What is customer service?
Customer service is the service you provide customers before, during, or after they have purchased your product or service. Customer service is all of the aspects that relate to customer service which would include helping the customer resolve their issues, answering customer questions, providing guidance, and helping to ensure that the customer experiences a seamless, positive experience throughout their customer journey.
Excellent customer service is about responding to customer needs promptly, making customers feel valued, and anticipating their needs to offer better solutions. By using customer experience software, businesses can track customer interactions, automate responses, and improve overall customer satisfaction.
Components of customer service
Pre-sale support – customer understanding of products or services and other support to help the customer feel comfortable, confident, and informed about their purchasing decision.
In-purchase support – support and assistance of customers who may have challenges during the purchasing experience, or to resolve issues that impact their purchasing experience.
Post-sale support – follow up with the customer, provide them support for the product or service, respond to any complaints and measure customer satisfaction, or follow up with them about their experiences.
Challenges in providing good customer service
Consistently delivering superior service can be quite challenging. Even with a strong team and clear-cut processes, there are times when unforeseen circumstances may arise that will put your ability to deliver service in jeopardy. Below, I will address some common challenges:
1. Difficult customers
Not all customers are pleasant. You may encounter customers who are frustrated, anxious, or confrontational. In these instances, the key is to remain calm, listen intently to them, and demonstrate empathy toward their situation in an effort to relieve the pressure and arrive at a viable solution.
Tip: Allow them to air their concerns, relate to their feelings, offer a response, and then provide them with viable options.
2. Service inconsistency
If varying team members provide different “levels” of service, it can be confusing for customers and is detrimental to trust. Customers want to be treated the same no matter the person they interact with.
Solution: Regularly provide training, set clear guidelines, and use a customer service script to ensure consistency.
3. Managing customer expectations
Today, customers expect a fast response and a solution immediately. Meeting high expectations can be challenging, especially if a situation is involved.
Solution: Set realistic expectations upfront and keep customers informed about response times and the steps you are taking to resolve their issues. Maintaining a fast customer response time helps improve customer trust and satisfaction.
4. Scarce resources
Struggling to meet customer expectations in terms of responding to their requests in a timely manner is a common issue for many small businesses or teams that are understaffed. As a result, customers are often left waiting which can lead to them getting frustrated.
Solution: Depending on the requests, customer service tools such as AI chatbots to utilize for automated responses to common questions can free staff’s attention from the regular requests, leaving them available for the more complex requests.
5. Deterring communication
Customer frustration can increase when not having complete clarity on what the requests were in the first place. Customer requests often rely on ambiguity based on linguistic and listening barriers, which might add to the misunderstanding, but can all quickly lead to a customer who remains unresolved in their request.
Solution:Â Train agents in clear, concise, and active listening communication, as well as voice tone recognition.
Essential customer service tips
1. Show empathy
Empathy is at the heart of great customer service. Customers want to feel heard and understood. Train your team to put themselves in the customer’s shoes and respond with understanding and care.
2. Use positive language
The way you phrase responses can change how customers feel. Positive language helps build trust and avoid conflict.
3. Communicate clearly
Avoid jargon and complex terms. Use simple, direct language and confirm that the customer understands your response.
4. Know your products and services
Customers expect accurate and helpful information. Train your team on product features, benefits, and troubleshooting to ensure they can answer questions confidently.
5. Focus on first-call resolution
Resolving issues in the first interaction improves customer satisfaction and reduces the chance of repeat issues.
6. Set customer expectations
By communicating customer expectations in the beginning, you can avoid misunderstandings. Setting customer expectations means providing a reasonable timeline for your customers and then letting them know what to expect next.
Conclusion
Providing excellent customer service is not just about resolving issues for your customers; it’s about ensuring they leave with a positive, memorable experience and feel inclined to return. When you listen to your clients, use positive language, and develop a rapport with customers, you will foster your relationship with customers and increase brand loyalty. Invest in customer service hours, e-commerce AI tools, and reach out to your customers regularly throughout their experiences to transcend customer expectations.
When customers feel the brand or organization they do business with is caring, loyal, and supportive, they have little or no problems becoming loyal, repeat customers, which drives business and assists your organization in its mission.
