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On our site several times, we have stressed the importance of a customer service that is proactive and ready to respond effectively to customer needs. In this article, we look at things from another point of view and focus specifically on the mistakes to avoid in customer service.
What does customer service do? It connects the company and the customer and provides customers with the best solutions to solve a particular problem and ensures relevant answers to their questions. In recent years, the relationship between company and customer has changed profoundly.
The customer, while oftentimes using an online service, wants to relive an experience similar to that of a physical store, without giving up the advantages offered by digital. Customers, of course, also want immediate answers and, above all, want problems solved as quickly as possible.
For this reason, We Are Fiber has developed effective customer success strategies, which help build a more human and empathic relationship with the customer and increase sales volumes.
The most common customer service errors
Missteps in customer care happen all too often, where the following are the most common errors when it comes to customer service:
- deem the service only as an additional cost;
- set up a service that is too complicated;
- waste the customer's time;
- have an impersonal approach;
- abandon the customer.
What not to do for an effective customer service: consider the service as an unnecessary expense
The meaning of customer service and its weight within company marketing strategies is now clear in the market. Yet, there are some who regard it as a necessary evil, or even as an unnecessary expense. Nothing could be more wrong.
According to research conducted by IFM Group, a team of companies specializing in telecommunications support technologies, a positive customer experience leads 92% of people to spend more, while a negative customer experience leads to reduced spending in 96% of people, or even no spending at all. We found more or less similar results in our own analyzes. Our partners, following an increase in customer satisfaction certified by specific surveys, have indeed seen sales grow exponentially.
By carefully listening to customers' needs, it is possible to personalize products and services according to the various market trends and implement successful sales techniques, such as up-selling and cross-selling.
A service that is too complicated drives customers away
To understand exactly what customer service is all about, it is advisable to put yourself in the customer's shoes and understand what it is that they want. This is not complicated, as each of us is basically a customer. Certainly, modern users want to access services quickly and easily. For example, contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers, must be immediately visible on a website or social page.
All customer data, collected through the various communication channels, must be instantly available to the same operator, who can thus comprehend the needs and habits of a consumer. The service should be agile and lean, but not, of course, too lean, at the risk of the user having difficulty accessing the necessary information.
For the customer, time is money: don't waste it
A consequence of an overly complicated service is wasting customer time, which is certainly precious for the modern user. Your customer service staff must therefore possess specific skills for your particular industry. The information must be given in a detailed and professional manner, but without getting too technical. In this way, the client perfectly understands the nature of the problem, without feeling inadequate or embarrassed in the presence of overly complex terms.
It would be ideal to solve the problem in the first interaction. If this is not possible because the problem is more complex, the ticket must immediately be forwarded to a competent staff member able to manage the situation with professionalism and punctuality.
Don't be impersonal and empathize with the customer
As already mentioned, the customer wants to live an online experience similar to the offline one, especially when it comes to human contact. People don't want to be treated like numbers; on the contrary, they appreciate when the interlocutor empathizes with them and really cares about their problems.
Solving the problem is certainly the main objective, but it must be pursued by listening carefully to the customer, being readily available and prepared to dedicate all the time a customer needs to solve a particular problem.
Don't abandon the customer
Some companies believe that solving a problem is enough to build customer loyalty, but that's simply not the case. The user should not be abandoned throughout the customer service process. This means that the customer must always be kept up to date on the evolution of the issue, so as not to feel neglected.
There is special software that can track the status of a ticket and automatically send updates to the customer, who is thus always kept in the loop regarding his or her file.
At We Are Fiber, we combine the human element with extremely technological software to provide effective and proactive customer service.
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