First class customer service
How to create great customer experience
So you’ve got the basics covered and now you want to make sure you excel at your customer service.
What makes a difference in customer service?
You may wonder what makes a difference between mediocre customer service experience and the one that your customers will be raving about?
The answer is: the difference in focus. Great customer service team focuses on the customer, not on the task. Apart from that, in great customer service experience there is an emotional connection.
Who should you hire for customer service roles?
Choose people who have high emotional intelligence and are genuinely interested in people. Those with high emotional intelligence will be able to sense the customer’s emotions and create connections with them. This will reflect in the sales conversions and customer retention.
Tips on creating first class customer service
Here is a list of things and actions to create a positive customer service experience. I hope this helps you guide your customer service team or provide basic training for them.
Things to remember about in creating great customer experience:
Focus on customers
To create great customer service, everyone on the team need to prioritise the customer experience before procedures or profit. This will pay off in the long run.
Initiate the interaction
A warm welcome is a great start to creating a good relationship with the customer and makes the customer feel noticed. If your employees don’t notice customers walking into your shop and keep ignoring them, you will lose a lot of business.
Minimise wait
Quick service means happy customers. Whether you serve customers in a store, via phone or online, don’t let them wait.
Listen
Your team need to be able to listen without interrupting. This makes customers feel valued and is the best way to understand their requirements.
Take a genuine interest
To create a meaningful connection, be curious and get interested in the person. Without being intrusive, ask questions to find something interesting about them. It not only shows genuine interest in the customer, but makes the work more interesting.
Express emotions
Showing positive emotions or mirroring customer’s emotions is a great way to build a more personal relationship. You might express excitement, compassion, worry or even anger, if a customer has been treated badly elsewhere.
Micro behaviours
Pay attention to what you express with your body language: eye contact, posture, position towards the customer, tone of voice etc. Be also aware of the right choice of words to create a positive impression.
Make the customer feel special
Look for opportunities to create emotional connection, to make the person feel important, make a positive comment or crack a joke.
Avoid routine
Especially the more experienced customer service staff are at a risk of sounding monotonous or bored in their routine customer interactions. The way to avoid sounding monotonous is changing and rephrasing sentences used often in the interactions with customers.
Effective communication
Providing accurate and sufficient information builds trust and helps customers make the decision. Also, to ensure the best communication practise, make sure that the customer knows what is going at every stage of their customer journey.
Give customers time
It relates to two things: first, giving the customer your time and full attention and second, giving them time to think through their options and take a decision without rushing.
Empathy and Efficiency in Customer Service
Empathy and Efficiency in Customer Service Two tips on delivering...
Read More
The Psychology of CRM
The Psychology of CRM The emotional aspects of managing customer...
Read More
Motivating People in Customer Service
Motivating People in Customer Service How do you motivate employees...
Read More