6 invaluable tips for creating a successful customer service strategy
Wanting to place your customer at the center of your business sounds easy, but it is much harder than you think. For years, companies have been developing a specific company culture and have pursued a set of priorities that are difficult to change. Very often, putting the customer first means relegating shareholders and employees to second place. So, how can we bring about this transformation? Here are six strategies that will help you to achieve it:
1 – Demonstrate that the customer is important
Many of your co-workers (and even your boss) will tell you that the customer is the number one priority, yet two seconds later they are making decisions that do not take the customer into account. To really change the culture of a company and the reasoning behind important decisions, you have to prove to the entire company (without exception) that the customer is the lifeblood of every business.
There are a host of arguments you can use: it is the customer who pays everyone’s salaries, awards bonuses at the end of the year, and even serve the shareholders. Good customer service has a direct impact on the company’s bottom line. A company is nothing without its customers; they are its most important asset. Repeat these techniques over and over again (for example, begin each meeting by talking about a particular customer) and provide numerous examples to demonstrate that this is true.
2 – Establish fast and user-friendly customer service processes
Many companies have spent years building barriers and bureaucratic hurdles in customer service. If you want to make the customer the real boss in your company, you have to knock down all these walls and make communication as smooth as possible. Ensure that customer service is fast (no customer should have to wait more than 30 seconds on the phone), set up different touchpoints (telephone, chat service, email, face-to-face contact, etc.) and processes that allow you to deal quickly with product returns, customer complaints, and inquiries.
3 – Hire professionals that care about the customer
If you want to create a customer-centric company, bear this in mind when hiring staff. Ask candidates about their experience in customer service (even if they are never going to see a customer!), take advantage of the interview to tell them about the company’s values, and look for people who are empathetic, friendly, and good communicators. If you want to provide the best customer service experience, you have to hire the best.
4 – Empower employees
John Tschohl, regarded as the guru of customer service, never tires of repeating this: employees should have the freedom and power (empowerment) to make quick decisions for the benefit of the customer. Very often, employees dealing with the public are obliged to check with their supervisors or seek their approval for product returns. In Tschohl’s opinion, this is one of the greatest bottlenecks of customer service. Employees must be empowered to make decisions at top speed, on the spot, and always for the benefit of the customer.
5 – Use new technologies
While face-to-face contact is always important, when you have hundreds, thousands, or even millions of customers you are going to have to invest in technology. And we are talking about technology developed specifically to enhance the customer experience. This might include a live chat service 24 hours a day, automatic options for product returns (with a simple click), online warranty services, or free delivery. The goal, once again, is to ensure that your customers enjoy your service (and become fans of your brand).
6 – Measure, measure, and measure again
If you want to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your customer service, you will have no choice but to measure, measure, and then measure some more. This exercise will help you to understand the importance of the customer and the huge impact they have on your organization. To do this, assess basic indicators such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS, or recommendation rate), use the mystery shopping technique, measure the number of complaints, average waiting time, number of interactions needed to resolve a problem, and the key performance indicators. This will not only help you to enhance the customer experience, but also to raise awareness of the “cult of the customer” throughout the organization.
