Customer Service ideas to help your small Business shine
When you’re planning your next venture, or you have an established small-scale business, there’s a key aspect to be aware of: you have to provide excellent customer service to keep your customers satisfied and loyal to the brand. The problem for small-scale companies is that they lack crucial resources, like an effective customer support department, yet they’re against the big players. You may not be in the Fortune 400 club, which has unending cash flow and top-of-the-line infrastructure. However, the great news is that with the correct assistance desk system and structured education in customer services, you will be able to improve your customer service without the expense of big bucks.
The evidence is in the figures that 85 percent of consumers will pay for more satisfaction. At the other end of the spectrum, 90 percent of those who have experienced a negative experience will not be able to do business with your business for the rest of their lives. If you’re a small company within a sea of large competitors, you cannot afford to lose customers. How do you cultivate a customer-centric approach to set your bar higher? Keep reading to discover the best strategies to make your company stand out in the competition.
1. Make your customer’s experience unique.
Suppose you are looking to draw and keep customers in your business, that means offering an unwavering standard of service unlike any other. Every person wants a custom experience, whether we are buying pizza or a bicycle. Consider Pizza Hut, a company that began as a local cafe and then grew into wildfire throughout the world. One of their methods is to offer a free product in exchange for the other they provide to customers. This increases customer loyalty quickly.
The same principles can be utilized in providing support in a global manner. Making use of customer interactions in the help desk application is an excellent starting point. Customers don’t only want answers to their queries; they want to see you one step ahead of them. For instance, if you think that a different product could help customers and improve the user experience, then recommend it! In your response, you could give them additional details from the Knowledge base article on visuals (e.g., how-to tutorials, screenshots, GIFs).
2. Be active on all social media platforms.
In the past 20 years or so, the quality of customer support has seen a dramatic improvement in customer service. Prior to the advent of the Internet, when we needed help regarding a service or product, we would contact the company or go to the store to have an in-person chat. Then the nineties arrived along with the Internet. Today, customers want instant responses through a variety of channels. In 2006 and the smartphone came into the market, as did social media platforms. The introduction of these technologies has changed how businesses advertise and assist their clients.
If you’re looking to leave a lasting impression on your customers, be ready to be there. This means providing top customer support on your social media platform and also answering tickets, chats, and calls using the help desk application. The most effective advice? Do not slack in responding to the customer. This can cause the customer to feel abandoned or, worse, abandon you completely.
3. Welcome customer feedback
Paying attention to what your clients think about the company is, in essence, the best method to improve products or services. If people feel that they’ve taken it into consideration, they’re more likely to purchase from them because they trust the credibility of a company that listens. The real issue small-scale companies face is finding the appropriate tools to gather feedback. To get it to the point of action, your company must actively reach out to customers and provide users with the proper avenues to share their ideas. Here are some methods to collect their ideas:
Customer surveys. It is among the most economical and effective ways to let customers share their views. Make a list of easy questions to be presented in open text feedback “What can we do to make our employees better in giving assistance?” Or questions based on a scale of satisfaction: “From 1 to 10 (1 Unsatisfied to 10 – very pleased) What are you most satisfied with? you with our customer service?” These can be delivered to your email list upon submitting your support ticket or appear on your social media account.
Feature requests. You’ve set up multi-channel support in your small company. You then start receiving calls, tickets and live chats about an unanswered feature. With feature request articles, clients can vote on the features they’d like. This simple but effective aid center tool offers decision-makers within your small-scale business the capability to monitor and identify the most pressing issues of customers.
Social media. There are billions of people worldwide who are active in various social media sites (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.), which is why it’s only natural to find your current – and future customers also. Social media isn’t just used for posting promotional videos. Small or large numerous businesses have established customer support on social media to aid users and gather both constructive and negative comments. But, sorting through the ‘raw’ data can be difficult and time-consuming. Utilizing tools for monitoring social media as well as top help desk software’s integrations with social media like Zapier that you can take advantage of the flood of mentions, tweets, and posts from your clients.
4. Employ people with exceptional abilities.
Robots are cool, but they still are a long way to be able to convincingly imitate human characteristics, particularly in the field of customer service. From the concierge at the hotel to a customer service rep answering phone calls, having the right personnel is essential to the growth of your small-scale company. They are people who are directly in contact with customers. They also serve as the brand’s face. Therefore, finding the right person who has exceptional customer service skills and attributes can be a challenge.
The selection process should consist of written tests that assess your candidate’s ability to learn and analyze. This will reveal what they’re about. The wrong person you hire could affect the whole company’s dynamic and lead to poor customer experience. Ask questions like “What inspires you?” to see if your answer is in line with the position or their objectives and motivations.
5. Go to extraordinary lengths to solve problems
If you’re beginning to grow your business and you’re just beginning, losing customers isn’t a choice. If customers contact your small business, they’re hoping that your company will help them and, often, immediately. Many times, customers make contact by phone or email and expect an agent to solve their problem. If there isn’t enough training for customer service, the situation could result in the client being moved around, leading to greater frustration.
The first step to making things right is to comprehend the perspective of the customer. The ability to be a representative (see the 4th point) should involve actively listening as well as acknowledging any issue. This initial phase is the most crucial, as it establishes an atmosphere for the whole conversation. In this way, phrasing the customer’s concern and sympathizing with their concerns can be a significant step in ensuring the satisfaction of customers and loyalty. Simple questions like “Did I comprehend your problem right?” or “The help center article’s instructions should be clearer. I’ll handle the issue for you as soon as I can.”
6. Become intimately acquainted with your product.
While this might seem to be a simple concept, you’d be amazed at how quickly small businesses can move from 0 to 100 in terms of the development of features. If you’re planning to go large (but not to the next level), it can be the ideal setting to test your products and semi-unorthodox concepts. However, it isn’t easy for your support agents to stay on top of new developments and make sure that all of your employees are on the same level. Let’s apply this to a scenario that is real If a customer calls your support number regarding an issue with their billing. The next step is vital. The agent may not know the answer or, worse, gives false information that could mislead them. Ouch.
To stop this from happening, you need to offer quick access tools such as an internal knowledge base of articles and regular training sessions to keep your support team up to speed. Customer service excellence doesn’t mean just answering queries within a help desk application. It’s about knowing each part of your product’s name, address, and usage. Inspire them to look into your product and understand the experiences of customers day-to-day.
If you can resolve an issue with a client in a matter of minutes, or you have to escalate the matter to a higher level of investigation, it’s the last step. This not only shows that your business has taken the time to inform the customer of the issue and ensures that the customer is happy with the results.
7. Make no promises you can’t keep.
Delivering on your promises to your customers can lead to losing customers. How? It’s not always possible to have all promises kept. For example, if an interaction with a customer becomes intense, it’s natural to cave and give promises you shouldn’t. One common scenario is to tell a customer that they will fix the problem immediately when you are aware that it will require some time. Be assured, as we all make mistakes. They are great learning opportunities. Please take it in this manner the customer support team is enthusiastic about their work, and they’re eager to assist in every way they can. Failure to honor your commitments could result in the sense of dishonesty. It could destroy the trust you’ve worked hard to build. In the opposite scenario where you offer realistic promises (e.g., “I will contact you within the week”), This gives a sense of security to your client. If you make untrue promises, don’t budge! Find a solution even if it’s not completely realized.
8. Educate your customers
Self-service for customers is a type of 24-hour self-service support. It’s easily accessible, vast, and doesn’t require any human intervention. In essence, it’s a repository of tutorials, articles, and FAQs on your product, as well as common situations or issues. Knowledge base software is essential for businesses regardless of scale, yet what effect will it bring?
Take a moment to think about this Think about it: If you need to learn what you are looking for, you will probably search for it before contacting someone in the industry. Indeed, the research found that the majority of internet users utilize search engines to locate details on the Internet. People want to feel confident and empowered, which is exactly the feeling you get when you solve an issue by yourself. As an executive having a database of knowledge can lower the number of support requests (e.g., chats, tickets, and calls). Let your free time for your employees to address complex customer concerns and prove to your customers that you value your customers.
The self-service option isn’t just a nice thing to have. It’s now a necessity. Microsoft discovered that the majority of customers want companies to provide an option to self-service. It’s hard to argue with ninety percent.
9. Be distinctive and unforgettable.
It’s a crowded world that exists. Every aspect is important for a small-sized business, and it isn’t easy. The great thing is that customer support can unlock doors you didn’t think existed. It could be from receiving feedback, collecting insights, or providing multiple channels of contact options. One thing is for certain Small businesses must be distinctive and memorable.
One of the most effective tools to make use of this is the use of social media. For instance, Spotify has a dedicated Twitter channel dedicated to customer service, ‘Spotify cares. The brand also provides information on the latest updates to their products, such as the possibility of downtime and other new features. Support personnel respond with funny messages to their clients and integrate their products in every tweet. It’s not a bad idea to check out examples of exceptional customer support on social media, too. Another method to impress your customers and leave an impression that lasts is by spending time with them. Yes, it’s a face-to-face meeting with your clients is a great way to make a lasting impression. It can be a casual lunch or an excursion with your team members. Making an effort to greet your customers isn’t something that will take place often for larger enterprises.
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