Customer service can make or break your business. Customers typically won’t hesitate to choose a competitor if they get a poor customer service experience. But, when you give your customers a great experience, they are likely to continue being loyal to your business. They may even spread the good word and recommend your business to their family and friends.
In addition, customer service offers an opportunity to make more sales and nurture positive relationships with customers. Customer needs typically do not go away after a single purchase. They may have additional needs that your business can cover. And customer service is a great touch point to upsell or cross-sell other items or services you offer.
In general, when you do your customer service right, it will no longer be a cost center. That’s why it’s important to prioritize providing the best customer service these days.
How can your team deliver quality customer service that improves the customer-company relationship and boost business growth? You can start by abiding by a set of core values.
This article will discuss eight core customer service principles that can help boost customer satisfaction and why they are important.
Why are customer service principles important?
The ultimate goal of customer service is to impress customers so they get a great impression of your business, stay loyal to the brand, and perhaps help bring in more customers. Customer service principles guide customer service representatives, managers, and other departments in the organization in achieving these goals.
Here are other reasons to adhere to the principles of good customer service:
1. Enhancing Customer Service Representatives’ Performance
Customer service representatives typically don’t start on the job knowing how to delight customers and ensure their satisfaction right off the bat. They still need guidance, and letting them follow certain customer service principles is a great place to start.
2. Increasing Brand Trust
Good customer service is one of the top drivers of brand trust among global consumers. Customers whose needs and expectations are met or who get what the brand promises are likely to remain loyal to the brand. And these days, customers expect to feel heard, appreciated, and valued, see quick action being taken about their issue or request, and be able to communicate on a channel that is convenient for them. Customers also expect every business transaction to be seamless.
With customer service principles in place, you can ensure each customer gets a quality experience. You can show your customers that your company is committed to doing what is right for the customers and delivering on its promises.
3. Improving Customer Satisfaction
Customer service can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction. When a customer reaches out to the customer service team, they typically seek assistance with a service or product they have bought or have questions or concerns.
That is why customer service representatives need to be competent in their field. They should have in-depth knowledge of the company’s products, services, and relevant policies that affect the customer experience. This way, they can give customers the best service possible.
4. Building Customer Loyalty
When customers feel heard, understood, and supported, they are more likely to develop an emotional connection with the brand. This emotional bond creates loyalty, making customers less susceptible to competitors’ offerings.
Loyal customers not only continue to choose a company’s products or services but also become brand advocates, spreading positive word-of-mouth and influencing others to choose the same brand. This loyalty acts as a valuable asset, helping businesses maintain a stable customer base and sustain profitability.
8 Key Customer Service Principles to Boost Growth
Excellent customer service is achievable when you stick to the core principles of good customer service. Here are eight customer service principles and practices you should consider following:
1. Personalization
No two customers are alike. Each customer differs in terms of behaviors, attributes, and preferences. That’s why a one-size-fits-all kind of customer service won’t work, especially when most consumers these days expect their experiences to be personalized when interacting with a business.
Hence, personalization is one of the top principles to follow in customer service. Personalization will allow you to show your customers that you are willing to go above and beyond to meet their individual, unique needs. By personalizing the customer journey, you can also build deeper relationships with customers.
Personalizing each customer relationship does not have to be overwhelming. You can provide personalized customer service by documenting customer interactions and data, then leveraging the information you gather to cater to your customers. Make sure your customer service reps have access to this data so they can add context to customer interactions.
You can also profile customer types if you have a large customer base. You can categorize them into different types and tailor your approach accordingly.
2. Competence
Competence plays a crucial role in customer service as it directly impacts the quality of the customer experience. Customers expect knowledgeable and capable professionals who can efficiently address their concerns when they reach out for support or assistance.
Aside from customer service skills, customer service reps should value being knowledgeable and well-versed in their company’s business policies, resources, and products. You should be able to provide accurate information, minimize response time to questions, and offer appropriate solutions tailored to each customer’s needs. This know how helps build a positive reputation for the company, fostering loyalty and repeat business.
Learning everything about your product and services takes time. In the meantime, consider keeping key resources like product information web pages handy when interacting with customers.
3. Convenience
In today’s interconnected world, customers interact with businesses through various channels like phone calls, emails, social media, and live chat. So consider offering support through communication channels your customers rely on the most.
In addition, make it easy for them to find out how to contact you. Aside from inconsiderate and slow service, nothing is more frustrating to a customer than needing help and not knowing how to get it. Put your customer support options in several highly visible places, like your website’s homepage
4. Proactivity
We are all accustomed to reactive customer service. Customers often always initiate contact to get help addressing an issue, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you want your customer service to be the key differentiator, consider developing a proactive customer service strategy.
There are many ways to deliver proactive service. For example, if your website is going to experience downtime or one of the products is back-ordered, take the initiative to contact your customers and let them know about the situation. The situation may not be pleasant, but they will be grateful that you kept them in the loop.
You can also reach out to your customers after they make a purchase and offer them whatever you think they need to have the best possible experience. It may include sending out surveys, creating a knowledge base for FAQs, and offering a loyalty program.
5. Listening
While every business process these days seems to be about using advanced technology like automation and AI, it remains important to master the basics of good customer service. For instance, it always pays to simply listen to the customer.
Listening is paramount in customer service as it forms the foundation for effective communication and understanding. When customer service representatives actively listen, they demonstrate respect and empathy toward the customer’s problem, fostering a positive and personalized experience. Service providers can offer relevant solutions and tailored assistance by listening to their concerns, needs, and feedback.
Listening enables customer service representatives to gain valuable insights into customers’ expectations and preferences. This knowledge allows them to proactively anticipate and address potential issues, resulting in improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. Active listening also helps to build trust and rapport with customers, making them feel valued and understood.
6. Taking Feedback
Customer service teams should hold themselves accountable when it comes to providing quality customer support. A good way to determine whether or not you’re meeting your customer’s expectations and needs is by asking for feedback.
You can get feedback by asking your customers how you’re doing during your interaction or by paying attention to their experiences. For example, if the customer says they cannot find a specific function in the software, consider improving the UX.
You can also collect customer feedback through customer satisfaction surveys and measure metrics like Net Promoter Score. These surveys are designed to gauge how your customers feel about interacting with your business and why they feel this way.
7. Honesty
We’ve already touched on the importance of knowing everything about your product and company policies. But customer service representatives are only human. It is inevitable that someone on your team will make a mistake or not know the answer to customer questions occasionally. Just be honest and find ways to help your customers find the answers or get the assistance they need.
You can try creating a tiered-based system where customer service reps can escalate issues based on the degree of complexity or difficulty. Ensure everyone in the team knows where to go for assistance if they cannot handle the customer’s needs.
8. Empathy
While it comes last on the list, empathy is a crucial component of effective customer service. Customers are likely to feel a stronger emotional connection with a company that shows that they understand what their customers are going through. Empathy helps brands build better relationships with customers, which results in brand loyalty.
Unfortunately, the nature of customer service can make it challenging for customer service reps to understand and relate to a customer’s feelings, needs, and concerns. There are daily metrics or quotas to meet, upset customers on the phone, and many other factors that can create a negative mindset.
While empathy is inherited, it does not mean it cannot be learned. Your team can practice empathy in customer service by keeping an open mind and asking the right questions. In addition, don’t let your negative emotions get in the way. Coaching and role-playing may also become helpful in training employees to be more empathetic.
How to Improve Your Customer Service
In addition to following the key principles of good customer service, here are a few other ways you can deliver great customer service:
Consider CRM Software
A CRM system allows businesses to effectively manage customer issues, streamline processes, and gain valuable insights into customer behavior.
With Podium’s Contacts tool and ability to integrate with CRMs, your small business can centralize customer data, track interactions, and automate tasks. By comprehensively viewing each customer’s history from first contact to the last conversation, their preferences, and their previous feedback, you can personalize your service, anticipate needs, and deliver a more tailored experience.
Implement Omnichannel Communication Strategies
Customers expect quick and seamless communication across various channels in today’s fast-paced world.
Hence, implementing a customer-centric omnichannel communication strategy ensures that customers can reach out to your business through their preferred channel, be it phone calls, emails, live chat and chatbots, or social media. This approach also helps build trust, increases customer satisfaction, and strengthens your brand reputation.
Podium’s solutions make customer communication faster and easier and allow you to manage multiple channels from a single inbox. You can respond promptly to customer inquiries, provide real-time support, and maintain consistency in your messaging across multiple communication channels.
Improve Customer Perception
Customer perception plays a vital role in shaping their overall experience with your business. Enhancing customer perception requires attention to detail and a commitment to delivering exceptional service at every touchpoint.
Start by understanding your customers’ expectations and identifying areas for improvement. Podium’s review management tools can help you gather reviews and monitor customer feedback, allowing you to address any issues promptly. You can also use a Google Review link generator to send customers links that they can click to give you a Google review.
But your efforts should not stop at gathering reviews. Responding to all the feedback you get is also important in having happy customers. It demonstrates your dedication to customer satisfaction and helps build credibility.
By actively engaging with customers, resolving concerns, and going the extra mile, you can foster a positive perception of your brand and establish long-lasting relationships.
