There is a lot of things to be considered in providing good customer service. The organization may sometimes exert a huge effort to train employees on how to meet customers’ expectations and treat them well. The definition of good customer service is entirely intangible, but a greater level of responsiveness is something that every customer desires.
The success of anything that is delivered fast can be seen in today’s businesses. Online marketplaces that can offer faster shipping have a good number of customer share in the market, Fast fashion companies that deliver trendy clothing on time get a good following, and services that promise to deliver in less time compared to their competitors are more likely to be chosen by consumers.
This is why improving responsiveness is an important factor in customer service. Below are some tips that can help the company and customer service staff to act more quickly and positively.
1. Implement KPIs
A customer service team that only acts based on what the company expects them to do may have a different interpretation of how customer service should be delivered. As a result, once the same customer comes back and reaches out to the customer service team, it will feel that a different approach is taken to address his concern.
To avoid this, implementing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) will help customer service staff to perform based on the company’s expectations and use these metrics to improve responsiveness.
2. Establishing a Procedure
In this case, the customer service team that does not have a systematic flow of how to respond to customers may result in a longer turnaround time for resolution. The best way to start creating a flow on how to handle customers properly is by formulating a customer journey. In doing this, it will define a set of standards on how customers will be approached in different scenarios.
3. Active Listening
Active listening is very important in customer service. Communication is essential in providing the best customer service as it allows customers to express what they are expected and for the customer service team to deliver those expectations.
Active listening involves attentive listening, confirming what has been said through paraphrasing, then providing the best course of action to take. Promote activities that develop active listening on meetings or discussions with the team. It can be in the form of games to make it more fun.
4. Choosing the Right People
Though it is widely believed that new hires have a learning curve, hiring the best fit for the job will perform better even on their first day at the job. In hiring customer service staff, make sure that they know how to work flawlessly even under pressure or have a personality that knows how to value customers.
Experienced job seekers always seem to be the first choice in some industries, but freshers that are willing to be trained can also be a good choice.
5. Using the CRM Software
Instead of repeatedly asking customers for information that is already available, verifying customers with security questions takes time and some can find it annoying. Using all information that is already present in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software can increase customer service responsiveness. It is also important to encourage customers to update and confirm before using this information.
6. Positive Language
The use of positive language improves customer responsiveness as it encourages interaction with the customer. Word choice plays an important role in delivering information or solutions to customers. One of the easiest ways to express positivity when giving a conditional solution to customers are replacing the use of the word ‘but’ to ‘however.’
Hearing the word ‘but’ can instantly connote negativity, where using ‘however’ sounds conditional yet focuses on the solution.
7. Enhancing Technological Abilities
Companies get the help of computers and other devices to provide better customer service. It is hard to imagine a company that does not use a computer yet handles a lot of customers every day. Therefore, customer service employees should have technical skills in operating the devices that the department is using.
If employees are clueless on how it works, it results in a longer waiting time for customers or delays in providing the resolution. Constant training or practice will help staff enhance technological abilities.
8. Constant Training
Speaking of training, customer service staff should always be provided with the necessary training. This is not limited to increasing product knowledge, but improving customer service skills too. Educating employees may look costly and result in a shortage in manpower, but knowledgeable employees perform better in the long run.
9. Improving Human Interaction
To provide a more uniform approach in customer service, companies may turn to ask the staff to read terms and conditions to customers verbatim. It sounds robotic and does not promote engaging conversations. Reduce the number of terms and conditions that has to be read to customer word for word or removing them completely.
Use forms or links that will also inform customers about it, but do not require reading from the staff.
10. Ask Customers What they Want
As stated previously, communication is an essential part of customer service. However, there are times that customer service staff may find talking to customers a challenge. It’s either they don’t know how to express what they really need or do not know how to put it into words. Encourage customers to tell what’s on their minds and help them figure out what they want. Remember to provide suggestions along the way.
Customer service responsiveness shows how the customer service team will respond to inquiries and how long it will take them to give that response. The longer it takes, the less likely the customer will be interested in doing business with the company. Improving customer service responsiveness will make customers feel important and valued. This is another key to having happy and loyal customers.
