On our site we have several times emphasised the importance of a proactive customer service ready to respond effectively to customers’ needs. In this article we look at things from another point of view and focus specifically on the mistakes to avoid in customer service.
What does customer service do? It puts the company and the customer in contact and provides the latter with the best solutions to solve the problem and relevant answers to their questions. In recent years the relationship between company and customer has profoundly changed.
The customer, even while using an online service, wants to relive an experience similar to that of the physical shop, without of course giving up the advantages offered by digital. In addition they want quick, immediate answers and above all ones able to solve their problem in a short time.
It is precisely for this reason that We Are Fiber has developed effective customer success strategies, which help to build a more human and empathetic relationship with the customer and increase sales volumes.
The most common mistakes of customer service
We can thus list the most common mistakes in customer service, which we analyse in the following paragraphs:
- assessing the service only as an additional cost;
- setting up a service that is too complicated;
- making the customer waste time;
- having an impersonal approach;
- abandoning the customer.
What not to do for an effective customer service: considering the service as an unnecessary expense
By now the meaning of customer service and its weight within companies’ marketing strategies are clear on the market. And yet there are some who consider it as a necessary evil, or even as a pointless expense. Nothing could be more wrong.
According to research conducted by IFM Group, a team of companies specialised in telecommunications support technologies, a positive customer experience leads 92% of people to spend more, while a negative customer experience determines in 96% of cases a lower or even absent expense. We have found more or less similar numbers in our analyses. Our partners, following an increase in customer satisfaction certified by specific surveys, have also seen sales grow exponentially.
By listening carefully to customers’ needs, it is possible to personalise products and services based on the various market trends and implement effective sales techniques such as up-selling and cross-selling.
A service that is too complicated drives customers away
To understand exactly what customer service is, it is appropriate to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and understand what they want. It is not complicated since each of us, deep down, is a customer. Well, modern users want to access services quickly and simply. Contacts, for example, such as emails or telephone numbers, must be immediately visible on the website or on the social page.
All the customer data, collected through the various communication channels, must be immediately available to the operator themselves, who can thus know the requirements, habits and needs of the consumer. The service must be lean and agile, but not too bare either, otherwise the user would struggle to access the necessary information.
For the customer, time is money: don’t waste it
A consequence of a service that is too complicated is a waste of time, which for the modern user is extremely valuable.
Your customer service staff must therefore have specific abilities for that particular sector. Information must be given in a detailed and professional way, but without descending too much into technicalities. In this way the customer understands perfectly the nature of their problem, without feeling inadequate or awkward in the presence of terms that are too complex.
It would be ideal to solve the problem with the first interaction. If this were not possible because the problem is more complex, you have to immediately pass the ticket to competent staff able to manage the situation with professionalism and punctuality.
Do not be impersonal and empathise with the customer
As already highlighted previously, the customer wants to live online an experience similar to the offline one, especially for the human contact. People do not want to be treated as numbers; indeed, they appreciate it when the interlocutor empathises with them and is genuinely interested in their problems.
Solving the problem is certainly the main objective, but you have to pursue it by listening carefully to the customer, showing yourself available towards them and devoting to them all the time they need.
Do not abandon the customer
Some companies believe that solving a problem is sufficient to build customer loyalty, but this is not so. The user must never be abandoned throughout the entire customer service process. This means that you have to keep the customer always updated on the evolution of their matter, so as not to make them feel neglected.
There are dedicated software programs able to track the status of the ticket and automatically send updates to the customer, who knows at every moment at what point their matter is.
At We Are Fiber we combine the human factor with extremely technological software to provide an effective and proactive customer service.
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