Here is a look at how you can give a positive customer experience. LabiDesk team prepared this list of customer service tips to help entrepreneurs, small and medium size businesses and startups in their journey toward customer service excellence.
This customer service tips list contains the best customer service practices used in small and big companies to ensure customer satisfaction in 2021. We are living in the new era of high demand and supply. Businesses are becoming more and more creative in attracting customers to their product or service, almost fighting for the customers. Customers are becoming more and more picky and it's getting harder and harder to convert and onboard. But once you got the customer, it is highly important to be authentic in customer centric culture, to ensure customer satisfaction which will end up for you in higher LTV.
You may be able to run a fantastic website and even have a great product but if your customer service is lacking then it could be the difference between having a thousand customers and having a million.
The following customer service tips will help you with that!
15 tips for Outstanding Customer Service
1. Tone of your voice. Always Smile :)
The tone of your voice speaks a lot about how you're feeling and what you're trying to convey. Likewise, it can help convey a positive attitude or a negative one, which can ultimately affect how the customer perceives you. If you're trying to be humorous, it can be hard to convey that if you're not smiling. While it might seem small, it can make a world of a difference when you smile, especially if you smile when you speak on the phone. Remember that you are on the other end of the customer support line, and the customer is having a bad time and might even be in a bad mood.
When you smile and try and joke around and be positive and helpful, it'll definitely help brighten the customer's day and make their experience with you a more positive one.
2. Product Knowledge
?Product knowledge is a must have skill for customer service
The more you know about the products you sell, the easier it will be to suggest alternatives, work arounds and solutions. The better you understand the products you sell, the better you will be able to assist your customers with payment issues, delivery problems or anything else that comes up. If you don't know the answers to your customer's questions, it's OK to say so, and direct them to someone who can help them. The more you know about your products, the more confidence your customers will have in your ability to help!
3. Timely Response (SLA Policies)
Customer service is important and it is an integral part of business. Nothing can be more beneficial than a positive customer experience and good customer satisfaction. However, the customer service and the responsiveness of the business is an integral part of customer service.The consumer will measure the degree of customer service in your business when you respond in a timely manner. This can be achieved by creating a Service Level Agreement (SLA) and making sure employees know the importance of responding in a timely manner. The SLA can be used to determine the length of time it should take to handle a complaint and the state of the issue.
? And here is some more customer service tips..
4. Empathy
✔️The world revolves around the customer.
✔️The customer is the most important and valuable part of your organization and it is your job to ensure you're making the customer happy and feel the most satisfied.
However, in order for them to become your customer, you need to demonstrate that you care about them and show that you're understanding.Empathy is the best way for you to show your customers that you really care. Showing empathy helps customers to feel that their concerns matter and it gives you the chance to go the extra mile to make things right for them.
5. Take an extra mile (offer more)
A good customer service representative will always go the extra mile to make sure that their customers are satisfied. This could be answering questions promptly, sending updates via email to the customer, or providing support over the phone. It's important to find who's in charge of your company's customer service. They may be located in a different office, but they will be able to give you further details on how to go the extra mile.
Going above and beyond is a behavior that, in this day and age when people are so easily irritated by every little thing, is only practiced when it's absolutely necessary. Inconsiderate behavior is so common, in fact, that it's become the norm. Businesses are so consistently unresponsive to their customers that people begin to accept it as the standard. However, what most people don't realize is that they do have an immense amount of power in terms of what businesses they choose to support.
What other customer service tips we've got for you? Check it out.
6. Don’t say No
As a business, there are always going to be customers, clients, and associates in need of assistance. Whether it's finding ways to keep them loyal or finding ways to expand at your current location, there's always something to be done. No matter who they are, customers are always important. As an associate, you're looking to make sure that everyone is happy, especially your customers. This is because, without them, businesses wouldn't exist. Without them, there would be no jobs for you or anyone else. While you shouldn't fall into the trap of always saying “yes” to every customer, you should always be looking for ways to make them happier, to make you happier, and to make business better.
7. Make Customer Feel Important
We've seen many companies get this wrong ?
How?
They make their free users feel like they are less important than their paying customers. This happens when free users are sent to a different support team than the ones dealing with paying customers. The other thing we've seen is companies make their paying customers feel like second class citizens. It's not okay to make your less paying customers feel like they are not getting the same level of attention as your VIP users. We are seeing this happen more often than you might think. The best companies will work hard to make all of the customers they interact with feel important. This is good for repeat business because customers will tell other people about how they were treated.
8. Putting yourself in customers shoes
If you want to make your customers happy, you need to give them great customer service. Putting yourself in the customer's shoes is the best way to make sure your customer service is top notch. You need to anticipate what your customer might need or want. You can do this by listening to what they say, watching their body language, and asking questions. This will help you to deliver great service twofold. First, you will be able to solve your customer's problem quicker. Secondly, you will win your customer's loyalty. Over time, this will lead to more sales.
9. Use the right tools
The right combination of customer support tools will help you help your customers. These tools are not just for responding to customer inquiries. They are also for improving the experience clients have with your brand. There are many customer support tools to choose from. You should select the ones that integrate with your products and marketing to the fullest. Which ones are the right ones for you? This will depend on your business needs, budget, and company culture. Do you have a training program for your customer support agents? Will you have agents or automated services? All these are important considerations.
LabiDesk is a full fledged help desk solution which offers Ticketing System, Live Chat, Knowledge Base and various integration. Also it is currently offering a lifetime deal.
Enough? Or do you want some more customer service tips for your business? ?
10. Offer Self Service Customer Support
Self service is popular as users don't want to feel that they're a bother to a company. They'd rather drop a question into a search box and read a help guide themselves. This significantly reduces the amount of incoming repetitive requests. Self service also helps manage costs as users can quickly find answers to their questions and they're no longer sending a support request. In addition, it improves the company's brand image by making them seem more friendly and helpful.
11. Use Macros
If you're a company with multiple departments then it can be a challenge. It's a lot easier to manage a large team if you have a system for everybody to use. Canned response can help you do that. They allow you to set up a series of responses for any given topic or question. You can use them to make sure your business stays on top of things and its customer service is organized and efficient.
Canned responses help your team establish flawless communication with customers. When the support agents use the correct reply to the customer's email, they can deliver the same style of communication across multiple departments and emails. The agents will have all the information they need to resolve customer queries faster and more accurately.
Using canned responses in LabiDesk can be a great help for your support and IT department. Important and frequently used phrases and possible answers can be saved and used in a matter of seconds. The saved pre-composed messages will give your customers the impression that your support is well prepared and you're able to answer their questions in a short amount of time. This will also help your agents to deliver the same style of communication across multiple departments and emails by using the same phrases.
Here are a couple more customer service tips for you..
12 . Update Customers
You need to always keep customers updated with the progress of their ticket. If they haven't received a response within a few hours, be sure to apologize and provide a quick update. Most customers will remain happy and loyal to a company that provides a quick and polite response to a question. Communicate your process and timeline with your customers when they make an inquiry, and respect any special requests they make. It is important to be clear, concise and friendly when you reply to customer inquiries. Let the customer know you are looking forward to working with them and will try your best to solve their problem.
13. Address them by their first name
It's always good to develop a personal touch with your customers. It helps you empathize and relate to them and this helps you make better connections and sales. It's like how a teacher knows the name and background of each student and wants to help them succeed. It's what gives them the drive to do their jobs well. When you approach your customers with the same level of understanding and care, you'll be able to build a strong relationship with them that will help grow your business and help you achieve your goals!
It's said that using a person's first name is important when trying to build a relationship or a bond with them. It's a sign of respect and it shows a certain level of caring. It can help provide a better image for you and your company.
And here we come with more customer service tips for you..
14. Always thank them
If you want to be successful with your project or business model, you have to learn to show gratitude for your client's patience and cooperation.
It is a great idea to always be thanking your customers for their patience and cooperation as this helps you to better your customer service. As humans, we need to feel acknowledged and appreciated, and writing a thank you letter to your customers for their business shows them that you value their business.
15. Use Positive Language
The language you use when talking to customers directly determines how they perceive your organization. The perception is the reality, and the customer will take what they hear at face value. The tone of your voice can say more than the words you use. The language you use when talking to others will reflect the state of your organization. The way people talk to you is the way you will accept it.
According to Arthur C. Benham's approach to psychology, the opposite of the word "yes" is "no". It is natural that when people listen to or speak "no", they feel uncomfortable or sad. We all want to be heard, understood and accepted. The good news is that you can use positive language to create something similar with your customers. To gain their trust and make them feel good, the use of positive language is important. You can use positive language to make them feel like they are important, listened to and cared for.
And here is the 16th - bonus customer service tips from LabiDesk..:)
16. Reward Loyal Customers!
It is crucial to retain your customers. The best way to do this is to offer loyalty rewards. Keep your customer's trust on the line with your business by showing your appreciation with deals on certain items. A loyalty campaign makes your business more memorable to your loyal customers and helps establish your brand as a leader in the field. Implementation of a loyalty program is easy to do with special deals on certain items or on a regular basis. It doesn't take much effort to run your loyalty program. That's why it's so important to institute them so you can show your appreciation of your customer's business more effectively.
Hey? ,we've got more customer service insights for you ? Check out these 8 Best Knowledge Base Examples to Check in 2021.
