Founder & CEO at Millennial Services, a dedicated call-center services provider.
You don’t have a business without your customers. So, how can you increase your customer service engagement to provide a better overall experience?
Attracting new customers is a primary business focus, but customer retention and reputation management should be equally important. After all, it costs more to find a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, and loyal customers are more likely to recommend your business to their circle and leave positive reviews.
The methods below are easy to implement but not always easy to practice consistently. Good customer service strategies aren’t stagnant; they are constantly evolving and changing according to customer needs. These are evergreen practices that will help empower your employees and engage customers.
1. Train and empower your customer service team.
Comprehensive training is essential if you want satisfied customers and a competent and empowered team. Why is an empowered team so important? When a customer service team member is thoroughly trained and empowered, your customers are more likely to experience first-touch resolution.
This means a team member can solve a problem or answer a question without having to bounce the customer to someone else. The more times you transfer your customers, the less satisfied they become. When your team is empowered to solve problems and make decisions, the customer leaves the exchange with the impression that your business and employees are knowledgeable, competent and trustworthy. This also reduces stress for your team because there are fewer negative encounters.
2. Foster a customer-centric culture.
Another way to increase customer service engagement is to foster a customer-centric culture. Refrain from relying solely on one department to handle all customer inquiries. Ensure every employee who could have an interaction with a customer understands how to serve them.
This means a uniform, consistent spirit of service and training for everyone in the company, not just reps. Every employee should have a working knowledge of the products and services offered. They should have an understanding of return policies and should familiarize themselves with frequently asked questions and how to answer them.
Also, find ways to say “yes” to your customers by prioritizing their needs. Do your research and understand how your customer thinks, anticipate their needs and make them feel heard and valued.
3. Implement omnichannel support.
Give your customers multiple ways to contact support. Engage with them via email, chat, phone and social media, and make sure there is a way for your customer to interact with a human being.
Consistent and seamless service means being responsive throughout your channels of customer service engagement. Consistently respond to all inquiries and ensure the information and support are the same no matter where they engage with you. If they email or engage in a chat, they should experience seamless responses and consistent answers if they talk to a human on the phone or get an answered email. The experience should be smooth and predictable.
4. Personalize customer interactions.
Address your customers by name and collect data in a way that allows them to personalize their experience in future interactions. That customer data might include purchasing history, behavior when visiting your website and demographic and brand affinities.
In addition, internal notes left on customer tickets or on their record are hugely valuable. Customer care should document any personal notes or comments from their engagements. Referencing these the next time a customer reaches out is a great way to build rapport and give a highly personalized experience.
5. Be prompt and proactive.
Waiting is never fun, especially when a customer is waiting for an answer to their question or a solution to their problem. Increase customer service engagement by responding quickly and decisively to solve issues and proactively reach out to customers to ensure they are satisfied. A quick follow-up call can make a huge difference.
6. Implement customer feedback mechanisms.
Increase customer engagement by using the many tools available to gather feedback and implement changes. Using surveys and other feedback tools is a fantastic way to learn what is working and what isn’t. Reviews are a gold mine, too. Actively listen to the feedback you receive, and then do something with that information.
7. Gamify the customer service experience.
Your customer service team works hard to increase customer service engagement. Be sure to acknowledge their hard work with rewards and recognition. Create games and competitions to inspire and motivate. Give positive and constructive feedback.
8. Offer self-service options.
Self-service options are helpful and, when used correctly, can enhance the customer experience. Not all customers will respond to self-service, but the options should be there. Offer an extensive and easy-to-navigate knowledge base and FAQ, and make sure customers don’t have to “dig” for this information.
9. Develop a customer loyalty program.
Develop customer loyalty programs and reward and referral systems to make things more fun and make your customers feel valued. We’ve seen many online retailers offer products, store credit or gift cards by sharing discount codes with friends. Another successful technique, when planned and executed carefully, is social media giveaways. This is a great way to generate brand awareness and more sales as a result.
10. Continuously improve and innovate.
Using feedback, technology and other tools, you can consistently improve the customer experience, create more engagement and loyalty and set your brand apart. Increasing customer engagement is a long-term investment, and it will never be complete. Consistent iterations and improvement, even if marginal, means you’re doing it right. No business should feel like it has to do everything at once. Training, empowering and rewarding agents to succeed is an excellent way to develop the right culture over time.
Meeting your customers in places where they like to transact, as well as offering incentives, can impact relationships positively. Quick response and open feedback opportunities underscore the customer-first experience. Finally, giving the customer tools to “drive” their own experience will encourage loyalty and provide insights for your team as you develop.
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