From being on hold to question-dodging, there are plenty of customer pet-peeves that your business needs to avoid. A survey found that 86 per cent of people will pay more for better service, which in the long run will be beneficial towards your business because you will get loyal customers.
The coronavirus pandemic has created adversity for many organisations, meaning that customer service is more important to your business’ survival. As the crisis continues into 2021, we explore the importance of customer service. We’ll tell you some of the most common customer service mistakes and how your business can avoid them.
1. Poor training
Giving your customer service team the right amount of training is not just beneficial for them but for your customers. You don’t want your staff struggling to think of an answer or fumbling through manuals to try and find out. Do proper customer service training with your staff, prepare them for any situations that may happen, and if they don’t know the answer, explain to them what they should do in that instance so they aren’t lost in front of your customer. Furthermore, this will make your staff feel more valued and comfortable in their working environment because you are putting time into them to make them the best they can be.
2. Availability
Not many companies have their customer service teams available 24/7, and you aren’t expected to. Usually, customer services are open during normal nine-to-five office hours. But have options available for customers at all times, especially on your website. This can either be in the form of an automated chatbot that can pop up on your website asking for their question or by having a list of FAQs. Having your contact details in an easy to find place on your website will also be helpful for your customers if they do still need to contact a member of your team.
3. Making promises you can’t keep
Customers value honesty. If you promise the world from your product but it doesn’t do half of the things you have said it does, that is not good customer service and customers will mistrust your brand. If you have promised a customer a product or delivery by a certain date and there will be a delay, tell the customer. They will be angrier if they have waited for something without being informed.
4. Being passed around
Your customer services staff should have the knowledge to be able to answer a query confidently. If they do need to pass a customer to another department, make sure they are passed to the right department first time. Most customers are in a rush just to get their problem answered and won’t appreciate having to speak to five different departments before getting the right answer.
5. Please hold…
We have all heard that automated voice telling us to hold over a thousand times. She gets annoying. But being on hold is not just exclusive to being on the phone. Social media is a form of communication this is increasingly being used for customer services. But a survey has found that 32 per cent of customers expect a response within 30 minutes and 42 per cent within 60 minutes. This proves how valuable it may be to employ or move staff to the social media side of your customer services to be able to answer queries quickly while also balancing having enough staff to man the phones.
Overall, your customer service can always be improved, and we hope these tips help you. Whether that just making sure your staff’s name badge is in a visible place for a customer to see or just having enough staff to answer questions, each change will be beneficial for your business and your customers.
Sources
https://www.paldesk.com/customer-service-mistakes/
https://blog.happyfox.com/8-common-customer-service-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/
