the best you have to offer .
Now that you've mastered customer service tips, put them into action and optimize your processes. Always remember that qualified customer service leads to increased sales, positive brand relationships, and customer loyalty .
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