The kind of customer service your business provides is going to stay with your customers for the time being and will decide the fate of their loyalty to your business. Mostly the phrase ‘customer service’ will remind them of the worst experiences they had; the hours they wasted being on hold, the very long forms they had to fill out for your services, repeating information to representatives, etc.
The bad customer service experiences happen because companies mostly treat their customers as numbers, and not people. Customers have to go through long telephone calls to get their queries answered, instead of choosing the communication channel that they prefer. This state of the customer service industry is disappointing because a company’s success is based on tending to their customers’ needs. This article will explore the importance of having excellent customer service.
Customer Service
To narrow it down, customer service refers to assisting customers in their queries about products or services. It can be about how to use a product, how to install products, what are their pricing, troubleshooting with a product installation, the status of their order purchase, processing a purchase return, etc. Customers can also post a complaint if they aren’t satisfied with the products or services. The quality of the customer service provided by a company can play a big role in that company’s success.
Types of Customer Service
The types of customer refer to the kind of customer service channels your company can provide to the customers;
- Customer service through the phone was the conventional method that many organizations provided; customers would call a hotline, enter into a queue and a rep from the company would pick up to answer their query. For instance, if a customer were to subscribe to the internet service of one of the major ISPs in the US, Xfinity, they would have to call the Xfinity phone number and an Xfinity representative would provide them with steps on how that would be made possible. Though until recently, phone-based customer service is seeing a decline.
- Text-Messaging. Most of the customers prefer communicating with companies through text messaging about the progress of their order, reminders, delivery status, promotions, etc. Companies can also use this platform to receive customer feedback about the products or services. Their text messages can have close-ended questions such as was your delivery on time? (Yes/No), are you satisfied with the product? (Yes/No), Rate your overall experience from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor), etc. and the customers can answer accordingly. Companies can use this data to evaluate customer experiences.
- Customer Service requests can also be carried out through email, which is one of the time-saving arenas for submitting a query on their own time, without having to be left on hold. Apart from reaching out to customers, companies can also send emails regarding promotions and discounts, as well as order confirmation and delivery.
- Self-Service. These refer to DIY methods to get the information they need about your company without having to wait on the phone or wait for an email reply. Companies are developing knowledge bases where they post content regarding their products and services which customers can navigate through without having to reach out to your customer service. Localcabledeals.com is also one of the knowledge bases that contain blogs on various internet service providers in the US; whether it’s about their services, plans, pricing, availability, reliability, etc.
- Social Media. Customer service on social media platforms is the up-and-coming channel of dealing with your customers. They can receive faster responses to their queries that way. The thing with social media is that customers can post reviews about their experiences with your customer service representative, and that is out there for the whole world to see. As a result, it can tamper with your reputation. Social Media is also a way for your company to keep up with the customers’ tweets and reviews about your products and services. You are also able to make the required changes and meet the required demands that way.
- Live Chat widgets are mostly seen on the company’s web pages for instant customer support. This is another way to send speedy responses to your customers, without having to make them wait on long telephone lines. The beauty of live chats is that they can be operated by both humans and robots. Live chats need full-time dedication to carry out the operation successfully which is why companies rely on chatbots to save time for sales and customer services staff.
Wrapping Up
The success of your business depends on the kind of customer experience you are offering. Customers are in control; their expectations about your business are high and it is relatively easy for them to switch to your competitors if their requirements aren’t met. Satisfied customers can help you grow your business and increase your sales. In order to make that happen, your customer service representatives must take on a more human approach to deal with them.
