9 Customer Service Tips That Will Help Step Up Your Game

1.    Make your customers a priority.

‍Customers are willing to walk away if they can’t get the help they are seeking in a prompt, professional and personal way. This said it is the simplest of things that create a more personalized interaction. For instance, take a moment when interacting with a client to scan their history with your business and acknowledge them for it, i.e., “and by the way, thank you for being a loyal customer since 2005, we appreciate you.” Personal touches equal significant impact.

2.    Respond to your customers.

‍Failing to respond to customers is an epidemic and not doing so is a recipe for disaster. Even the most enthusiastic customer of your brand will quickly become disenchanted when they feel tossed aside and unimportant. Let customers know that you are there for them and back it up by being present and available. Make it easy to contact your business, in the ways they’ve become accustomed to in their day-to-day lives; web chat, social media, email, SMS text, and phone. Also, make it a priority to react responsibly to online reviews, both positive and negative. Although we want only to hear the “good,” negative feedback can provide insight to fix an issue you may not even be aware of.

3.   Take Action to Ensure Successful Staff Management.

‍To have an effective staff, you must consistently hire the best possible people, individuals who will seamlessly fit within your culture. Then it’s up to you to properly train them. Make sure to hire people to cover all customer service options you offer so you’re not overworking your best employees, and lastly place the right people in the in the right positions. Seems simple enough right? If managed correctly, yes.

4.    Your Customer Support Staff needs to have a Service Mentality.

Let’s face it, not everyone is meant to be in customer service. For some, it’s a gateway to a better opportunity to expand on their talents, for others it may not be a good fit. When you hire people, you do so to make your job easier and the customer a happy camper. If you feel that an individual is talented but is not living up to expectations, figure out what’s holding them back and fix it. Remember, your team is a reflection of your company, your culture, your brand.

5.   Technology is your Friend.

‍The use of Chatbots is becoming essential for companies of all sizes and industries acting as a bridge between you and your customers. Implementation of this technology lets you utilize your staff better and cut operational costs. More than just a support vehicle, by designing a company-specific and personalized web flow, chatbots are able to perform endless tasks, providing answers to general questions and repetitive queries, collect lead generation data, track behavior, and offer suggestions based upon purchase history just for starters.

6.   Be the leader that everyone wants to work for.

‍It’s not easy being a manager, a leader, and you should ask yourself, “why would anyone follow me?” No one will follow if you’re not leading for the right reasons. Do you exude attractive qualities? Can your team count on you to share your experiences, guiding them to success? Talented employees want leaders who can open the door to possibilities and promote growth.

7.   Encourage Personal Growth and Leadership

‍Create a culture where peers inspire peers, where each employee is encouraged to be a leader. By breeding positivity and responsibility throughout the workplace, your team will push the culture forward and become a tremendous asset to your company’s brand, its core values and to your customers.

8.   Think you know it all?

‍There is always room for improvement. Even if you think you know it all, you don’t and never will. What separates great leaders from good ones? The great ones are always learning and evolving. Listen to your customer. With each engagement, experience and growth will follow.

9.    Bring out the Best in Your Team.

‍So at this point, you’ve built a customer support team that will knock it out of the ballpark. They’re bright, professional, passionate and ready to provide the best customer service on the planet. Make sure you’ve set them up for success by giving them the authority to handle a variety of issues that may arisewithout involving management unnecessarily, hence removing potential frustration for both you and your customer.