Research made by Newvoicemedia revealed that U.S. companies lose $75 billion a year because of poor customer service. That is why investing in good customer service is essential to a business’s success.
No matter how good your product or how popular your brand is, you will most likely lose customers if your customer service is poor. Good customer service can change a person’s perspective and impression to a business. It can establish trust and loyalty, which can help increase sales and customer retention.
But how can you provide good customer service, and how can you ensure that the customers are having a great experience with your service? We have here several tips to surpass your customers’ level of satisfaction.
What is good customer service?
The key to good customer service is building and maintaining a good relationship with your customers. It includes establishing open, consistent lines of communication to make them feel comfortable in addressing ideas or concerns, creating and maintaining positive experiences, and exceeding their expectations. In this article, we’ll tell you some of the important qualities and tips to deliver customer service.
Top qualities of good customer service
If you want to deliver good customer service, you must first know the qualities of good customer service and develop them.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient (EQ), helps you build stronger relationships with people. EQ helps overcome challenges by helping you manage stress and your emotions. An emotionally intelligent person engages in various behaviors and traits that contribute to their capabilities to keep control of their emotions.
Recognizing emotions or feelings is important for you to face everyday stress. Emotional intelligence can be useful in customer service by minimizing stressful reactions at crucial moments.
Patience
Being patient is important in customer service. It helps you understand a customer’s concerns and how you can improve the services. Patience is important when dealing with an angry or irritated customer. When you are patient in dealing with your customers, you are going to somehow alleviate their current frustrations.
Communication
Effective communication is one of the most important parts in providing excellent service. The ability to gauge the customer’s expectations and communicate to them clearly allows you to respond to them appropriately. Improving customer engagement and support can be achieved through effective communication by accurately gauging the customer’s expectations and providing clear and appropriate responses.
Empathic Listening
Understanding what another person is talking about, his or her feelings and perspective is all part of empathic listening. When you understand a person’s insights and feelings, you develop compassion and identification, which helps improve mutual understanding and trust. This results in building lasting relationships, trust, and more positive interactions with people.
Problem-solving
Solving a customer’s issue is one of the top priorities of customer service. Businesses can lose up to $75 billion dollars because of poor customer service. Poor customer service drives customers into the arms of a business’s competitors. With problem-solving skills, you can identify issues and come up with solutions to your customer’s issues.
How to Deliver Good Customer Service
There are many different ways to provide a great service and make sure that you make your customers feel valued and understood. Here are the best methods that you can follow.
1. Expand your knowledge about your product or service
Having a deep understanding and knowledge about your product and or service is an essential customer service skill. You should be able to discuss the useful features of a product or demonstrate how it can benefit your customers.
If you believe in your product or services and know it well, you can help your customers troubleshoot if anything is not working right or if they run into problems. When you know your product or service well and amaze them with your knowledge about it, you will make them feel that they made the right choice and that they have gotten true value for their money.
2. Responding quickly and effectively
You can show that you value your customers by responding quickly to them, especially when they have a concern. Make sure that you are always available either by phone, email, or chat. Customers expect whatever they need fast, and they are willing to pay more for it. Therefore, providing your customers speed or service that will save them time is a competitive edge that will make you stand out from your competitors.
3. Be friendly and approachable
Be friendly, courteous, and respectful to your customers. Having a genuine customer-friendly attitude will keep your customers coming back. When you are friendly to your customers, you will make them feel important and that you sincerely care for them.
It is important that you maintain a positive attitude and a friendly demeanor to your customers. Even if you are facing a stressful situation and your customers appear disappointed or irritated, you must remain friendly and kind. Making your customers feel welcomed and comfortable is important so that you make them feel that you care about their needs.
4. Personalization
Make your customers feel extra special by personalizing your interactions with them and adding a human touch. Customers want to interact with a person and not just with a business. Adding a human touch to your services is vital in retaining customers and increasing sales. Customers appreciate personalized service because it shows that you care for and value them. You can use the following tactics to truly personalize your customer service.
- Always use their names.
- Know specific details about your customers.
- Ask and listen to feedback.
- Recognize and show appreciation.
- Reward their loyalty.
- Be human.
5. Put your customer first
Putting your customers first above anything else, prioritizing them above your company will make them come back for more. But it does not mean that the customer is always right. Unconditionally fulfilling the customer’s whims can harm your business. Some customers have unrealistic expectations and can be dishonest. This can lead to unwanted results, such as inevitable losses, and harm to your other clients and employees. Putting your customers first means everything that you do is for the good of your customers.
Create an outstanding customer service experience and handle difficult customers like a pro with Outstanding Customer Service – Your Ultimate Guide.
Recommended courses for you
Ready to move up in your career? Click here to get started.
Your privacy is secured and your information will not be shared
