Create A Stand Out Customer Service Team With 6 Easy Steps
Your customers expect nothing but the best. In a time where it’s super easy for customers to do business elsewhere, you have to make sure that you are consistently providing excellent customer service. Most companies would rather spend money acquiring new customers than retaining old ones. But, did you know that acquiring new customers can cost 7X more than retaining one? If you’re in a startup or a small business, retaining customers is so much easier especially in the beginning.
But there’s a big catch here — most startups already know how to provide good customer service. How can you let people know that your service is better? How can you retain your existing customers effectively? I have 6 ways here that can help your customer service team stand out.
Cultivate a healthy relationship with your customers
Your customers will likely be fairly small as compared to a Fortune 500 company, this simply means that you are at an advantage. You have the capability to personalize each touch points. Proactively reach out to your customers and make an effort to know some of them by name and face. This will make your customers feel valued and appreciated.
No Favoritism
Each customer brings their own set of unique needs. Some may be harder than the others but, you still have to make an effort and deliver. Repeat customers and referrals are your lifeblood in the early stages. You don’t want to turn away anyone by providing inconsistent customer service.
No matter who the customer is, whether they’re new or existing make sure that you treat them the same. Not just in the customer service, this kind of attitude should be present all across.
Be Responsive
It’s important that you respond accordingly to your customers. This is not just about responding in a timely manner but, it’s also about being able to respond appropriately. More often than not we are tied up to the idea of fast replies that we tend to lose focus on what’s important, which is the quality of the response.
Your objective shouldn’t just to answer fast, it should be to answer as quick as you can with all the right information. Focus your energy in first contact resolutions because it makes all the difference in the customer experience.
Act on Customer Feedback
You have to ensure that you have a feedback system in place. An organized way of collecting customer suggestions is the best way to improve. Encourage your customers to share their experience with you on social media. Feature customer feedbacks on your website and social media pages. Your customers will appreciate being listened to and they will feel part of the solution.
Create A service recovery procedure
Failure is bound to happen. If you’re unprepared it’ll be difficult to recover from it. Think of service failures as an opportunity. An opportunity to let your customers know how resilient you are in providing amazing customer service.
A customer who experiences a service failure and got an excellent resolution may even come out of the situation as a loyal customer.
Treat your employees right
The best way to your customer’s heart is through your employees. Whether it’s a team of 3 people or 10 teams, you have to make sure that give your employees the appreciation they deserve. Applaud them for going the extra mile. Show appreciation by giving small tokens. Make them feel loved and cared for. A happy employee will naturally yield happy customers.
Customers are stuffed with a number of choices every day. It is your job to cut through all that noise. Implement these simple strategies and you’ll be on your way to success! If you have more ideas on how to create a stand out team, let me know in the comments.
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