5 ways to deliver extraordinary customer service

Is there any company that would not like to retain the loyal customers and expand customer base? From SMBs selling fast foods to MNCs making mobile and PC accessories, every company wants to get more customers for growing revenue. However, keeping the customers happy and retaining them often proves to be uphill task for the businesses. In every sector-including retail, insurance, media, healthcare, telecommunication, competition is high and more players are entering-adding to the pressure. Moreover, the customers have now access to required information on products and services and they have become very selective. With just promotions and discounts you cannot win or retain them! Offering exceptional customer service is what companies should aim for.

Ways to deliver outstanding customer service

Excellent customer service helps in retaining the loyal customers and it is also pivotal for turning web site visitors into happy customers. These buyers also do indirect advertising for your brand and play major role in consolidating brand image. For this, it is imperative to think beyond just selling products and services. The focus should be on creating customer experience that exceeds expectation of target and existing customers. They should get the experience at every touch point- be it at outlets or company website.

There is no magic bullet solution for the brands to elevate the customer service level to new heights. However, it is prudent for the companies to use some tried and tested methods to enhance customer service quality by several notches. For this, they need skilled, trained agents and incorporation of the right customer service software.

• Patience is required- To ensure the customer needs are resolved in the best way, the agents need to listen to the calls and go through emails with patience. Without patience, they can skip certain phrases in email, chat or calls-which can create miscommunication and complications. While prompt response is a prerequisite in customer support, hurrying up too much can actually be detrimental. So, the agents must ensure they hear or read everything clearly and then respond. This will help evade complications and customer requirements can be understood better.

• Product (or service) knowledge- The agents need to be well aware about the products and services of the brand. This is necessary for offering the customers exact and latest information when they make enquiry. Apart from updating their knowledge on product range, the agents can benefit by using the helpdesk tool in proper ways. The software should be linked with internal knowledgebase of the company. This way they can inform the customers on various products and policies of the company without delay, leading to enhanced satisfaction.

• Walk an extra mile- The customers feel delighted when they realize the company is striving to fulfill their needs and the efforts are not just limited to routine procedures. This can be done in several ways- based on the situation. Some companies nowadays ask for response from the customers after an issue is resolved. The agents can put in some additional efforts in this regard as well. After resolving a query, they can ask the customers if there is any other issue they want to resolve, for example. When the customers call or email for an issue that was raised earlier too, the agents should use saved data to let the customers know that they are serious about customer relationship.

• Surprise the customers- It can be useful for any company to use various innovative ways to surprise the customers. For example, the loyal customers can be offered unexpected gifts or special promotions on occasions like birthdays. This helps strengthen the bond with customers and these customers will not deviate to other brands easily. The customers can also be given gift vouchers and special coupons for certain services that may be of use to them.

• Ask for feedbacks/opinions-For the management it is natural to feel complacent about the level of customer service. However, the importance of taking customer feedback can never be undermined. Unless your brand gets direct feedback from its customers, customer service enhancement will remain a distant dream! So, the existing support channels must be utilized to obtain feedbacks from the customers. The live chat sessions can be used and a survey form at the end of email response can be used. Even the knowledgebase portal should be equipped with feedback forms. This way the customer can express their feedback easily. These feedbacks can later be implemented by the companies to improve the service quality.

What else can be done to improve customer service quality?

The company and support agents can also try the below listed measures to enhance service quality to the customers:

• Evade using negative words/response- Sometimes, it may not be possible for a company to fulfi specific customer requirements. This can be owing to so many factors. The requested products may not be in stock or some company policies may prevent the agents from fulfilling certain requests of the customers. However, it is not prudent to use strong negative words while conveying the truth to the customers. Words like ‘No’, ‘we don’t’, ‘we can’t’, ‘you can’t’ should never be used while responding to the customer queries- over any support channels. The reason should be explained in a way that makes the customers see the point. It will also be helpful in such situations to offer the customers available and alternative solutions.

• Do not give uncertain answers, false assurances- It is important to satisfy the customers when they make enquiry. However, the support agents should not resort to using false assurances or make ambiguous statements about services/products. Both can be detrimental to the company image eventually. If fulfilling a customer’s demand or need is not possible it is better to be clear while conveying the truth in the apt manner. For example, when you do not know if a product will be in stock or not- do not answer with certainty to convince the customer temporarily. The customers dislike getting ambiguous answers about things they ask. So, it is better not to answer them in vague ways.

• Update the helpdesk tool- Sometimes, the agents may not be able to make best use of their efforts and skills owing to a helpdesk tool that is not apt for the workflow. Replacing the ticketing software with a better one can make things much better- both for the agents and the customers. A helpdesk tool with enough time saving and automation features can help the agents fulfill customer needs faster and better.

• Use scheduling and automation features- The modern helpdesk tools come with oodles of automation and scheduling features. The support agents should use those features to serve the customers in efficient and better ways. These automation features can speed up ticket generation, assigning and handling- for example. When the agents can resolve tickets faster, the customers are happier.

• Keep calm and stick to logic- Dealing with irate and impatient customer is nothing new in customer service sector. However, the agents have to be calm when dealing with such customers and understand these customers are in trouble. They have to be calm and logical in their approach when responding to the customers in such situations.