How to find the right customer service strategy?
Whatever your customer service strategy, it is difficult to make predictions when you are first starting a business. Even though you can do extensive research and develop a precise plan, the market is constantly changing. A successful strategy can be outdated in no time. So it requires constant maintenance.
Also, few businesses can be successful with unsatisfied customers. The more satisfied your customers are, the more likely they are to recommend your services to their family and friends. So investing in a strategic plan helps to retain existing customers, and attract new ones.
Is your customer service strategy in need of a refresh, and can you use some inspiration? Then read on!
Start with the core of your organization
First, rethink your current process of hiring chat operators. It is indeed important to find people who can interact with customers. But more importantly, find people who are aligned with your company mentality.
It’s best if they share the same value, so that together you can achieve a common goal. In doing so, don’t neglect the importance of keeping up the good work, either. One way to achieve this is by conducting evaluations. And, for example, offering training from time to time. Don’t forget that they are the ones who have contact with your customers!
And finally, consider strengthening your company’s vision and goals in all areas. Your product owners and designers don’t have to deal directly with customers. But they can add value if they have a better idea of who the target audience is.
Train your team to be empathetic
Customer service is all about understanding customers’ problems, and solving them efficiently. This seems simple, but customer expectations are not always easy to manage.
The best way for dealing with demanding customers? That’s to train chat operators to empathize more with the customer. Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes is sometimes difficult. However, it is a perfect exercise to improve respect and good manners towards customers.
Chat operators need to be careful with their choice of words. They need to find ways to show that they are committed to the customer. That they can empathize with their frustration. This eases tension for both customers, and chat operators.
Understand your target group perfectly
Do you really understand your target audience perfectly? You might get to know them pretty well after a while. But don’t forget to keep an eye on how they evolve over time. This helps identify ways to improve the services you offer.
So ask them questions, and keep an eye on the data from your contact channels. Make sure you really listen to your customers. This will definitely make it easier to find the best solutions to solve their problems. This way, they will be more satisfied with your services.
Recognize the touchpoints
The goal is to get a perfect understanding of your audience. With that, you can start by identifying or assessing all customer touchpoints. One way to identify and analyze touchpoints is by using the categories below:
- What are your customer’s favorite channels?
- How often do customers contact your customer service channels?
- After placing the order, how long does it take the customer to reach you?
- What are the most common questions they ask?
Choose the right channels
Companies with strong omnichannel customer engagement retain 89% of their customers. This means that having a presence and offering the same products and services on each channel provides a great competitive advantage. However, the perfect choice of channels is not an easy task.
You obviously need to be where your customers are. But a strategy that works for another company may not work for yours. So be precise when choosing your channels!
Also keep in mind new trends. But don’t forget to think about whether a channel fits your company’s goals before integrating it into your strategy.
The right customer service strategy
Hopefully at this point you’ve already gathered some relevant input to work on your customer service strategy. But if you can still use some help or have other questions on the topic, please contact us!