Three qualities to deliver superior customer service:
- Clear communication skills: If a customer representative cannot clearly communicate to the customer it can create more issues. Unclear language, mixed messages, poor attitude will create bad customer reviews and experiences which turns into lost business. Make sure training in clear communication is a commitment by your company. It will make your team feel stronger with their customer exchange.
- Empathy: Technology can be extremely frustrating when it’s not working. It’s especially frustrating to customers when they call or chat in and your support team adds to the frustration by not caring. Having empathy is key to helping your customer satisfaction. Understanding the customer’s viewpoint and relating to them by saying, “I understand your frustration. How can I help?” Which places the customer at ease rather than in a defensive position.
- Active listening: The first reaction to a problem is to offer a solution. Your first response is to talk back with a knee jerk reaction. How can you really solve the problem without knowing the true issue? Let the customer tell you the issue without interrupting. Then take a moment to think about the right answer. Don’t be afraid to ask the customer, “ If I understand you correctly this is the problem.” The customer might not like repeating themselves. They’ll appreciate the customer service representative who takes time out to listen and clearly understand the customer.
These are only a few ways to give your customer a superior experience. It’s up to everyone at your company from top leaders to the customer support rep that every customer engagement is a superior one. To do this means consistent training, hiring the right people, having a follow-up strategy to monitor the customer experience to continue to make it a superior experience.
