How to Deliver Effective Customer Service

A simple guide for anyone (to achieve effective customer service) who deals with their customers on daily basis, who are new to customer service and don’t know much about customer service.

I could have made this post a lot more complicated so to make it look like more authoritative, elaborate like all those so called marketing gurus, making things complicated, filled with so many things to consider, to take care of etc but no, I want my readers to get the benefits right away as soon as they finish reading this post. I am going to keep it short and simple.

Good and effective customer service is the first thing you want to begin with, to become a successful marketer, business, organization as it is the entry point or first touch point (where you actually interact with them) of potential customers becoming customers and finally becoming loyal customers in the long run (obviously with right product/service and effective customer service).

Okay How Am I Supposed To Do That?!

Good question, so let’s began with “How to do it (effectively)”.

Two Steps

1.      Immediate Response

2.     Assessment & Follow Up

Immediate Response…

• To customer first contact in terms of FAQ’s, Product/Service, inquiries, queries in effective manner that produces desired outcome for both parties (seller & buyer). Make sure it is sharp, to the point, makes sense to your customer. Not to mention that according to a study 74% of the customers in the US don't like being responded late, have to contact multiple times and for that 74% it has been major cause of dissatisfaction.

• In terms of minimizing or shrinking delivery time of product/service demanded, information demanded. Because time is money, right?! And according to the same study 69% customers don't like delays, being on hold for longer durations and thus has been a major cause of dissatisfaction for them.

• In terms of delivering the exact value (information, product/service) and this can be achieved by exact understanding of customer needs, preferences, what they are looking for, what they want, why the want etc.You don't want to act like a fool, dumb on your first contact, remember first impression is the last impression right?! And again according to the same study 64% US customers don't like being provided irrelevant or not the expected product/service or irrelevant information and thus it has been major cause of dissatisfaction for that 64%.

Imagine those percentages, 74%, 69%, 64% that's a huge chunk! of any niche, so better think over about your customer service.

Assessment & Follow-up

Assessment & follow up in terms of the above mentioned points, if a customer was looking for information, product/service information make sure that it is being delivered and acknowledged by the customer. 

Similarly asses and analyze the overall journey from first contact to last contact of customer in terms of overall customer experience and delivery duration and take necessary steps in case things aren't moving in the right direction, to make it more smooth, seamless and effective. 

Likewise assessing the value delivered against the value expected by the customer in terms of information, product/service and then following up as per situation.

Lastly keep it friendly, cool all the way!

That’s it speak your minds, shoot me with your ideas, anything that would make the customer service job more fun, easy and effective.

Reference:

http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-Global-Consumer-Pulse-Research-Study-2013-Key-Findings.pdf