WorldExecutivesDigest | What Does It Mean To Maintain Good Customer Service? | Every business will need to ensure that they provide excellent customer service if they want to succeed. Without it, you’ll quickly gain a bad reputation and customers will avoid you like the plague, choosing your competitors over you. However, once you’ve mastered your service, how do you ensure that you keep it up? Keep reading, and discover exactly what it means to maintain good customer service.
Provide Different Contact Options
One of the most important ways you can maintain your customer service is to ensure that you’re providing your customers with different ways of contacting you. Utilising a conversational commerce platform can make a massive difference and cuts down on the customer’s and your employee’s time. Instead of only offering a telephone number that’s available between office hours, think about incorporating automated chats or extended hours so that your customers can contact you no matter what. This doesn’t mean you have to be open 24/7, but you just need to be aware that not everyone will be able to call between 9AM and 5PM. Giving your customers the ability to contact you in their preferred method will allow you to maintain good customer service easily and it doesn’t take a lot of effort on your part.
Tailor Your Service
Each customer is different, so you don’t want to provide the same type of service to everyone. Although you need to offer excellent customer service to all, you need to be adaptable when approaching different people and situations. Some customers will prefer a more formal approach and expect you to call them Mr or Mrs. On the other hand, some people will be fine with a casual conversation, so you need to be aware of each person and how they will expect you to act. You want to set a standard that all employees follow, but you also need to consider each customer and think of them as an individual. Tailoring the service you provide will ensure that you maintain a high level of service as you’ll be meeting the needs of each and every customer consistently.
Look To Solve Problems
Good customer service is fairly easy to do in the moment, but maintaining it requires you to be proactive. If you speak to numerous customers who are reporting an issue, instead of simply apologising and offering some form of compensation, look to solve the problem to prevent it from happening again. Reducing the number of problems that your customers will face is crucial when maintaining good service, so you need to be actively listening to their concerns. Tackling each problem as it comes up rather than leaving it for someone else to deal with, will definitely enhance the level of service that you provide, and you’ll find it easier to maintain.
Find An SLA That Works
You want to provide a fast service for your customers, but you don’t want to commit to an SLA that you can’t actually meet. If you find during quieter times that you can respond within 2 hours, don’t make that your set SLA for every day. Otherwise, you’ll only end up going over it and causing people to question why you haven’t met it. If you really want to maintain good service at all times, find an SLA that works for you and will actually enable you to hit it even in the most difficult times. Responding quickly is good service, but it’s not going to be any use if it’s later than your SLA. So, don’t agree to a very quick response time if you can’t meet it. Your customers will be much more appreciative if you provide them with an accurate time, rather than one you think looks good.
Uphold Promises
Similar to meeting your SLA, you need to uphold any promises that you make to your customers. This means if you speak to someone and promise to look into something further even though you’ve resolved the initial problem, make sure you actually do it. Maintaining good service is all about continuity, so if you don’t follow through with something, that good service you provided previously isn’t worth anything. Don’t overlook the little things that you’ve agreed to do, as they will make all the difference to the customer.
Maintaining good customer service can be a lot harder than simply providing it in the moment. However, it is achievable, and it can really enhance your business growth and operations. Utilising these top tips could have a positive impact on how you uphold your good service levels and encourage your customers to return again. With a little effort and consideration for your customers’ needs, you’ll soon find maintaining excellent customer service easier than ever before.
