What Customers Expect When Receiving Customer Service Assistance

Your customers may not judge a book by its cover, but they certainly do judge your business by its customer service quality.

We live in a fast-paced environment where tech improvements happen in a matter of days, and customer expectations rise even faster.

Today, everything is just a click away, and your customer assistance should be too — otherwise, you could be setting your business up to fail.

According to Gladly’s 2018 Survey, 92% of customers say they would switch companies after three or fewer poor customer service experiences. Out of those surveyed, almost a third would stop purchasing from a company after only one bad experience.

If you are concerned about your brand meeting the customers’ needs, keep reading. Here are six tips on how to provide customers with a satisfactory customer service experience.

Reach Out First — Be Proactive

Don’t wait for your customers to call you first when a problem arises. Instead, create room for them to provide you with feedback at any moment. Customer service was a reactionary channel for most companies for a long time, but the situation has changed. Good service is no longer a bonus but a requirement for any business that wants to succeed.

One way to proactively connect with your customers is by setting up an online chatbot and creating self-operating triggers for a live chat. You could also conduct regular surveys to measure customer satisfaction and discover common issues people have with your services.

While connecting with them, you should also personalize your approach based on your customer’s behavior on your website.

Respond on the Spot

There is nothing that makes your customers more annoyed than not responding promptly. Why would they bother writing you an email if it takes you three days to reply? Their time is valuable, so it’s crucial to make it a priority.

Another aspect to keep in mind is that the expected time for response varies from channel to channel. For example, the expected response time for an email may be up to 24 hours, but a phone call or a quick chat message can’t wait that long.

Provide Multiple Contact Options

Your customers expect you to give them different options for reaching out when they are in need. Talking to them via their preferred channel plays a significant role in their satisfaction with your service. Remember that each person is different, and while some people may like long and detailed emails, others may be more comfortable picking up the phone.

It’s important to note that different problems require different approaches — online customer self-service is enough for quickly checking your bank balance, but it isn’t enough for resolving complex issues.

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

… and more consistency! If you want to build a strong, trusting relationship with your customers, make sure to give them consistent answers.

When a client lays out the problem, they expect everyone in your company to approach their issue in the same manner and provide them with the same solution. With that in mind, don’t make them repeat their story — once your customer presents you with a problem, they expect you to follow up.

The best solution is to create standard operating procedures and a personalized document for each customer. That way, everyone in your team will communicate and understand your clients’ needs better.

Make Sure To Solve Their Problem

Solve their problem as efficiently as possible. It is a simple prerequisite, yet many employees in this field fail to recognize what that actually means.

Remember, your team is as valuable to your business as your customers are. Providing them with appropriate training while coming up with creative solutions together is crucial. It’s easy to lose track of time resolving complex matters if there aren’t firm guidelines for the procedure.

Every interaction between your team and your customer should be one step forward to resolving the customer’s issue. The most significant value you can provide them with is efficiency and convenience.

Surprise Them

Fulfill your clients’ expectations, and they may purchase again. Go beyond their expectations, and they’ll not only keep coming back, but they’ll also share their positive experience with friends and family.

It is in our nature to love being pleasantly surprised. The human brain is designed to like novelty and excitement. Level up your customer service, and your brand will have some of the most loyal lifetime customers. Buying is, above all, an emotional process.

According to most statistics, your customers will be pleasantly surprised if you solve their problems and listen to their needs while respecting their time and convenience.

Customer Service That Keeps the Customer in Mind

When creating a customer service strategy, always keep in mind what your customer is facing. What kind of problems are they going to encounter in the future? Work toward creating a solution before an impediment becomes a reality.

Ultimately, what determines if customer service is good or bad is whether the client is happy at the end of the interaction with your brand.

And in the end, remember that your biggest brand ambassadors are satisfied customers.

Originally published at Entrepreneur News and Startup Guide.