The 3 Building Blocks of Great Customer Service that Works.
The Customer Service model of Your Business
Many companies focus on getting their Business Model right. It’s the way they create, deliver and retain value.
The Customer Journey dives deeper into how this value is created, delivered and retained. It’s a journey that should lead to happy customers and enough revenue for the company to keep the Business Model going.
Part of the Customer Journey is the Customer Service model; the way customers are supported with the goal to boost their loyalty.
Great Customer Service can become a major unique buying reason. Or, in other words; become a competitive advantage for the company.
With customers demanding more and more, it’s important to have a close look at the Customer Service model that your company has in place.
I first came in touch with Customer Service models when I was building a new Online Service Platform. It was part of the overall launch of a new Home Automation system.
I wanted to know more about the Customer Service model in which the Online Support Platform would operate.
This was the situation; a customer just purchased and installed his new Home Automation system. This meant that the Business Model worked. Hooray! But, the Customer Journey did not end there.
Two questions remained unanswered; how are new customers supported?And, how are new customers turned into loyal advocates?
They are by having a great Customer Service model that works.
The 3 Building Blocks of Great Customer Service models
A Customer Service model should meet the service needs of customers. These needs vary between different segments, products and service types.
You can however distinguish three building blocks that create great Customer Service models that work;
Building block 1: The possibility to help yourself.
Building block 2: The possibility to help and be helped by others.
Building block 3: The possibility to be helped.
The result is that customers are in complete control over how and when they are helped. Let’s have a closer look at each of the 3 building blocks.
1. The Possibility to Help Yourself
We are living in a 24/7 economy. Customers want access to information whenever they want. Questions about products or services, whether it’s about technical information, installation, configuration, usage or service, occur during the same 24/7-time span.
Why would you limit the customers’ access to this information only to the opening hours of the company? The good thing is, you don’t have to.
Customers can be given the possibility to help themselves 24/7 in 4 ways:
- Via online FAQ’s for technical questions
- Via online Product configurators
- Via online Price & Delivery overviews
- Via online Return & Claim forms
Offering online support has four major benefits:
- Since we’re living in a 24/7 economy, Online Support is the way customers want to be helped today; which is good for customer satisfaction and retention.
- Having online FAQ’s improves online thought- and SEO leadership; which is good for gathering new prospects and leads.
- It also enables the Customer Support department to work more efficient and accurate in providing answers; which saves time and therefore costs for you and your customers.
- And finally; it captures all the knowledge that is inside of the smart employees minds; meaning that the possible absence of them has a lesser impact on the continuation of the entire organisation.
Let’s conclude the ‘Help Yourself’ building block with the following fun fact;
This means that in order to be fit for today — and the future — enabling customers to help themselves via online support is an absolute key-requirement for business success and continuity.
2. The Possibility to Help and Be Helped by Others
Communities have existed since the very start of mankind. People have a natural tendency to bond with others who share similar interests, values and believes.
In the online world, communities have continued to develop as well. Whether it is through forums, Facebook Groups, Meetups, people found online places to help and be helped by others.
The same principles of communities can be applied to companies.
People join online communities because of the opportunities it creates to exchange information. Why not let them exchange information around your products and services? And, why wouldn’t you facilitate that?
You give customers the possibility to help and be helped by others. And, therefore let them feel like they belong to a group and boost their own self-esteem.
In return you obtain valuable information regarding the actual needs and desires of your target audience. Which is very useful input for FAQ’s, Research & Development, marketing and sales.
Besides that, B2B customers who actively participate in your community rely less on the use of traditional Customer Support services.
3. The Possibility to be Helped
Online FAQ’s and online communities are great ways to enable customers to help themselves. It can happen that, for whatever reason, online support and communities are not sufficient enough in helping the customer.
Customers should therefore have the possibility to be helped personally by you, the company.
This personal support can be via various channels. It can be via more traditional ways like phone and e-mail. But, also via fast emerging ways like social media, online chat, WhatsApp and other messaging apps or bots.
In the end it all comes down to this.
To have a great Customer Service model that works a customer should be able to;
- help him- or herself online;
- help and be helped by others in a community;
And, if this doesn’t suit his or her needs;
- have the possibility to be helped by you; the company, via various channels.
Whatever the medium you choose to support your customers, in the end it all comes down to this; it’s important to let your customers know you are there for them to help.
This is the first business article I have ever written. Could you give me your 2 cents on it? I’d love to hear and learn from you.
All the best,
Jasper
