A quick guide to winning at customer service

Quality customer service is the key to making your business a raging success. You could employ all the traditional advertising and content marketing strategies, but if your customer service is poor, it will turn out to be the downfall of your business. You could get a lot of customers to purchase your products, but if your customer service is anything less than stellar, your customers will end up being jut one-time visitors. Dissatisfied customers can spell doom for your business if they spread by word-of-mouth the bad experience they encountered with your customer service team. Similarly, good experiences can make your business a success by the same means. Here are a few ways you can win at customer service.

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Get personal with your customers

Most customers love it when they feel like they are speaking to a person who actually cares about their needs and not just a company executive who is just doing his job. While the latter is true, it doesn't hurt to try to get to know as many customers as you can on a personal level. Talk to them and see how best you can meet their needs. Get to know their names and personal details. This way you'll be able to build lasting relationships with your customers. When you develop a great rapport with your customers, they'll keep coming back to you for more.

Get rid of standard replies immediately

Imagine purchasing an expensive pair of shoes which tear immediately from the seams when you go for your first run. Wouldn't you be furious? Now, picture yourself calling the customer care team of that shoe brand and receiving a standard answer saying ‘We are sorry for the inconvenience caused. We'll get back to you at the soonest.’ When this kind of automated answer comes from an actual human on the other end of the phone, it can leave a bad taste in the mouth of any customer. It is therefore important to train your customer service team to be authentic and understanding with their responses.

Be mindful while recruiting your customer service team

Along with a positive attitude, employees working in customer care also need to be resourceful and well-trained. For that, constant training of your customer service staff is imperative. Only when your staff is properly coached, will they acquire job skills and people skills to carry out their duties effectively. Another important factor that will determine the success of your customer service team is how empowered they are with tools and protocols to make rational decisions without having to consult you at every stage. For example, if your employees can authorise funds or reverse fees without your permission, they will be able to serve your customers more efficiently.

The two main reasons why your company needs to be equipped with a fabulous customer care team are to retain customers and to enjoy repeat business. Keep the above mentioned points in mind the next time you feel like your team is faltering at customer service.