Many brands mistake excellent customer service for 24/7 availability. Others consider it a quick resolution of the customer complaints. However, in reality, these are just the characteristics of good Customer Service, but not all of it. Practically, if you are not being able to connect with your customers on an emotional level, you are not serving them at all.
A 21st-century customer is purpose-driven. They care about quick resolutions as much as they want to feel valued. According to the consumer insights of PwC:
Thus, the kind of service you offer to your customers determines the majority of your brand’s success. But, how do you decide that you are treating your customers right? Explore some of the leading customer service qualities that your service representatives must possess.
Be polite and respectful while interacting with your customers. Right from the very first moment they should feel that they are in good hands and their concerns will be taken care of.
As already mentioned, it’s not about round the clock availability. Rather, you must respect their time boundaries and expectations. If you’re trying to help them with a resolution, it’s essential to keep the conversation focused on that topic —no matter how long it takes! If there are more than one person helping them with this task (e.g., sales staff), make sure everyone knows what their respective roles are so that no one wastes time by repeating information unnecessarily or delaying the resolution.
Be knowledgeable. Your customers expect you to have the answers when they’re in a quandary, and they want you to be able to solve problems for them. You don’t need to be an expert on everything—but if your company offers a product or service that can help them, then make sure that you have the proper information about it. If you can’t answer every question about what you offer, at least you can provide them with the links to your website where shoppers can learn more about it.
The secret of successful customer service is empathy and emotional intelligence. An empathetic service representative will always put himself in the customers’ shoes and always make an effort to understand their emotions.
For example, a shipping delay or a refund issue can be stressful on the customers’ part. And, if your customers are not comfortable articulating that specific emotional dilemma, it’s clearly understood that your customer service is faulty. Always keep in mind that most of the time a customer is driven by feelings when he reaches out to the service representative. So, whenever a service executive talks about any customer concern, the customer must feel that his problems will be taken care of.
Listening is more than just hearing. It’s about paying attention and considering the grievances of the people on the other side. Your customers are more likely to trust you if they know that you’re listening. And they’ll appreciate it even more if they can see how much effort you put into it.
To demonstrate that you’re truly listening, try one of these techniques:
There’s always a right approach when it comes to responding to customer queries. Exceptional customer service starts with clear communication. It includes sharing just the right amount of information and asking appropriate questions at that time. Even your choice of words matter a lot. As you know every interaction matters and the way you communicate can lead you to a positive conclusion.
Being assertive is all about feeling confident in your words and actions. However, it does not mean being aggressive or passive in any way, but rather speaking clearly, positively, and with conviction. The sole aim of the customer conversation is to build a feeling of trust and nothing else.
If you’re not sure how your assertive sentence doesn’t sound rude or offensive (and we all know how tricky those things can be), it’s high time you start practicing it.
Being assertive does not mean to be aggressive. Even a note of compliment can build up your customers trust and boost confidence. It’s important to listen to your customers’ needs so that you can serve them better and that too in the most assertive way possible.
Patience is a virtue and for a customer service representative, patience is one of the key qualities that he must practice. You should be patient with your customers and their issues because if you aren’t (or if you take the “easy” way out), it’s quite likely that your customers will leave.
Let your customers speak about their concerns. If someone calls in and complains about an issue with your product or service (and they’re not being unreasonable), listen to them patiently. In this case, it’s not about providing an instant or quick service, instead a lot about providing the correct solution. Maybe some of your products raise customer complaints. As a service executive, your job is to listen to the complaints and offer them a refund or something similar..
Customers want to feel that you are as concerned as they are when it comes to resolving any issue. They appreciate it when you respond to their queries with sheer enthusiasm. They also want to know that your company is committed to providing excellent service to the customers. It goes a long way to building your brand identity.
A great idea is to accept your mistakes and take responsibility for them—this shows customers that you care about their experience as much as they do! And remember, a smile goes a long way toward making people feel welcome in your business!
Your customers have plenty of options and a single mistake can negatively impact their purchase decision. Keep conversations running smoothly throughout the transaction process. It’s always expected to create a positive impact on the customers.
Show your customers that you’re willing to go above and beyond for them. It doesn’t mean that you have to make huge sacrifices, but it might mean going out of your way to help someone in need or offering an extra service when no one else is around.
For example: If a customer needs something on an urgent basis and he calls your executive, the latter must provide him with a solution. Sometimes, these kinds of solutions are not in the scope of the normal responsibilities of the executives. However, getting this done can help them go ahead and leave a positive impact on the customers.
Adaptability and out-of-the-box solutions to customer dilemmas are some of the best skills you need for a successful customer service journey. If a customer service executive comes with a creative and constructive approach to solving problems, your customers will confide in you in the long run. As a result, they will get full-fledged personalized assistance.
Customer service is a dynamic and ever-changing field. The customer service industry has become a major part of our economy, with companies all around us relying on their employees to provide excellent customer service.
To ensure you’re providing customers with the best possible experience, it’s important that you focus on developing these qualities:
Believe it or not, customer support is a skillset and it takes an emotional connection to reach out to your customers on a deeper level. However, with a CRM tool like ConvergeHub, your team can keep track of every single customer you come across. It is a complete customer lifecycle management CRM tool that enables your team to stay updated at every level of customer interaction. Moreover, ConvergeHub allows your team to access each of the customer details which further helps the support team to provide tailored support as per the customer’s needs.
What you can track with ConvergeHub?
The quality of your customer service is critical to your business’s success. The customer support team is the face of your company and the key point of human contact. An effective service builds brand loyalty, customer retention, business growth, and profits. In other words, your customer service reps are your business’s secret weapon. The following stats will explain it all.
