35 Rules to Excellent Customer Service You Should Learn Right Now

Last Updated: March 6, 2019

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According to NewVoiceMedia, USA companies lose $75 billion annually because of poor customer service.

This brings us to the fact that it’s not only product and price that businesses must compete on, but customer experience as well. We rounded up 35 secrets on how to improve customer service skills in the workplace and implement an excellent customer support as a vital ingredient of your business.

You don’t earn loyalty in a day. You earn it day-by-day.” – Jeffrey Gitomer Click To Tweet

3 Golden Rules of Customer Service

1. Serve better by putting yourself in your customer’s place

Always understand your customers first by knowing who they are, what industry/line of work they are in, their pain points, their past relationship with you (for returning customers), and their goals.

2. Hire the right customer support team

Find the ideal customer service virtual assistant with industry experience and time management skills. Great customer service representatives are empathetic, knowledgeable, tech-savvy, and 100% focused on customer satisfaction.

3. Create and implement a standardized process

Have your best practices and systems organized for incoming customer queries, complaints, and issues. Make sure your CS team adheres to the policy.

“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow.” - Marissa Mayer Click To Tweet

Customer Service Tips Over the Phone

  1. Take control of initial interactions – First impressions carry a lot of weight. What can your business do to be more inviting? How can your customer support team communicate without being too pushy?
  2. Always watch your tone – When talking on the phone or replying to an email or online chat, pay attention to your tone and choice of words. Do your best to keep your cool and maintain a friendly tone for the entire confrontation.
  3. Demonstrate empathy – Whether the problem is big or small and even if you can’t fix the caller’s problem, just apologizing will make them feel good. People want assurance that your company cares about them.
  4. Be upfront about expectations – Be eager enough to inform clients and ensure they understand exactly what they sign up for, along with what result they are getting.
  5. Leaving a lasting impression – Resist the hurry to move on to the next deal especially when you have just completed a sale. End the call properly.
  6. Use personal touch – Always make your clients/customers feel that they are a priority. Personalize your interactions: Learn their name, use it repeatedly, and show that you’re listening, and mention something they said earlier.
What is necessary is to listen to your customers: understand their needs, expectations, and job to be done, and design an experience that meets those needs.” - Annette Franz Click To Tweet

Handling Customer Inquiries

  1. Answer promptly – Showing up early and quickly replying to a customer’s message. If the problem is easy to fix, then do it right away and avoid putting it off. You could miss out on making another sale right then and there.
  2. Build a community – Increase brand loyalty by hiring virtual assistant staff. The VA can help you easily build a community forum or write articles on tips or FAQs on how to use your products or services.
  3. Practice active listening – People want to be heard, so give them that attention and avoid appearing distracted. Paraphrasing what they have said shows that you are capable of assisting and understanding them.
  4. Fast and efficient service – Whether selling a product or helping a customer with an issue. Being swift and proactive shows customers that you are on top of it and that you value and respect their time.
  5. Be honest if you don’t know the answer – Not every issue such as a high-pressure situation can be solved right away, and it’s okay to admit that to your customers. Replace “I have no idea,” with “I don’t know, sorry. But let me take down your name and phone number and find out from an expert on my team.”
“How you solve the problem is more important than the problem itself – so always think positively.” - Norman Vincent Peale, Author - Power of Positive Thinking Click To Tweet

Empowering Your Customer Service Support Team

  1. Reward exceptional service – Give incentives to your employees who work towards goals. They should be properly motivated to do the best work they can.
  2. Allow your staff to exercise power – For customer service reps who can offer real solutions, new discounts or credits that aren’t significantly costly to your bottom line.
  3. Do. Win. Repeat. – If your business does something well, then capitalize on it! Remember, it’s better to have repeat customers/clients than try to bring in new ones.
  4. Share information and collaborate – Having important discussions and disseminating information throughout the organization.
“Leadership is the ability to guide other without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished.” -Lisa Cash Hanson, Snuggwugg Click To Tweet

Using Online Marketing and New Technology

  1. CS software/tools – Invest on a good working customer service program or tools to produce proactive support and address potential issues.
  2. Utilize new technology – Another key to good customer service is to always adapt to the change of more advanced technologies that produce happier customers and reduces support costs.
  3. Multiple ways to reach you – Your customer support strategy should span website, mobile, live chat, email, and social media pages so that people will be able to access you where, when, and how they prefer.
  4. Use email marketing for special events/occasions – Put the personal data of your customers to good use like a reference for a happy birthday email, happy holidays, membership anniversary dates, along with a discount or offer to make them feel valued.
“Be dramatically willing to focus on the customer at all costs.” - Scott D. Cook, Founder, Inuit Click To Tweet
  1. Leverage your social media presence – Assign a customer service VA to monitor people’s comments, mentions, questions, etc. Especially if millennials represent a large portion of your customer base, as social media is extremely popular among them.
  2. Reach out to old customers – For those who haven’t purchased from you or used your service in a while, a simple message such as “I hope you have enjoyed product X. If you’re interested in Y service, give us a call any time!” will do.
  3. Use easy-to-fill-out feedback forms – To improve processes or reinforce working methods. Get customer reviews and feedback by sending emails with a link to a survey.
“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” – Walt Disney Click To Tweet

Dealing with Negative Feedback

  1. A thick skin in a good way – Don’t take things personally as it’s impossible to please everyone all the time no matter how great your business is. Having thick skin allows you to remain calm and turn provoking situations around into something that benefits both parties.
  2. Address problems right away – To provide excellent customer service, your customer reps should be confident in tackling tough problems—doing follow-up calls or emails after a purchase or if problem arises.
  3. Avoid the urge to compete or argue – If the customer gets rude, hurtful, or too personal, then try to address him or her politely, but firmly. People will remember that your company doesn’t tolerate insulting behavior.
  4. Understand that every customer is different – Every buyer has his or her way to express concerns and handle issues. Take the time to acknowledge them one by one on their specific issues.
  5. Consider reputation management services – Continually be on the lookout for how your company is perceived, especially online where word spreads quickly. A good online presence is marketing that comes for free.
  6. Allow customers to vent – When they do this, you’ll learn more about the problem, and you give them a chance to exhaust their pent-up anger and energy, putting you in a better position to solve the problem.
“Getting in your last words may help you win the battle. However, even if you do win the battle, there is a good chance you will lose the war.” Kelley Robertson, Robertson Training Group Click To Tweet

Guiding the Customers Well

  1. Create self-service options – If your automated system is too complicated for your customers, then make it easier for them to reach a live person via phone or chat.
  2. Let customers explore and discover the product on their terms – Make it easy for them to experience your product or service and discover answers or solutions by themselves.
  3. Automate communications – Ensure that your communications are scaling with your customer base based on product usage patterns. This helps you communicate to the right users at the right time for the right purpose.
  4. Master authenticity – Know everything about your business, including its limitations. Instill your fundamental cultural values to everyone.
“This may seem simple, but you need to give customers what they want, not what you think they want. And, if you do this, people will keep coming back.” - John Ilhan Click To Tweet

If you would like to learn more ideas for improving customer service, talk to us and we can discuss your customer success strategy and overall business objectives. Our experienced customer service virtual assistants (VA) can help you with handling inbound/outbound phone calls, email, chat, and more.

Virtual Assistant Talent is a top-notch virtual assistant staffing agency helping professionals from different industries such as the real estate, insurance, small business, coaching/consulting, and executive leadership.

CALL US at 1-866-596-9041 and discover how our highly qualified and trained virtual assistants can help in your everyday tasks and objectives.

Reference:
www.nextiva.com
www.typeform.com
www.teamsupport.com



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