Regardless of which industry your business is in, whether you work with experienced, top-rated attorneys or with your classmates at your local fast food joint, it relies on customer service and satisfaction to make sales. Providing exceptional customer service is vital for the growth of your company whether you sell items directly to the public or you provide heavy machinery to large corporations. Here are five ways you can improve your customer service so you can help your company thrive in the competitive marketplace.
Cut Down On Wait Times With a Good Phone System
Having a good phone system is important for businesses of all sizes. If you own a small business, you won’t be able to answer every call immediately and the right phone system can help you manage your time more efficiently. For large companies that can’t handle the sheer volume of calls they receive, business communications service can reduce wait times by routing calls to the appropriate department.
Hire Customer-Oriented Staff
The people you hire will become the point of interaction with your customers so it is essential to hire positive, helpful individuals. Whether you’re looking for people to staff your retail store or operate the company’s phone system, finding individuals who are committed to providing exceptional customer service is crucial. If you screen applicants for certain qualities, you can determine which ones will benefit your company by improving customer service.
Analyze Customer Feedback
If you want to strengthen your customer service department, it isn’t enough just to try to implement new practices. You need to take feedback from your customers and use it to improve your business. If customers are content with the limited wait time on your phone system, you don’t need to waste time trying to further reduce it. If the chief complaint is the quality of your representatives, it could be that you need to change your criteria for applicants when you are looking to hire.
You can use surveys to easily gather and assess customer feedback so you have a better understanding of how your customer service department is doing. You can then use the feedback so you know which areas need to be improved upon.
Learn To Communicate Clearly
Clear communication is vital for every relationship, which includes that between companies and customers. If the customer has a complaint, it is important to address it clearly and efficiently. Use active listening to understand the problem and then determine a creative solution to the issue. Communicate the solution clearly to the customer so he or she understands you have taken the complaint seriously. If you rely on generic statements that don’t offer a specific solution, the customer may not feel like a resolution has been reached and could turn to your competition in the future.
Train Employees Effectively
Your employees can’t provide great customer service if they aren’t trained properly. Hiring talented individuals with a passion for customer service will not benefit your department of they aren’t familiar with company policies or products and services. If you want to improve customer service, make sure you spend the appropriate amount of time training employees in the following areas.
- Company policies: Spend time familiarizing employees with policies and procedures so they are equipped to handle a variety of situations.
- Products and services: Employees should understand many, if not all, of your products and services so they can offer appropriate recommendations.
- Language: Teach employees to use positive language that reflects the values of your company.
Customer service is essential for any type of business and you can work on improving it whether you own a small startup or a large corporation. Use these five practices to build a better customer-service department that effectively meets the needs of your clients and helps your company grow.
Interesting Related Article: “The Dying Art of Customer Service“