The common denominator between positive customer behavior and efficient customer engagement is, you got it, customer service! Providing white glove customer service will make a Remarkable Difference for your customer, and will compel them to remain loyal to your business. Any type of business, whether it is traditional brick-and-mortar or an online business, needs to provide excellent customer service to ensure customer needs are met. According to the RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report, 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. Discussed below are eight powerful tools in which a company can make a Remarkable Difference by providing superior customer service.
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Respond Quickly
Customers want to feel important when visiting your store/website. One of best ways to do this is to listen and respond to your customer. If a customer walks into your store and asks a question and it takes a sales associate 10 minutes to answer, that customer is going to have a poor customer experience. If a customer visits your website and begins a live chat session to ask a question and gets no response, that customer is going to have a poor customer experience. Timeliness is truly key to ensuring that customer service is on par with where it should be. Failure to respond in a timely fashion pushes customers to other competitors faster than almost anything else.
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Leverage Customer Intelligence
To improve customer service, companies should leverage crucial business insights and vital information pertaining to customers’ likes, dislikes, and purchasing behaviors. These vital insights can be used to determine exactly which customers they are serving, what their needs are, and what their expectations are. If a company takes into account these particular insights, they are sure to increase customer perceptions on the customer service they are receiving.
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Empower the Agents
Companies that empower their agents to make independent decisions, think differently, offer flexibility, and add their own touch to the customer service piece, consistently show an increase in customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. By doing so, it allows agents to act independently and bring a variety of styles to the customer service process, which will ultimately improve customer satisfaction. Customers like the feeling of interacting with a real person and not some scripted robot who says the same thing to every customer regardless of the situation.
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Step Into the Customer’s Shoes
We all know the feeling of being the customer at some point or another. Make sure that whether it is a phone agent, chat agent, or anyone from your company interacting with your customers, they can empathize with the customer and the situation they are facing. Sharing this mutual feeling and understanding will make your customers more relaxed and lead to them having a positive overall customer experience.
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Provide Easily Comprehensible Information
Customers will contact businesses to obtain solutions for their questions and problems. Typically, customers can become irritable and unsatisfied when they are provided with unclear or incorrect information on items such as improper details, pricing, and policies. We have to remember when interacting with our customers that most of them will not know and understand our businesses as well as we do. The last thing a customer wants to here is some confusing business lingo that they have never heard before. So keep it simple and clear and the customer will feel much more relaxed. If agents provide easy, precise, and actionable information, it will create a positive and lasting impression in the minds of customers.
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Going that Extra Mile
I think I speak for all of us when I say that I love getting something “extra.” Aside from what is expected, customers will truly be impressed if a representative goes above and beyond to provide them with something additional. Whether it be phenomenal customer service, or offering free shipping on an order that normally does not qualify for free shipping, customers love feeling like they received something extra. By showing your loyalty and care for your customers, they will turn around and share it right back with your business. Going the extra mile is one of the fastest ways to create an invaluable Customer Service reputation. Customers just want to be satisfied with the companies they choose, and those who receive A+ service remember the additional efforts representatives provided, and can ultimately lead to a more fulfilling agent work experience.
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Have Detailed Knowledge
Agents must have the necessary training and detailed product knowledge on the businesses they represent. Agents must also be aware of the latest developments within the business so they are able to roll out the information quickly and accurately according to the wants and needs of their customers. Business holders must always make sure their agents are aware of any updates, new product arrivals, offers, and discounts so they can present it to customers when needed. This is important because a lot of the times, this agent to customer interaction is the first impression of your company to the customer and you want to ensure it is perfect.
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Learning from Mistakes
It is inevitable that mistakes will occur during day-to-day operations, so it is important agents learn from their mistakes to avoid repeat incidents. All mistakes should be viewed as learning opportunities where feedback can be given in positive ways to correct behaviors and not the mistake itself.
High levels of customer satisfaction stem from those who experience a Remarkable customer service interaction. This in turn makes them loyal towards the companies that represent them. When a satisfied customer is pleased with a business, they become brand advocates and are likely to recommend the services of the businesses to other potential customers. Companies that strive to provide a Remarkable experience are consistently top choice among the everyday consumer.
