You may think that your organization is providing the best service to your customers, but according to a recent study from Forbes, there’s always room for improvement in the customer service you deliver.
3C Contact Services tells their partners that customer service is valuable for delivering a number of initiatives, including differentiating products and services, positioning the company to be competitive, acquiring new customers, improving existing products and services, and even increasing agents’ job satisfaction.
According to the study, only 38% of the executives surveyed planned to take steps to improve their business’ customer service skills, even though 88% of the professionals surveyed said that they’re making progress on delivering improved service. The authors of the survey found the main issue is that these businesses may not be focusing on the right areas.
The secret is to focus on improving customer service in every area instead of just a few. Look at all the steps your agents take in dealing with customers and the steps you can take to improve everything about them.
Out with the Old, In with the New
Many organizations still use traditional metrics, such as first-call resolution, typically for cost-related reasons. There should be more of a focus on customer satisfaction and retention; while your agents should strive to resolve calls in an efficient manner, they should also make sure that the customers are satisfied as well. That’s because a happy customer is one who is far more likely to stay with your organization.
Empower Your Customers
One of the fastest ways to ensure that your customers are satisfied is to provide them with knowledge about your products and services; this can be something as simple as an FAQ section on your web site or engaging your customers on social media. Make sure that the information you provide is easy to understand.
Empowering the customer can include both pre- and post-sale services and can be an invaluable resource for your agents as well, as they will be better equipped to handle any customer queries.
It’s an Evolving Process
Something 3C tells its partners is that customer service skills are something that your organization will have to constantly update. The way in which our partners do business is constantly changing, so your organization will have to do the same in order to remain competitive.
Another challenge you may face is getting everyone in your organization on board with improvements. Having to constantly change aspects of your customer service process can be frustrating for your agents, but the secret is to let them know that this is part of the business and it’s a way to keep customers happy.
Source :
Alcala, L., “Modern Customer Service: Are You There Yet?” CMSWire web site, February 24, 2015; http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/modern-customer-service-are-you-there-yet-028200.php.
