When it comes to customer service, the customer is king. For this reason, successful companies put their customers first. In addition, there is increasing competitive pressure and, in many sectors, trends that are changing at ever shorter intervals. In these agile markets, satisfied customers are an important competitive advantage.
However, we all know from experience that there is often much to do in customer service. Poor accessibility and service quality are criticized by customers across all industries.
We Have Put Together 5 Building Blocks From Which Your Customer Service Can Benefit.
Speed
“Please be patient for a moment. We’ll be right there for you.” Announcements like these are a red rag for many hotline callers. A tediously long wait often follows this. Therefore, high availability is among the most important criteria for good service quality. And preferably around the clock. But who can afford to be constantly available? Intelligent conversation routing, well-structured FAQs, smart chatbots, and live chats help to shorten waiting times and enable customers to get rid of their concerns outside of business hours. But be careful: Anyone who offers different contact channels must ensure that the flow of information converges somewhere. Otherwise, one hand does not know what the other is doing.
Accuracy
In addition to speed, accuracy is essential in customer service. After all, what good is it if a customer receives an answer quickly, but it is wrong or does not help him? To avoid this, employees must be well trained, have first-class communication skills, and have the information they need quickly at hand. The seamless integration of knowledge databases, business software, CRM, helpdesk systems, and good teamwork creates the basis for this.
Intelligibility
Good customer service depends on whether the customer understands what the service employee says. It is important to anticipate the individual customer’s level of knowledge and present complex issues as simply as possible. In concrete terms, this means: Structured statements, short sentences, and simple everyday comparisons create clarity, while technical jargon should be avoided.
Transparency
Waiting times are proven to be more acceptable when the reason for them is clear. For example, when a train stops in the middle of the route, you ask yourself: why? Most people become restless and annoyed if they don’t know the reason for the unplanned stopover. If, on the other hand, the conductor makes a short announcement that the entrance to the station is blocked by another train, understanding grows. It’s the same in customer service.
Friendliness
According to the consumer center, customer satisfaction depends primarily on interpersonal aspects. Because for a third of those surveyed, friendly contact persons are the pound that can best be used in customer service. This is one of the reasons why more and more service centers are now listening to the telephone calls of their employees. In this way, potential deficits in the tone of conversation are quickly identified and can be reliably remedied through suitable training measures.