conclusion good customer service

21 Ways to Deliver Great Customer Service (with Examples)

What is Good Customer Service?

Good vs. great vs. excellent customer service, why customer service is important, do you need help delivering stellar service.

Customer service – some see it as a necessary evil, while others view it as the key to business success. But here’s the thing: nowadays, high-quality customer service is non-negotiable. Mediocre just doesn’t cut it anymore in our digital, customer-focused world.

So, how do you take your customer service from ‘meh’ to ‘amazing’? We’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll give you 21 practical tips, tricks, and examples to truly wow your customers. Get ready to learn some game-changing strategies to turn customer service into your competitive advantage.

And with the right tools, delivering 5-star service at scale is totally doable.

With so many companies offering on-par quality and experiences, the winner is usually the one with the most excellent customer service that keeps them coming back for more.

We know this is what you want to deliver, so let’s dive in and explore 21 ways to amaze your customers, boost satisfaction, and take your business to the next level.

What exactly counts as “good” customer service these days?

The bar keeps rising, and “good enough” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

At its core, good customer service means consistently fulfilling customer expectations. It means being prompt, professional, and personal in every interaction. Things like warm greetings, accurate information, and quick responses all matter.

Personalization is also key right now, which means adjusting your messaging to suit the tone, style, and language your customer uses, as well as using their name (a whopping 72% of customers expect businesses to know their individual name and interests).

As customer expectations continue to evolve, companies must go beyond basic politeness and competence to truly stand out.

This progression introduces the concept of ‘great’ and ‘excellent’ customer service, where the boundaries between them can often seem fluid and challenging to define.

‘Great’ customer service transcends mere reactions to customer needs; it’s about proactively anticipating these needs. It involves a hyper-personalized approach, adapting to each customer’s unique journey and preferences.

‘Excellent’ customer service, on the other hand, represents an even higher standard. It’s about consistently maintaining top-notch service quality over time, fostering loyalty, and building a community around your brand. It’s a commitment to creating an experience so unique and engaging that customers feel an integral part of your business ecosystem.

In this landscape, a one-size-fits-all approach to customer service is obsolete. It’s about innovation, personalization, and a relentless drive to exceed expectations at every turn.

Let’s break down the differences between good, great, and excellent customer service with good customer service examples, so you know what this looks like in the real world.

Say you buy an item online that turns out to be faulty. If customer service simply issues a refund, that’s good service—the basic expectation is met.

How could you make this better?

Well, if the customer service team not only processed the refund but also filed an investigation into why the product wasn’t good enough and suggested a few alternative options you may like better, now we’re entering great territory.

They’re going above and beyond to be helpful.

Taking it to the next level, imagine if the team analyzed why that original item wasn’t a good fit for you based on your purchase history before the customer had even checked out.

Then, they recommend a specific alternative that’s a better match and make a note to prevent similar mismatches moving forward.

That’s excellent service—anticipating needs, personalizing recommendations, and continuously improving.

The key differences:

• Bad customer service ignores the customer and their needs and shows no care for their experience
• Good service reacts to issues
• Great customer service provides guidance
• Excellent service anticipates needs and takes proactive steps.

When it comes to providing customer service, striving for excellence means putting the customer at the heart of everything, customizing their experience, and consistently exceeding expectations.

It transforms satisfactory transactions into meaningful relationships. And in today’s digital landscape, this shift from good to excellent is a must, not just a nice bonus.

Okay, before we actually jump into some of the ways you can actively strive to achieve outstanding customer service, let’s really break down why taking the time to provide excellent customer service is so crucial for business success.

Quite simply, 70% of a customer’s buying experience is now based on the quality of treatment the customer receives. 60% of customers now expect all their needs to be met, with 61% of customers more than happy to leave to a competitor if they have just one negative experience.

That’s right – customers expect the world, and in today’s hyper-connected world, they know that if you’re not offering what they want, there’s another company out there ready to bend over backward for them.

That said, a staggering 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases if they receive excellent customer service, with 71% of people recommending products simply based on the “great customer service they experienced.”

Offering consistently great customer service doesn’t just keep people around; it encourages them to spend more and even helps you grow your business.

And on top of this, there are a few other considerations to think about, including:

• Your customer service is your direct line to clients. It’s the foundation for building real relationships and loyalty. Not just a department – it’s the backbone of your whole company.
• To provide great customer service isn’t just a cost – it’s an investment. The secret sauce behind acquiring, satisfying, and retaining customers. When you wow clients, they don’t just stick around – they become advocates, bringing in referrals and boosting your reputation.

In fact, companies that prioritize great customer service experience 4% – 8% more revenue growth than those that don’t. They’re also better at avoiding the $75 billion that U.S. businesses lose annually from poor customer retention.

The bottom line?

Customer service is the lifeblood pumping through your organization.

It directly fuels growth and shapes your brand reputation.

Skimp on service, and you’re missing out on your best opportunity to connect with clients and stand out from the competition.

Prioritize it, and you gain a competitive edge that’s hard to match.

So don’t think of outstanding service as a “nice to have.” It’s a must-have and one of the smartest investments your business can make.

The customer experience you build today will determine your success tomorrow.

Enough theory – let’s get tactical. It’s time to put these principles into action and take your customer service to the next level!

Remember, “good” just doesn’t cut it anymore. You need to wow customers with great or even excellent customer service. But how to get there? These 21 customer service tips offer concrete strategies to make it happen.

From optimizing response times to personalizing interactions, you’ll find practical ways to improve each touchpoint and exceed expectations. Consider it your playbook for customer service success!

#1 – Always Put the Customer First

Put customers first, always.

It’s not just about meeting demands – it’s about truly understanding needs, anticipating expectations, and consistently improving their experience. Make them your true north in all decisions.

Prioritize comprehending and fulfilling their needs over everything else. The customer comes first – now and forever.

• Bad : A store with limited product descriptions and no provision for queries or assistance.
• Good : A store where the staff promptly answers customer queries and assists in purchases.
• Great : An outlet where the staff not only helps with purchases but also suggests products based on customer preferences.
• Excellent : A business that can deliver exceptional customer service informs customers proactively about suitable products, offers personalized discounts, and seeks feedback for improvements.

#2 – Use Positive Language

Words matter. Adopting a positive attitude builds trust, eases tensions, and makes customers feel confident in your brand. Even in difficult situations, ensure your customer service reps maintain an upbeat, can-do tone.

Avoid negative phrasing that could undermine the customer’s perspective.

The words for you, your customer service manager, and your customer service representative shape how people view their experience – so make them count!

• Bad : “Unfortunately, your delivery will be delayed.”
• Good : “Your delivery will arrive by the end of the week.”
• Great : “We’ve prioritized your delivery to ensure it reaches you by the end of the week.”
• Excellent : “We’ve fast-tracked your delivery to make sure it reaches you swiftly! We’ll keep you updated and are here to assist you anytime you need.”

#3 – Enhance Your Product Knowledge

Know your stuff inside out. Master every detail of your products and services. Comprehensive knowledge allows you to give customers accurate, relevant help. Take time to learn the ins and outs.

When your customer service team fully understands your offerings, they can have informed conversations, not just generic replies. Knowledge is power – empower your team to assist customers seamlessly.

• Bad : Providing incorrect information about the product, which results in customer dissatisfaction.
• Good : Offering accurate product descriptions and answering customer queries precisely.
• Great : Guiding the customer about the best practices of using the product to achieve maximum benefit.
• Excellent : Anticipating customer queries based on their usage and preferences and providing proactive guidance and advice, ensuring they fully utilize the product.

#4 – Be Accessible

Make it easy for customers to reach your customer service teams.

Offer multiple, convenient contact channels – phone, email, chat, social media. Meet them where they are. Seamless accessibility means no query gets left behind. Don’t make people jump through hoops to get support.

Promote all contact options clearly. Being accessible strengthens bonds and shows you’re eager to assist.

• Bad : Only one communication channel is available, which is often unresponsive or busy.
• Good : Providing multiple channels like phone, email, and social media for customer inquiries that are regularly monitored.
• Great : 24×7 support available across channels and instant query acknowledgment.
• Excellent : Omnichannel assistance, where a customer can easily switch channels without repeating information, AI-enabled chatbots for immediate assistance, and a committed team to rapidly resolve issues around the clock.

#5 – Respond Promptly

Time is of the essence today.

Respond to inquiries ASAP. Slow replies frustrate and lose customers’ trust. Set expectations, then meet or beat them. Have robust systems to monitor and respond to messages at top speed.

Show customers their time is valued by making their issues a priority . Fast, efficient service conveys respect and strengthens loyalty.

• Bad : Responding to customer inquiries after several days.
• Good : Acknowledging customer queries within 24 hours.
• Great : Immediate acknowledgment of customer issues with a follow-up resolution within a few hours.
• Excellent : Real-time interaction with customers to address issues instantly, with follow-ups to ensure customer satisfaction.

#6 – Implement a Customer-Centric Policy

Build your policies around the customer. Develop rules and processes to optimize their experience, not just operations. Show that their needs come first in all you do.

Create a culture focused on enhancing lives and strengthening loyalty through top-notch experiences. Customer-centric policies signal you care about their happiness above all else.

• Bad : Rigid return policy with many preconditions, causing inconvenience to customers.
• Good : Flexible return policy allowing customers to return products with ease.
• Great : Implementing a ‘no questions asked’ return policy, instilling a sense of trust in the customer.
• Excellent : Offering ‘easy return’ along with a proactive reach out to understand the customers’ dissatisfaction with the product, acting upon the feedback, and providing incentives for future purchases.

#7 – Personalize Your Interactions

Make every interaction feel personal. Get to know customer preferences and tailor your service accordingly. Don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Anticipate needs, provide recommendations, and acknowledge loyalty.

Recognition and personalization build real relationships. Take service from robotic to relational with customized care.

• Bad : Generic emails sent to all customers without addressing them by name.
• Good : Personalized emails addressing the customer by name and mentioning past purchases.
• Great : Customized messages based on browsing history, offering personalized product recommendations.
• Excellent : Creating a unique customer experience where preferences, browsing history, and purchase habits are harnessed to provide personalized offers and content, seamlessly integrating with the customer’s journey.

#8 – Resolve Complaints Efficiently

Handle complaints swiftly and thoroughly. Never shy away from them or ignore them completely. There are few worse examples of poor customer service.

Slow or botched issue resolution frustrates and loses customers’ trust. Empower staff to fix problems on the spot when possible. For escalated issues, keep customers updated on timeframes and next steps. Efficiently resolving matters demonstrates you take customers seriously and value their business.

• Bad : Ignoring or overlooking customer complaints.
• Good : Acknowledging customer complaints and addressing them within a given time frame.
• Great : Actively seeking customer feedback to uncover and resolve their grievances before they escalate.
• Excellent : Proactively addressing issues by anticipating potential complaints, rapidly resolving them, and implementing preventive measures to avoid their recurrence, ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty.

#9 – Empathize with Your Customers

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Genuinely listen and empathize with their perspective. Understanding their feelings allows you to provide compassionate service tailored to them.

Empathy builds trust and shows you care about more than transactions – you care about them. Share their feelings, and they’ll share their loyalty.

• Bad : Ignoring customer emotions and handling all interactions purely transactionally.
• Good : Expressing understanding towards customer issues and showing a willingness to help.
• Great : Demonstrating empathy with personalized messages, providing solutions tailored to their emotional state.
• Excellent : Continuously engaging in empathetic customer interactions, providing highly personalized experiences that comfort and delight the customer, and building a reputation as a caring, customer-focused brand.

#10 – Have a Proactive Approach

Don’t just wait for customers to ask – anticipate their needs. Address issues proactively before they become problems. Surprise and delight them with relevant offers and suggestions.

A proactive approach shows you’re committed to optimizing their good customer experience at every turn. Stay one step ahead to provide five-star service.

• Bad : Reactive customer service, handling issues only after they arise.
• Good : Regularly checking up on customers to ensure their needs are being met.
• Great : Identifying potential issues based on customer patterns and addressing them preemptively.
• Excellent : Incorporating data-driven insights to predict and address customer issues before they are even aware of them, creating a seamless and positive customer experience.

#11 – Make Use of Customer Feedback

Listen to customers and act on their feedback. Survey them for insights to improve offerings, experiences, and satisfaction. Feedback shows customers their voice matters.

Addressing pain points and enhancing strengths based on input cultivates loyalty. The customer perspective is invaluable – let it guide your business decisions.

• Bad : Ignoring customer feedback or considering it irrelevant.
• Good : Taking note of customer feedback and thanking them for it.
• Great : Using customer feedback for making meaningful changes in products or services.
• Excellent : Instituting regular feedback mechanisms, analyzing feedback for trends and patterns, employing insights to deliver superior customer experience, and informing customers about improvements made based on their feedback.

#12 – Reward Your Long-term Customers

Loyalty deserves recognition. Reward long-term customers for their continued business. Offer exclusive perks, discounts, and personalized gifts conveying your appreciation.

Use your good customer service skills to make them feel special and valued. Gestures validating commitment promote stronger bonds and advocacy. Show customers their loyalty is noticed and reciprocated.

• Bad : Providing the same treatment to all customers, irrespective of their relationship length with the brand.
• Good : Sending a ‘thank you’ note to long-term customers.
• Great : Offering exclusive discounts or early access to new products to long-term customers.
• Excellent : Establishing a comprehensive loyalty program, continually rewarding long-term customers with exclusive benefits, and enriching their association with the brand.

#13 – Offer Multichannel Support

Give customers options. Offer support across multiple channels – phone, email, chat, social media, online portals. Omnichannel access provides convenience.

Customers can reach you how and when they prefer. Meet them on their channel of choice. Clear communication in every interaction via their favored medium optimizes their experience.

• Bad: Providing only one mode of communication, which may not be accessible at all times.
• Good : Offering multiple channels like phone, email, and live chat for customers to contact.
• Great : Ensuring real-time support on all channels with quick response times.
• Excellent : Delivering an omnichannel customer experience, integrating all channels for seamless interaction, allowing the customer to switch channels conveniently without losing the context of the conversation.

#14 – Adapt to Customer Needs

Evolve along with customers. Stay flexible ready to adapt offerings to suit changing needs. Don’t cling to stagnant products/services when usage shifts.

Track customer journeys and respond to new preferences proactively. Meeting needs as they develop shows customers you’re paying attention and willing to change for them.

• Bad : Insisting on strict adherence to established protocols without considering specific customer needs.
• Good : Willing to bend some rules or adapt processes to meet individual customer needs.
• Great : Regularly reviewing and adapting processes or services as per customer feedback and requirements.
• Excellent : Implementing a culture of flexibility and adaptability, anticipating evolving customer needs, and staying ahead of trends to offer products and services customers need before they realize it themselves.

#15 – Train Your Team Properly

Proper training transforms staff into customer service rockstars capable of providing exceptional customer service. Ensure they know your offerings inside out. Set clear expectations for service style and tone.

Roleplay scenarios to polish communication skills. Knowledge plus etiquette instills confidence in handling inquiries. Investing in robust training enables employees to deliver consistent excellence.

• Bad : No formal training, leading to inconsistent and inefficient customer service.
• Good : Providing induction and basic training on products and services.
• Great : Regular training schedules that cover product knowledge, soft skills, and customer handling etiquette.
• Excellent : Comprehensive development programs, refresher courses, and workshops focused on continuous learning and enhancement of skills, enabling team members to excel in their roles and deliver superior customer service.

#16 – Learn from Your Competitors

Your competitors provide an invaluable perspective. Regularly assess their customer service strengths and weaknesses. What do they do right? Where do they miss the mark? How do they deal with an upset customer ? What do they define as a good customer service representative?

Use insights as inspiration to fine-tune your own strategies. Wisely leveraging competitors’ knowledge helps you improve experiences and get ahead.

• Bad : Ignoring competitors’ strategy and customer feedback.
• Good : Monitoring competitors and noting the differences in customer service.
• Great : Identifying and learning from best practices in competitor customer service.
• Excellent : Actively incorporating industry best practices, regularly analyzing competitors’ strategies and customer feedback, and employing these insights to continually improve and innovate in customer service.

#17 – Leverage Technology

Technology can elevate service when applied strategically. Automate repetitive tasks to increase efficiency. Use data insights to personalize interactions.

Enable omnichannel access through new platforms, enabling you to keep providing great customer service wherever your customers are.

However, avoid letting tech hinder human connections. Blend it with a personal touch. When it comes to a good customer service experience, tech should simplify, not complicate, the situation.

Leverage it to help customers, not replace them. The customer service role is not dead.

• Bad : Manual processing of all requests, causing delays and inefficiencies.
• Good : Using a CRM system to manage customer interactions and data.
• Great : Implementing a chatbot for 24/7 support and quick issue resolution.
• Excellent : Harnessing advanced technologies like AI and machine learning for personalized customer experiences, real-time analytics, predictive problem solving, and providing seamless omnichannel support.

#18 – Communicate Effectively

Master the art of clear communication. Avoid jargon; keep it simple and concise. Listen attentively to understand needs. Summarize issues to validate comprehension. Set proper expectations.

Make sure your customer support reps follow up to ensure satisfaction. Good communication conveys respect and value. Do it well, and customers will feel heard.

• Bad : Confusing, unclear communication leads to misunderstandings and dissatisfaction.
• Good : Clear direct communication, addressing customer needs.
• Great : Regular and meaningful communication that reassures customers, keeping them informed of progress.
• Excellent : Consistently clear, empathetic, proactive, and solution-oriented communication that makes customers feel valued, cared for, and confidently informed about their interactions with the business.

#19 – Show Appreciation to Your Customers

Never take customers for granted. Sincerely thank them for choosing your business. Send welcome messages to new patrons and appreciation notes to loyal regulars.

Offer incentives as a gesture of thanks. Show that you don’t just value their transactions but their whole relationship. Sincere shows of gratitude stick with customers.

• Bad : Taking customer business for granted without expressing appreciation.
• Good : Sending timely thank you messages or emails after a purchase.
• Great : Offering exclusive promotions or discounts as tokens of appreciation.
• Excellent : Continuously finding ways to recognize and celebrate customer milestones, like anniversaries or birthdays, creating a strong emotional connection between the customer and the brand.

#20 – Maintain High Service Consistency

Strive for excellence every time. Consistent, quality service is vital. Ensure staff provides friendly, knowledgeable support consistently across channels.

Follow up, track metrics, and refresh training to prevent lapses. High standards for every interaction, big or small, is what transforms good service into great. Don’t let it slip.

• Bad : Inconsistent service quality, leading to unpredictable customer experience.
• Good : Adequate service levels maintained across all customer service touchpoints.
• Great : Regularly monitoring and improving processes to ensure consistent, good-quality service.
• Excellent : Implementing strict quality control measures, actively seeking feedback, and refining strategies and processes to deliver an exceptional and consistent customer experience at every interaction.

#21 – Measure Your Success

What gets measured gets managed. Track key customer service metrics regularly – response times, resolution rates, CSAT, etc. Monitor social media and reviews. Analyze the data to pinpoint what’s working and what’s not.

Address weak spots, play to strengths, and improve continuously. Measurement provides invaluable insights to optimize service and exceed expectations.

• Bad : Not monitoring any customer service metrics or feedback.
• Good : Gathering basic customer service metrics such as response times and customer satisfaction scores.
• Great : Regularly reviewing comprehensive metrics and using the data to make informed decisions for improvement.
• Excellent : Continuously optimizing customer service, combining quantitative and qualitative data, and setting targets to strive for excellence in service quality.

There you have it – 21 tips to transform customer service from top to bottom!

Remember, exceptional experiences build real relationships. Go above and beyond through great training, communication, and empathy. Anticipate needs, customize interactions, and handle issues swiftly.

To meet these goals of having satisfied customers and offering five-star service 24/7, partners like Absent Answer are invaluable. Our expert team makes every interaction feel personal, ensuring your company is represented in the very best way in every single interaction you have.

Check out what we can do for you today , or book a free consultation call here .

The future of service is yours to shape. Now get out there, put these tips into action, and create customer experiences that truly wow! With the right strategies, you’ll build a base of loyal customers that lasts and stands out from the competition.

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You are here, good customer service starts at the top (conclusion), “how important is customer service to a laundry/linen operation how can managers work to better assist customers and end-users”, chemicals supply: david barbe, u.n.x. inc., greenville, n.c..

Customer service is important to every business! Without customers, no business can survive. Customers will go where they are treated fairly and with respect, and even spend more money at such a business.

All of us have bought something at a fast food restaurant or a retail store where the clerk barely said a word, took our money, shoved our purchase at us and never said anything resembling a thank-you. Such experiences don’t inspire anyone to go there again.

All that being said, in a laundry/linen operation, a customer has to be happy with the cleanliness of the goods, prompt delivery, clear billing, polite employees, simple procedures, etc. There are lots of ways that customers interact with a company. All of them should be examined for improvements in customer service.

For example, I once heard an end-user complain bitterly about a linen service, not for quality or pricing, but for the complexity of its invoices! This is something that one wouldn’t normally consider a serious issue. Yet, this customer was ready to switch to someone else for this reason. When I pressed them, they admitted everything else was great, but they couldn’t get past the complicated invoices and the multiple phone calls it took to clear up problems. In a competitive market, little things can mean the difference between keeping a customer and watching them take their business to your competitor.

A manager should be mindful of every interaction with a customer, including sales calls, product delivery, customer complaints, billing and any problem resolution. Each of these interactions needs to be polite, efficient and convenient to the customer. And for the customer to notice, they need to be consistently pleasing.

When creating ordering or delivery procedures, consider your customer’s point of view: Are you only thinking of your own time and effort, or are you trying to make everything simple, easy and pleasant for your customer? One goal could be that a real person answers phone calls; automated switchboards are efficient but serve to annoy the caller most of the time! Do your customers have to fill out forms to make changes, or can they speak to someone and have their problem solved—and solved the first time it’s mentioned?

I think the hardest thing is to get all employees to share in this goal. Customer service employees probably understand that being polite and efficient is an important part of their job. But, getting all the employees to consider their actions as directly impacting the success of the business is more than sticking up posters and having nice slogans. This takes effort and diligence all throughout the business.

Spending time with individual employees, showing them by example how to deal with customers, creating an environment where everyone is treated like you want them to treat your customers, and repeating all this over and over will be required.

Uniforms/Workwear Manufacturing: Scott Delin, Fashion Seal Healthcare, Seminole, Fla.

Our daughter recently phoned from Florida to inform us that she was approached by a “so-called” warranty company. This company said they were representing Volvo and that her warranty on her car was about to expire. Realizing this was a scam, and wanting to allow her to handle the situation herself, we told her to reach out to the dealership where she purchased her car (coincidently, also where we purchased our last few cars) to inquire if this call was legitimate or not.

Several days later, and without further thought, we received a phone call from the director of finance at the car dealership where our family had purchased our cars. He said he had received a call from our daughter, who had explained her dilemma to him. The purpose of his call was to inform us that he was following up on the call he received and to assure us he had taken care of our daughter’s issues.

Not only was her car still under warranty, but it also had an extended warranty that was purchased at the initial point of purchase. He continued, saying he had reached out to the car dealership in Florida where she now resides to make sure it had all the proper warranty paperwork pertaining to her car.

After the call ended, my wife turned to me and said, “Now that is customer service! Now I understand why we do business with these guys. … he did not have to go that extra step to make sure (our daughter’s) concerns were addressed.”

Customer service goes a long way these days, and sets you apart from your competitors in a price-dominated marketplace. Exceptional and consistent customer service is what makes one laundry/linen operation more successful than the other. The funny thing about this is that good customer service costs the laundry/linen operator next to nothing and brings more value and continued business relationships to the table.

Our customers today want to know that they are dealing with the best: a company that goes that extra mile to make sure their needs are not only met but exceeded, and that issues are anticipated before they become issues. Yes, a clean product delivered at a competitive price day in and day out does mean something, but the simple things like saying “Thank you” for the business, straightening up the shelves, or proactively following up goes a long way toward customer retention.

Today, we are seeing that, more often than not, exceptional customer service makes the infrequent issues not as painful as they once were. Our customers expect and deserve the best, and consistently excellent customer service helps to generate not only customer retention and renewals, but also referrals.

More and more managers are playing an active role in making sure their staff expresses and practices good customer-service actions on a daily basis. The exceptional manager will go as far as personally reaching out to the customers, as well as extending the proverbial “customer service branch” to make sure expectations are not only met but exceeded.

By training staff on the importance of going that extra mile and leading by example, many operations are able to increase sales based upon word of mouth rather than an expansion of the sales team. Remember, it costs nothing and pays well.

I can tell you that the two minutes it took that car dealership manager to call my wife and me pretty much sealed the deal. When we are ready to buy another car, we will go back to the dealer whose personnel went that extra mile to take care of our daughter’s needs.

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Best Way to Enhance Customer Communication

Table of contents

The 7 key elements of effective customer service.

Let’s consider a scenario where you’ve just purchased a new smartphone from a popular electronics store. However, a few weeks into the purchase you find that you’ve encountered an issue with the phone’s camera.

You immediately contact support and you are connected to a customer service agent who patiently listens to you. They guide you through a few troubleshooting steps to see if the error can be fixed. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t work.

The support agent immediately arranges for warranty covered repair or replacement of your phone. The store ensures a smooth and hassle-free process for you, and within a few days, you receive a brand new smartphone with a fully functioning camera.

Clearly, this is an example of great customer service. There is no question that you will continue to be a loyal customer.

There are a number of key elements in customer service that take a support experience from good to great.

In this blog we look at these different elements of great customer service and how to get them right.

Table of Contents

The key elements of customer service.

The elements of good customer service are the fundamental components and practices that contribute to providing exceptional customer experiences. Here are these key elements:

1. Understanding Customer Expectations

When businesses deliver what customers expect, it builds trust and keeps them coming back. This is why understanding customer expectations is one of the most important elements of excellent customer service.

Now, customer expectations can vary across industries due to factors like the nature of the product or service, market competition, and past experiences. For example, expectations for a luxury hotel will differ from those for a fast-food restaurant.

This is precisely why it is important to research and thoroughly understand customer expectations in your line of work. This will help you to consistently deliver relevant experiences, leading to better customer satisfaction.

What are some of the best ways to assess customer expectations in your industry?

Here’s an example of how understanding customer expectations can improve your business.

A popular online retail company noticed a decline in customer ratings.

To understand the ‘why’ behind this, the company analyzed customer feedback, both from direct inquiries and online reviews. They also conducted surveys that included questions about everything from website navigation to delivery expectations. 

What they found out was that customers consistently indicated that they expected timely delivery, especially for products marked as “fast shipping.”

In response to this, the company made a few key changes in their delivery system:

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2. Effective and Clear Communication

Effective communication involves connecting with customers on a human level, understanding their needs, and providing solutions that make them feel satisfied and valued.

How can customer service representatives practice effective communication?

Here is an example of how effective communication can resolve customer issues effectively.

Consider the case of a discrepancy in a customer bill. The customer receives their bill with an unexpected charge. Frustrated and confused, they call the company’s customer service line. The customer service agent, practicing active listening, assures the customer that their concerns are valid. 

The customer service team promptly investigates the issue, identifies an error in the billing system, and explains why it happened to the customer. The agent not only corrects the bill but also offers a discount as a goodwill gesture, turning a potentially negative experience into a positive one. It also leads to customer retention.

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3. Quick Responses and Attention to Timelines

Providing timely service is a direct reflection of to what level you prioritize your customers and their experiences. Not only does this foster a positive perception about a business but timely resolutions can also prevent minor issues from escalating into larger problems and enable you to provide excellent service at all tines.

How can support agents handle customer inquiries and complaints promptly?

Take, for instance, a powerful help desk solution like  Hiver  that allows businesses to offer customer support across email, chat, knowledge base, and voice.

It has several robust features that make it super easy for support agents to manage customer queries and ensure that all incoming conversations are accounted for. 

Hiver’s  smart automations  help you categorize incoming customer queries so that your teams can prioritize what’s important in order to provide timely resolutions. Aside from this, Hiver also offers collaboration features that make internal discussions quick and easy without having to rely on CCs and forwards. 

All you have to do is @mention the team member you want inputs from next to the email thread and they immediately get notified. 

You can also leverage  email templates  to create and share templated responses to common customer queries and complaints. Your agents can access them with a few simple clicks, making it easier for them to respond faster to repetitive questions.

The best part is that Hiver is super easy to set up and use and requires no training since it works right inside of Gmail. This means your support teams can deliver consistent and proactive customer support every single time without breaking a sweat.

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4. Personalized Customer Interactions

Personalization is key to creating strong customer relationships and driving business success. It shows that the business cares about each customer as an individual. It is another one of the key elements of customer service.

Tailoring service to specific needs and preferences also leads to more positive and memorable experiences, encouraging customers to return and recommend the business to others. Aside from this, personalization can also lead to cross-selling, upselling, and increased consumer spending.

How can support agents customize customer interactions?

Amazon’s product recommendations based on previous purchases and browsing history are a classic example of personalization. The platform’s “Recommended for You” section on the homepage suggests products based on the user’s browsing and purchase history. 

These recommendations are tailored to individual preferences, encouraging users to discover and buy relevant items.

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5. Consistency in Quality of Customer Service Across Channels

Consistency builds trust and credibility. When customers encounter the same level of service quality at every interaction, they develop confidence in the brand. This in turn plays a role in them doing repeat business with you.

It’s because when customers know they can rely on consistent service, they are more likely to return and become loyal patrons.

How can customer service reps build consistency across support channels?

You Might Also Like: 7 tips to build a multichannel support strategy

6. Employee Training and Empowerment

Well-trained and empowered employees play a crucial role in customer service by ensuring that customers receive knowledgeable and efficient assistance.

How can you consistently train and empower your customer service reps?

Empowering your customer service reps through constant training allows them to think creatively and find innovative solutions to customer challenges, resulting in more effective problem-solving.

A good example of this is how  Ritz-Carlton  enables its frontline agents to go the extra mile for guests. Employees can spend up to $2,000 to resolve any issues faced by guests.

You Might Also Like: How to build and organize support teams

7. Feedback and Improvement

Collecting  customer feedback  is valuable because it helps businesses understand what customers like, dislike, and need. Furthermore, retail businesses could explore using LLMs in retail to enhance customer interactions, such as providing personalized product recommendations or responding to inquiries in a more natural and contextual manner. This information guides improvements and decision-making, eventually leading to stronger relationships with customers. It also helps you to continuously improve the customer journey.

Aside from this, customer feedback is important to identify areas of improvement in the support process. It also enables businesses to adapt to the ever changing customer needs.

How to collect customer feedback?

You Might Also Like: Customer feedback guide: How to collect it and what to do with it?

Effective communication, responsiveness, empathy, personalization, and consistency form the cornerstone of strong customer relationships.

Businesses that prioritize these elements not only meet customer expectations but also foster loyalty, drive growth, and establish a positive reputation. By recognizing the significance of these elements and continually striving to improve them, businesses can position themselves for long-term success.

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What is Good Customer Service? Explained

Good Customer Service is the bedrock of any successful business. It's not just about addressing inquiries; it's about creating lasting relationships. Read this blog to learn "What is Good Customer Service?" and how it can elevate your business, along with some effective tips and examples. Let's dive in deeper to learn more!

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When it comes to modern business dynamics, providing Good Customer Service is not just an option but a necessity. In today's highly competitive landscape, customers have abundant choices, making their satisfaction pivotal for business success. Failing to do so can lead to customer dissatisfaction and missed business opportunities. Understanding What is Good Customer Service can help you overcome these challenges and provide a competitive edge in the market. Further,Further, if you are curious to learn about Good Customer Service, then this blog is for you. 

Table of Contents

1) What is the meaning of Good Customer Service?

2) Top 10 tips for providing great Customer Service

3) Examples of exceptional Customer Service

4) Challenges in delivering Good Customer Service

5) Conclusion

What is the meaning of Good Customer Service?

Good Customer Service is the exceptional level of care, support, and assistance provided to customers by a business or organisation. It goes beyond meeting basic needs and transcends into creating positive experiences. You can provide good Customer Service by understanding and empathising with the customers. If you actively listen to their concerns, needs, and feedback, you can find solutions to their problems.

Responding quickly to customer inquiries through phone, email, or live chat, shows respect for their time. This will also indicate to them that their concerns are a priority. Understanding what the Importance of Customer Service is very crucial for organisations. This helps in solidifying customer's trust, thereby creating permanent revenue for the company.  

Top 10 tips for providing great Customer Service

Effective Customer Service Process is essential for building and maintaining positive relationships with your clients. Here are the top 10 tips to enhance your Customer Service:

Put customers at the centre of your orbit

In order to provide outstanding Customer Service, it's essential to make customers the central focus of your business operations. Here's how you can do that:

1) Understand customer needs: Take the time to thoroughly understand your customers' needs, preferences, and pain points. Conduct surveys, gather feedback, and actively listen to their concerns.

2) Tailor products and services: Once you have a deep understanding of your customers, tailor your services or products to cater to their specific requirements. Customisation not only meets their expectations but also demonstrates your commitment to their satisfaction.

3) Build personalised relationships: Establishing personalised relationships with your customers goes a long way. Address them by name, remember their past interactions, and make them feel valued and important.

4) Provide consistent support: Ensure that your support is consistent across all customer touchpoints, whether in-person, online, or over the phone. Consistency helps build trust and reliability.

5) Proactive engagement: Anticipate your customer's needs and address issues before they become significant problems. Proactive engagement showcases your dedication to their well-being.

Putting customers at the centre of your business not only fosters loyalty but also encourages them to become brand advocates. It also helps in spreading positive word-of-mouth and attracting new clients.

Actively listen

Effective Customer Service begins with active listening. Here's how you can master this skill and improve your Customer Service:

1) Pay close attention: When customers communicate their feedback, questions, or concerns, give them your full attention. Eliminate diversions and focus on what they are saying.

2) Show empathy: Empathise with your customers by acknowledging their emotions and experiences. Validate their feelings, even if you cannot immediately resolve the issue.

3) Ask clarifying questions: In order to ensure you fully understand the customer's perspective, ask clarifying questions when needed. This helps avoid misunderstandings and demonstrates your commitment to resolving their concerns.

4) Paraphrase and summarise: Periodically paraphrase or summarise what the customer has told you. This confirms that you are on the same page and have correctly understood their message.

5) Provide solutions: After listening attentively, offer solutions or assistance that align with the customer's needs. Even if the issue cannot be resolved immediately, reassure them that you are taking steps to address it.

Active listening not only enables you to address customer issues effectively but also makes customers feel valued and heard. It contributes significantly to a positive experience and may lead to increased loyalty and customer satisfaction.

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Providing correct product knowledge

Correct product knowledge empowers Customer Service representatives and enhances the overall customer experience. When you as a Customer Service representative, can confidently and accurately answer product questions, it instils trust in the customers. Having proper product knowledge can help you in the following ways:

a) You will be able to handle customer inquiries efficiently. This results in quicker issue resolution, leading to increased customer satisfaction.

b) You can identify opportunities to upsell items. This increases revenue for the business and helps achieve the sales targets easily.

Having a positive attitude  

Don’t you hate it when Customer Service representatives speak to you rudely or leave you even more confused about a product or service? If your answer is yes, then you can try not to repeat the same by creating a welcoming situation for your customers in the following ways: 

a) A friendly and warm greeting can set the tone for the entire interaction. This makes customers feel valued and appreciated from the start.  

b) Approaching customers with genuine enthusiasm and a willingness to help, makes them feel comfortable. This opens a channel for them to share their concerns and needs.   

c) A positive attitude contributes to a memorable and pleasant experience for your customers. This increases the likelihood of repeat business and brand loyalty. Your positive attitude contributes to higher levels of customer satisfaction. Customers are more likely to remember these interactions and become loyal advocates for the brand. 

Efficient problem solving  

Most people like it when our problems are addressed and answered swiftly by a Customer Service representative. So, if you nurture this problem solving ability, you will not only address the customers’ issues but also improve the company’s reputation. Always remember that satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal to the brand. You can provide Good Customer Service in the following ways:  

1) Efficient problem-solving reduces the risk of losing customers and increases customer retention rates. These retained customers share positive experiences with others. This leads to valuable word-of-mouth referrals.  

2) Your problem solving skills help the company gain a positive reputation in the market. This attracts new customers and enhances the brand’s image.  

3) When you are handling customers’ queries, assess their situation thoroughly by including order numbers, account details, and any relevant context. By responding promptly to customer complaints and inquiries, you will see that customers feel that their concerns are being taken seriously.  

4) Keep your customers informed about the progress of their issues. Transparency helps in providing Good Customer Service. 

Quick responses  

If you are in Customer Service or planning to advance your career in Customer Service , you must nurture the quality of giving quick responses. Quick response plays a crucial role in delivering a positive and satisfactory experience to customers. When customers reach out with inquiries, issues, or feedback, responding promptly shows that the company values their time and is committed to addressing their needs efficiently. Quick responses can help in providing a good experience for your customers in the following ways: 

1) A quick response reassures customers that their concerns are taken seriously. This can help prevent frustration and dissatisfaction in customers. Always remember that customers appreciate businesses, that prioritise their needs and act promptly to resolve any problems they may encounter.  

2) Timely interactions demonstrate respect for the customer’s time and needs, contributing to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.  

3) Implementing efficient communication tools and processes can enable businesses to deliver quick responses without compromising on the quality of support provided.  

Personalising services  

Personalising services is a good way to deliver Good Customer Service that goes beyond generic interactions. It aims to create tailored experiences for individual customers. It also involves gathering and analysing customer data to gain insights into their preferences, behaviours, and past interactions with the company. You can offer personalised recommendations for your customers in the following ways: 

1) Your aim should be to deliver relevant products or services to customers based on their interests and behaviours. You need to ensure that the information they receive is relevant and engaging.  

2) Providing personalised services to your customers can help build trust and authority for the company.  

3) You can also provide personalised services by addressing customers by their names. This increases familiarity between the customer and the company. It fosters a positive emotional response, leading to increased customer loyalty. 

4) Recommend products or services based on customers' previous purchases or browsing history. By understanding their preferences, you can offer relevant suggestions. This makes the shopping experience more personal and enjoyable for customers. 

Good Listening Skills  

In Customer Service, you must have good listening skills. Possessing good listening skills are one of utmost importance to ensure a positive and satisfying experience for customers.  Having good listening skills for providing Good Customer Service will help you in the following ways: 

1) When customers reach out to you for support, they expect to be heard and understood. Providing focused attention to the customer’s requirements demonstrates that the customer’s issue is a priority to you.  

2) You can ask open-ended questions to gain a deeper understanding of the customer’s problem and tailor your support accordingly. 

3) Actively listening to the customer’s responses allows you to identify additional issues or underlying concerns. This leads to more comprehensive and effective solutions.  

4) When customers are sharing their concerns, you should not interrupt or rush to give solutions. Instead, wait till the customer finishes speaking. This shows respect to the customer’s perspective and ensures that all relevant information is gathered before providing a response. 

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Using customer’s choice of channels  

You have noticed that customers use multiple channels to address their issues to a company. So, what are these channels? These channels refer to the multiple communication channels that allow customers to interact with a business. The various channels are phone, email, live chat, social media, and self-service options.  

However, customers use their preferred communication channel to address the issues to the company. As a part of Customer Service, you must be aware of these channels used to contact a company. This is how using customer's choice of channels help:  

1) Once you are aware of these channels, you can easily cater to the queries. Some customers may prefer traditional methods like phone calls, while others may favour the speed and efficiency of live chat or social media interactions.  

2) You will notice that using a customer’s choice of channels enables you to meet customers where they are most comfortable and active. For instance, younger and tech-savvy customers may prefer social media for quick inquiries, while older customers may prefer more familiar methods like phone calls.  

3) By being present on multiple platforms, you will be able to increase the chance of engaging with customers and provide them with timely support. Customer Service should provide the same level of service, regardless of the channel the customers choose. 

Making easy self-help channels  

One of the most important aspects of Customer Service is the introduction of self-help channels that businesses have brought into effect. These self-help channels are designed to empower customers and reduce their reliance on direct customer support. This leads to quicker problem resolution and improves overall customer satisfaction in the following ways: 

1) These channels should be simple enough so that even customers who may not be tech-savvy, can use them. You can implement user-friendly interfaces, clear instructions, and intuitive design to ensure customers can quickly find the information they need.  

2) Common examples of easy self-help channels include comprehensive knowledge bases, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) pages, and video tutorials. FAQs provide concise answers to common customer queries. Video tutorials can be particularly helpful for visual learners, as they offer step-by-step instructions and demonstrations.  

3) To make self-help channels even more effective, businesses can implement search functionalities that allow customers to quickly find relevant information by entering keywords or phrases. 

Being transparent and honest  

Transparency and honesty foster an environment of trust where customers and stakeholders feel confident in the organisation’s intentions and commitments. You should be transparent and honest no matter which career you are in. Being transparent and honest will help you to provide Good Customer Service to your customers in the following ways: 

1) Being transparent and honest, reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings, surprises, or feelings of being deceived. This leads to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

2) Always remember that companies that are forthright about their successes and challenges demonstrate accountability and authenticity. Admitting mistakes or setbacks and taking responsibility for them can enhance a company’s reputation.  

3) Customers appreciate honesty and respect when things go wrong. If you have a business, practice being transparent and honest with your employees so that your employees can project the same to the customers. 

Boost your Customer Service skills more with our Exceptional Customer Service Training .  

Examples of exceptional Customer Service  

Several companies have set exemplary standards for exceptional Customer Service. They go above and beyond to prioritise customer satisfaction. This creates memorable experiences for the customers. Let’s look at some examples of companies known for their Good Customer Service:

As one of the world's largest online retailers, Amazon has revolutionised Customer Service. Their focus on efficiency, reliability, and convenience has earned them a loyal customer base. Amazon's responsive customer support, fast shipping, and hassle-free return policies are just a few examples of how they prioritise customer satisfaction.

Disney is renowned for its exceptional Customer Service in the entertainment industry. From theme parks to cruises, Disney ensures that every guest's experience is magical and memorable. Their attention to detail, friendly staff, and commitment to creating enchanting moments make them a prime example of Customer Service excellence.

Apple's Customer Service is renowned for its knowledgeable and helpful staff, efficient product repairs, and seamless customer support processes. They prioritise customer satisfaction. They often go the extra mile to resolve issues promptly. This also makes them a favourite brand among tech enthusiasts.

Challenges in delivering Good Customer Service  

Delivering Good Customer Service is a complex and dynamic process that comes with its fair share of challenges. While businesses strive to meet and exceed customer expectations, they must navigate various obstacles to ensure consistent and exceptional service.   

a) High customer expectations: Customers today have high expectations for service quality, response times, and personalised experiences. Meeting these elevated expectations can be challenging. Especially as these customer’s expectations continue evolving with advancements in technology and changing market trends. 

b) Handling large volumes of inquiries: Businesses, especially those with large customer bases, often face the challenge of managing high volumes of customer inquiries and support requests. Ensuring prompt and efficient responses to all customers can be demanding, and delays may lead to customer dissatisfaction. 

c) Consistency across channels: With multiple communication channels available, including mobile, email, live chat, and social media, maintaining a consistent customer experience across all platforms can be challenging. Customers expect a seamless and cohesive experience, regardless of the channel they choose for interaction. 

d) Resolving complex issues: Some customer issues may be intricate and require specialised knowledge. This may also involve cross-functional collaboration to resolve. Ensuring that Customer Service representatives are equipped to handle such complex problems can be challenging. 

e) Language and cultural barriers: In global markets, language and cultural barriers can pose challenges in providing effective Customer Service. Businesses need to be equipped to cater to diverse customer bases and adapt to varying cultural norms and communication preferences. 

Conclusion  

Good Customer Service is the cornerstone for a successful and customer-centric business. It goes beyond mere transactions and focuses on building lasting relationships with customers. Providing attentive, personalised, and efficient support not only meets customer expectations but also exceeds them, fostering loyalty and advocacy. Emphasising transparency and honesty creates trust and credibility. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Measuring Customer Service involves assessing various Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) like Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), and Customer Effort Score (CES). Additionally, analysing customer feedback, response times, and issue resolution rates can provide insights into the quality of service.

A career in Customer Service offers numerous opportunities for professional development. It enhances communication and problem-solving skills, fosters empathy and adaptability, and provides a solid foundation for roles in management and leadership. These skills can be applied to various career paths within an organisation.

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29 ways to consistently deliver exceptional customer service

How do you deliver an excellent customer service experience? Here are 29 tips for your support team to exceed customer expectations.

In industries saturated with competitors selling similar products, exceptional customer interactions are critical for standing out. If you’re not constantly looking for opportunities to improve your customer service and cater to their needs, your customer relationships will likely deteriorate over time.

One of the methods we use to keep our customer support team on their toes and our company culture on track is a customer service tip of the day. In this post, we’d like to share our best customer service tips with you so you can give your support team a crash course on how to improve customer service and increase customer satisfaction.

Explore omnichannel customer service with the Freshworks Customer Service Suite

What is good customer service.

Good customer service is the lifeblood of any successful business – it goes beyond resolving issues and answering questions by creating an experience that leaves customers feeling valued and heard. Customer service efforts should involve understanding and meeting customer expectations , often before they even have to ask. This proactive approach turns casual customers into loyal advocates and makes them more likely to return and recommend your services to others.

Good customer service also means being accessible and responsive across multiple platforms. Whether it’s a phone call, an email, a social media message, or a chat on your website, being responsive is critical. Customers expect timely and effective responses, no matter how they reach out. This availability provides convenience for the customer and demonstrates your commitment to being there for them, reinforcing a positive image of your brand.

Finally, good customer service is about personalization and empathy. Customers want to feel like they are more than just a number. Personalized interactions, where service representatives know the customer’s history and preferences, can significantly enhance the customer experience. Coupled with empathy, which involves understanding and addressing the customer's feelings and perspectives, personalization can transform a routine service encounter into a memorable and positive experience.

What are the benefits of good customer service?

The benefits of good customer service go beyond just the immediate resolution of issues; they are the building blocks for long-term business success. First and foremost, great customer service fosters trust and loyalty . Customers who consistently receive high-quality customer service are likelier to stick with your brand, even in the face of competition or price changes. This loyalty turns satisfied customers into brand ambassadors willing to share their positive experiences with others, effectively providing free word-of-mouth advertising.

Another significant benefit of good customer service is enhanced brand reputation. Online reviews and social media comments can make or break a business, meaning positive customer service experiences are invaluable. Each satisfied customer becomes a testament to your brand's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. This can lead to a better online and offline reputation, attracting new customers and opening up new markets that might have been inaccessible.

Good customer service also leads to valuable customer insights. Businesses can gather feedback and learn about customer expectations and preferences through meaningful interactions with their customers. This information is crucial for continuous improvement and innovation. Understanding and acting on customer feedback helps businesses improve their customer service skills, products, and services, leading to better offerings and a more targeted approach.

What are the principles of good customer service?

1. Understanding customer expectations: The foundation of good customer service lies in understanding what your customers need and expect from you. In other words, you should be able to address their stated requests and anticipate their unspoken needs. It involves active listening, asking the right questions, and showing genuine interest in their concerns. Truly understanding your customers allows you to provide solutions that exceed their expectations and foster a sense of trust and reliability in your brand.

2. Responsiveness and accessibility: In today's fast-paced world, customers expect quick and easy access to support. Responsiveness is one of the many critical customer service best practices. This includes the speed of your replies and the availability of your support across various channels. No matter the medium, being readily accessible and providing timely assistance is crucial. It shows customers that their time is valued and that you want to provide them with the help they need when needed.

3. Empathy and personalization: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. When it comes to improving customer service skills, this means putting yourself in the customer's shoes and addressing their issues with care and understanding. Coupled with personalized services that cover the individual needs and preferences of each customer, empathy can transform a routine interaction into a memorable experience. Personalization shows customers you recognize them as individuals, which can significantly enhance their satisfaction and loyalty to your brand.

4. Consistency and reliability: Consistency in service quality is vital. Customers should receive the same high customer service every time they interact with your brand. This consistency builds trust and confidence in your services. Reliability also plays a key role, as customers need to feel confident that you will deliver on your promises and be there for them when they need you. Consistency and reliability are the cornerstones of a trustworthy brand, leading to stronger customer relationships .

5. Continuous improvement and adaptation: The customer service landscape is constantly evolving, and so should your approach. You should continuously learn from interactions, feedback, and market trends to improve your customer service skills. This principle involves regularly reviewing and updating your service policies, training your staff, and adopting new technologies or methodologies to improve the customer experience. Being adaptable and open to change demonstrates a commitment to excellence and a desire to serve your customers in the best possible way.

Better customer service starts here.

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Tips to improve customer service

This next section will dive into 29 customer service best practices.

Understand your customer

1. know your customers.

There is absolutely no substitute for knowing who your customers are, why they invested in your product, and what they love or hate about your company. Enable your customer support team to leverage helpdesk software that helps them easily record, analyze, and infer from customer conversations. So whenever your customers contact your support team, they can have meaningful and personalized interactions.

2. Ask your customers questions for better clarity

Make sure you understand what your customers are trying to communicate and clarify whether they understand exactly what you’re saying. You don’t want your customers to think they’re getting 25% off when they get 25% more products.

3. Make collecting customer feedback easy

The key to improving your customer service and growing your business is learning about the good, the bad, and the ugly experiences your customers have faced. Even though you might have accounted for every customer issue as part of your customer service experience strategy, you may face difficulty streamlining the workflow. The best thing your customer support agents can do is create multiple touchpoints along the customer journey to encourage customer feedback .

Train your customer service team

4. imbibe the right customer service best practices .

You must be familiar with the old saying “ The customer’s always right ”. The best customer service reps who have received training along this philosophy develop the ability to swallow their pride and accept blame or negative customer feedback. They are adept at handling unreasonable customers in an empathetic way. Remember, delivering exceptional customer service is your primary goal. If a customer is completely absurd, just be human and let them know that you’re doing your best.

5. Practice empathy, patience, and consistency

Your customers might have many questions, some are just chatty, and others may be annoyed. Your customer support team must be prepared to empathize with your customers and offer the same level of service every time. Well-trained customer service agents are better at building customer relationships and generating high customer loyalty. You may refer to the complete guide to customer service training to onboard your customer service employees.

6. Use the CARP method

Customer service teams need to remain consistent with their tone and the processes they practice. A great way to do both is using the CARP method:

Control the situation

Acknowledge the dilemma

Refocus the conversation

Problem-solving agents ensure happy customers

7. Customer service is a continuous learning process

Every customer is unique, and every customer interaction is different. To handle surprises, a customer service rep should be able to sense the customer’s mood, offer a workaround to address new challenges and be willing to keep learning and upskilling. Don’t forget to share the ultimate guide to customer service skills with your customer service team.

8. Your work ethic = Good customer service for all

Customers will appreciate a customer service representative who closes the loop only when the customer’s problem has been solved. However, a customer service agent is responsible for all your customers. They can’t spend too much time handling one customer while others wait for their concerns to be addressed. A customer service rep must stay focused to achieve the right balance and do justice to all your customers.

9. Use customer service templates

Keep your standards and response times low. You do no need to reinvent the wheel for every primary and common question. Build scalable templates so you can respond to these inquiries with ease and professionalism.

Improve communication skills

10. choose the right tools.

Having the right helpdesk software allows you to integrate with multiple tools and bridge the gap between your customer service team and your customers. Your customer service reps can easily engage with your customers on a platform of their choice with an open and flexible customer service software, and effortlessly collaborate across teams to resolve customer issues in no time.

11. Be real

When you speak or write to your customers, be personable, casual, and most importantly, friendly. Don’t use an overly formal tone to treat customers like a number on your log. We have noticed that many companies have customer service teams that have been trained to be formal, and they seem as if you’re interacting with a programmed robot. Have a real conversation with your customers.

12. Practice active listening

Utilizing proactive customer service skills and active listening go hand in hand. When you use active listening, your customers feel heard. Your support agents must ensure customers understand and trust them by clarifying and rephrasing what they say. Agents can appease angry customers by empathizing with them and reflecting their feelings by saying, “I’m sorry, I can see why that is upsetting” or “That is a problem, and I understand what you’re saying”. Gestures like these make a customer feel valued for their feedback.

13. Practice clear communication

How you communicate with your customers is integral to your business. Positive language, coherent speech, and tone of communication affect your customer’s perception of your brand. Train your customer support reps to be careful with their interactions. Watch out for passive-aggressive language, and avoid slang, colloquialisms, or technical jargon. Keep it simple so your customers understand exactly what is being communicated.

14. Use positive language

Here’s an example of negative language in a customer support setting: “I can’t get you an upgrade until next month. Our service is back-ordered and unavailable right now.” Now, let’s do a quick comparison. Here’s an example of positive language in a customer support setting: “That upgrade will be available next month. I can put in an order for you right now and make sure your account is upgraded as soon as it’s released!” See the difference?

Note: Use positive language, stay cheerful, and always end a conversation after you if the customer is satisfied with the interaction.

15. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know”

Your customers rely on your support team for transparent communication. This requires your team members to know your product inside out and stay updated so they can offer a proactive approach to meet customer expectations. Your support team should know who they can contact for a suitable answer. There might be instances when your support agent doesn’t have an answer to the query raised. Remember: It is okay to tell your customers, “I don’t know”, as long as you follow up with the “But I’ll surely find out”. Customers will appreciate your honesty and your efforts to find the right answer.

16. Admit your mistakes

Humans make mistakes. Remember, when your support team focuses on being human and empathizing with their customers, they should also understand that it’s okay if they make a mistake despite being careful. Admitting that you messed up builds trust and restores your customer’s confidence in your service. It also allows a company to control the situation, re-focus the customer’s attention, and fix the problem.

17. Always close conversations correctly

Every conversation you close with a customer should end with you saying “Is there anything else I can do for you today? I’m happy to help!” and your customer saying, “Yes, I’m all set!” loud and clear. Correctly closing a conversation shows the customer three vital things:

You care about getting things right

You’re willing to keep going until you get things right

The customer is the one who decides what “right” is

18. Follow up after a problem is solved

Follow up with your customers to ensure their issues have been resolved properly and that they were satisfied with the service. A quick phone call, a good support email , or even a feedback survey is a great way to let them know you value your customer’s time and are always on their side.

Keep tabs on your customer service metrics

19. monitor performance metrics for your team..

Don’t rely on “It feels like we spend a lot of time addressing this issue” when customer data can easily eliminate the guesswork. All you need to do is track the frequency of issues and the average handle time, and it will give you the insights you need to improve your business.

20. Solve problems the first time around.

One of the best ways to keep customers happy and be seen as a company that provides outstanding service is to practice first-contact resolution . In other words, solve your customers’ problems the first time they contact you. There’s nothing your customers will appreciate more than getting their issues addressed the first time around.

21. Make sure your customer service team is happy

Your customers and your customer service team’s happiness is equally important. Make sure you keep tabs on how your customer service team feels about their working conditions, compensation, opportunities for career advancement, training, available tools, resources, and their peers. Normalize collecting and receiving employee feedback so you can set benchmarks, revise goals, and track performance metrics.

Personalize your customer experience

22. revisit your customer experience strategy.

Bad customer service at any point in the customer journey can hamper your relationship. To improve customer service, we suggest you pay critical attention to key touchpoints: customer trial periods, customer signups, customer onboarding, etc. Your support team needs a complete view of the customer journey, or you risk bad experiences getting in the way of your business. If they discover a lapse in services, they need to escalate such issues with the management team to fix them.

23. Be accessible

When your support team works day in and day out to add a personal touch to customer interactions, you should understand that 50% of this effort refers to being available. You have to make it easy for your customers to reach you when in need. You might be part of a digital-first business, but you should try to meet your customers in person or offer a video call for face-to-face interactions. Remember, the more you are accessible via phone, chat, text, or email, the more trust you’ll build.

24. Be where your customers are

Make sure your support team has the requisite customer data to craft a personalized customer journey . Be present wherever your customers are. Respond to customer concerns and posts on social media (LinkedIn/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Reviews). Don’t forget to showcase pictures and bios of your support team on your website. Show your customers that your company has real people working to cater to their needs.

25. Create a customer community

A great way to make your customers feel valued is to invite them to a community centered on your product or services. Your customer service team can initiate this by bringing your customers together for webinars, interactive sessions, social media forums, trade shows, and conventions. These forums can also serve as a two-way learning experience for you and your customers.

26. Add a personal touch to show you’re human

We are sure your support agents are doing their best to resolve customer issues quickly and efficiently. However, you should encourage them to identify common ground and shared interests with the customers. They can leverage insights from a real-time dashboard of the right CRM Software and personalize the customer journey. This would help them resolve conflicts more easily and promote customer loyalty.

27. Self-service: Help customers help themselves

Good customer service should always be available, even if you aren’t. Chatbots, FAQs, and Knowledge Bases are a great way to make resources available to your customers without getting involved personally. Make sure you offer a self-service helpdesk with screenshots, videos, and formatted layouts so your customers can choose from these resources at their convenience and avail your services better.

28. Appreciate your customers

Take the time to thank your customers for their faith in you and your services. This is the kind of gesture that builds rock-solid customer relationships . Customer appreciation goes a long way. Special discounts and a preview of new features for your loyal customers will continue to be a win-win strategy by helping you improve customer retention and promote customer loyalty.

29. Remember that customer service is everyone’s job

Everyone in your company should understand the customers’ pain points. When your whole company is involved in ensuring an excellent customer service experience, each team finds a faster way to make amends and drive your business forward. It’s simple, yet often overlooked. For companies that are just getting started, we recommend you just talk to your customers. Here’s a quick guide that might help.

Here are the steps you can take to improve your customer experience while utilizing the customer service tips outlined above. 

Start by choosing the exemplary customer service software for your customer service team. 

Follow up by analyzing your customer interactions and constantly monitoring your customer complaints. 

Understand how your customer feels by interpreting their feedback. 

Personalize your customer service experience and go the extra mile to ensure happy customers. 

Don’t forget to keep tabs on your real-time metrics so your customer service agents can constantly make amends and deliver better customer service. 

This approach will give your loyal customers more reasons to keep coming back for more and help you acquire new customers on the go.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common customer service complaints.

Some of the most common customer service complaints are long wait times, unhelpful agents, automated phone conversations, slow response times, product quality issues, inaccurate information, and more.

What are some examples of good customer service?

Examples of good customer service are practising quick responsiveness so that your replies to customers are fast and accurate across channels and personalization and empathy when addressing customer concerns. Transparency in communication is also an important trait for good customer service.

What are the four keys to good customer service?

The four keys to good customer service are creating personalized experiences, practicing active listening, understanding customer needs, and being personable and friendly when communicating with customers.

What’s the best way to apologize for poor customer service?

The best way to apologize for poor customer service is to make your apology sincere, admit to your mistakes, and take ownership. It is then important to re-focus on fixing the problem.

Related Articles

Customer service software.

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The 8 Key Elements You Need for Good Customer Service

Updated: June 09, 2021

Published: June 10, 2020

Good customer service is like art. It's hard to explain what it is, but you know it when you see it.

For most people, it's easy to distinguish between good and poor service. Defining the difference, however, is another story.

That's because "good" customer service is subjective. It depends on how the customer is feeling in the moment and what they're asking your business to do. This means that even great service can be overlooked if the customer's needs aren't sufficiently met.

So, how do know if your company is providing good customer service?

No matter what industry you're in, there are key elements that are shared in every great service interaction. In this post, we'll list a few of the most important ones you'll need to demonstrate if you want to provide excellent customer service at your business.

Key Elements of Good Customer Service

• Put customer needs first.
• Clarify the customer's goals and roadblocks.
• Prioritize quality over quantity.
• Engage customers with genuine interest and enthusiasm.
• Create accessible, omnichannel support options.
• Troubleshoot collaboratively.
• Ask for feedback and learn from customers.
• Solve for long-term solutions, rather than short-term conveniences.

1. Put customer needs first.

A customer first strategy means your team is committed to finding solutions even when they're difficult to attain or require some out-of-the-box thinking to implement. When a clear solution isn't available, your team goes above and beyond to create workarounds that help customers achieve goals. And, if there's absolutely no way to solve the customer's problem, your team relays the feedback to management so your company can work towards a long-term solution.

This seems like a lot of work for one customer issue, right?

Well, it's this type of commitment that yields excellent service interactions. When customers feel you're as invested in their goals as they are, it becomes easier to work together and troubleshoot issues.

2. Clarify the customer's goals and roadblocks.

Before you begin working on a case, it's important to clarify the customer's goals and roadblocks. This not only makes the purpose of the interaction clear but it also demonstrates a collaborative understanding of the customer's issue. After all, you can't solve the problem if you don't know what the customer is trying to do and what's preventing them from achieving their goal.

3. Prioritize quality over quantity.

During holidays or product launches, you may experience a customer service surge where the volume of your support cases rises significantly. At these times, it can be tempting to focus on solving as many cases as possible instead of thoroughly working through each issue.

Rather than prioritizing speed and efficiency, reps should center their attention on customer delight. It's their job to create positive interactions; it's management's job to find solutions that improve productivity, whether that means adopting customer service technology or rethinking internal support strategies.

4. Engage customers with genuine interest and enthusiasm.

A delightful customer experience typically starts with an enthusiastic greeting. Reps should try to outwardly show their interest in the customer's problem and express an optimistic attitude towards finding a solution.

If you're a more introverted customer service rep, don't feel pressured to act as bubbly as your extroverted colleagues. This can even backfire in some cases as it's hard to focus on keeping up an act while simultaneously working with a customer. Instead, just pay attention to your tone and body language. Look the customer in the eye and smile often — even if you're on the phone, smiling will help portray a positive demeanor.

5. Create accessible, omnichannel support options.

With smartphones putting the internet into the palm of our hands, customers expect an immediate response whenever they need you to answer a question. Whether this means providing support through a variety of communication mediums or having extensive self-service options, your business should make it easy to access your customer service team.

But, that's not all.

Your support channels need to be connected, so customers can freely transition between mediums without having to restart the service process. This type of omnichannel experience removes friction from the interaction and makes it easier to provide effective customer support.

6. Troubleshoot collaboratively.

It's the primary responsibility of the customer service rep to provide an effective solution to the customer's problem.

That's step one. Step two is positioning the response so the customer feels like you came to the conclusion collaboratively. This creates a more delightful experience than if you were to just copy and paste a prewritten solution.

For example, let's say a customer came to you with a routine problem that you know your knowledge base already has a solution for. Instead of immediately giving the customer the page URL, walk them through each step of the document first. If the customer gets stuck, provide the knowledge base article as a handy, additional reference. If they follow along successfully, send them the link as a follow-up guide in case the same issue happens again.

Not only does this approach make customers feel like they found their own solutions, it teaches them how to find answers to their questions independently and reduces case volume for your team.

7. Ask for feedback and learn from customers.

Not every customer interaction is going to be sunshine and rainbows. Some are going to be filled with friction as customers openly provide feedback about your brand.

In these scenarios, it's important to maintain a professional demeanor and treat the situation as a learning opportunity. Rather than taking the criticism personally, look it at as feedback that you can use to improve your customer service offer and your company as a whole.

Start with relaying feedback to management. If the case needs to be escalated, follow procedures for escalation management . If the problem isn't serious enough for that, record the issue and forward the information to whichever team or department would benefit most. As you continue this process, you'll start to see feedback trends forming that can help you make positive adjustments to your support strategy.

8. Solve for long-term solutions, rather than short-term conveniences.

The best way to prove you're on the customer's side is to advocate for long-term solutions over short-term conveniences. This shows the customer that you're not only interested in solving the problem in front of you, but you're also concerned with their overall success.

Some cases might call for you to opt for a short-term solution as it's the best option available at the moment. However, it's important to ensure that short-term solutions don't become long-term ones as your reps continue to work on other cases. When a long-term solution does become available, your team should circle back to these cases and notify customers about the update.

For example, say a customer needed your product to be compatible with IOS systems. When the customer first opened the case, your product couldn't do that, but now, it's a beta feature that users can request. Rather than hoping they'll see promotions for this feature, the rep who managed the case should reopen the support ticket and notify the customer. This level of personalized support shows a genuine commitment to customer success.

For more ways to improve support experiences, master these customer service skills .

Don't forget to share this post!

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Lean more about customer service stats and best practices for this year.

Service Hub provides everything you need to delight and retain customers while supporting the success of your whole front office

Good customer service definition, best practices, and examples

What is good customer service?

I like that LiveAgent provides such close support to our team, never leaving our agents without a reply. Also, they care about their customers and provide close interactions. Happy customer review

I really love the quick, responsive and helpful customer service given by LiveAgent. They have always gone above and beyond in answering questions, without leaving you waiting for hours or days trying to DIY it yourself. Satisfied customer review

7 key elements of good customer service

6 benefits of good customer service, customer insight and market understanding.

Software solutions like LiveAgent can also be valuable in delivering excellent customer service. LiveAgent combines ticketing, live chat, call center , and social media management capabilities into one platform, enabling businesses to centralize customer interactions and gain a comprehensive overview of customer needs. Its robust reporting and analytics features provide valuable insights that can be used to optimize customer service operations and improve customer satisfaction .

Building customer loyalty

Higher customer lifetime value, positive word of mouth and referrals, faster problem resolution, enhanced employee satisfaction, 7 qualities of good customer service, 1. responsiveness, 2. speed and efficiency, 3. competence, 4. consistency, 5. professionalism and courtesy, 6. convenience, 7. being proactive, 6 tips to deliver top-notch customer service, implement self-service options, offer omnichannel support.

A great way to provide this level of support is by implementing a solution like LiveAgent help desk software . With LiveAgent, your customer support team can easily manage all the customers interactions from one universal inbox instead of switching between multiple platforms and losing track of all the customer inquiries.

Streamline with a ticketing system

LiveAgent offers a ticketing tool that can help you organize all communications and keep any customer communication in one ticket thread. You can also create internal tickets that are only visible by other team members. You can use them as notes, reminders, or share important information with your colleagues to facilitate collaboration.

Practice active listening

Show gratitude and appreciation.

By expressing gratitude, whether it is through a personalized thank-you note or a simple verbal acknowledgment, you create a memorable and positive customer experience. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and advocacy because it makes the customer feel valued for choosing your business. Customers who feel appreciated are more likely to become repeat customers and recommend your business to others, driving growth through positive word-of-mouth.

Train and empower your team

Inspire your team, 5 real-life excellent customer service examples.

Zappos is an online retail company that is known for its exceptional customer service through Twitter. Their customer support team actively engages with customers, resolves issues, answers queries, and offers timely assistance in a friendly and helpful manner.

Another great way to show your customers that you care is by offering random acts of kindness. It doesn’t have to be anything big. The important thing is listening to your customers, what they want or need and act on it. One example of a brand that does this well is Lego.

Another example of great customer service is Apple. With their diverse range of products, Apple has revolutionized the tech industry and gathered a devoted following worldwide. But that’s not all! Not only does Apple provide great products, they also set the bar high when it comes to their customer service by offering a personalized approach to technical support.

Uber is a transportation and ride-hailing platform that revolutionized the way people travel by connecting riders with drivers through a mobile app. With its competitive pricing and extensive availability, Uber has become a popular choice for individuals seeking reliable and efficient transportation services.

With a focus on offering affordable and stylish solutions for everyday living, IKEA has gained worldwide popularity. More than that, it is a popular store for individuals and families to spend their free time at.

You are one step closer to excellent customer service

Frequently asked questions, what are the 5 must-have qualities of support reps, what are the most common mistakes that negatively influence effective customer service, what is the role of feedback in improving customer service, how can you provide outstanding customer service using liveagent, what is excellent customer service in bpo.

Discover the benefits of customer service metrics. Learn how to calculate and improve them for enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Learn tips on how to drive a high level of engagement through personalization and build long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Discover what’s new in customer service in 2024! Dive into its types, costs, job requirements, and more with our comprehensive guide.

Take your customer service from good to great with our 5 strategies for repeat orders and watch your business grow rapidly.

You will be in Good Hands!

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12 Ways to Deliver Good Customer Service

April 7, 2022

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Creating a new business is challenging. It is harder to get new customers and make them loyal to your brand. One way to make loyal customers is by providing great customer service. 

Good customer service is meeting and exceeding customers’ expectations . Excellent customer service is when you provide the same service every time a customer contacts your support. For your business to succeed, you should always prioritize customer service and invest in providing a great customer service experience.

But what is good customer service? How can you deliver good customer service? This blog post will cover what good customer service is and how many ways you can deliver excellent customer service.

What is good customer service?

Good customer service means following everything in the rulebook and outside of the rule book to meet customer expectations and try to exceed customer expectations. The goal of good customer service is to build loyalty among customers .

Customers want fast replies when they connect with your support. Sometimes they want that in their preferred channels anytime they want. Often customers will prefer to solve their problems by themselves, going through your knowledge base and self-help resources. 

Your support agents should be friendly and helpful to customers. When your agents empathize with your customers that leave a positive impression on their minds. That’s when customers will gravitate towards your brand every time they purchase. 

Great customer service helps you make regular customers into loyal customers. 56% of customers said they’d spend more on a brand they’re loyal to even if cheaper options existed elsewhere (compared to 34.5% in 2019). Today, providing excellent customer service is one way to build long-term relationships with your customers.

12 practices to deliver good customer service

Bad customer service can ruin your company’s reputation. Great customer service can help you stand out from your competitors, gain a significant market share and win the heart of frustrated customers. Here are 12 ways to deliver excellent customer service to your customers:

1. Listen for understanding

The first thing of great customer service is listening to your customers carefully. Listen to your customer to understand their problems.

Customers contact you when they don’t find any solutions after trying by themselves. Show that you hear when they take their time to contact you. Customers will recognize your effort, which will open up them more.

Do not push your thinking on customers or assume their problems without hearing. Actively listen, repeat the problem to them in your words and show them you understand their problem. Then jump in to solve that. Listening increases the chances to solve customer problems more effectively. 

2. Provide omnichannel support

Today’s digital landscape gives your customers the ultimate freedom to share their experience with your business with the world using just a tweet. If a customer gets a complaint about your business, they will surely share their frustration on social media.

You can’t control the conversations outside your support system. But you can indeed control how to handle the situation. You can jump into conversations or reply to complaints to offer solutions on social media . People prefer channels based on the complexity of their problems. Be flexible and offer support to customers in their chosen channels. 

Train your agents to handle support through multiple channels from the start. If customers open a ticket with your web portal, give them the flexibility to reply to tickets via email or contact agents with video chat if the problem is needed. Your support agents should be able to make the transition smoothly every time they connect with your customers through various channels.

3. Be empathic

Empathy is a golden asset in the customer relationship business. Customers expect you to be empathic and flexible while doing business with them. Being empathic will help you relate to your customers, connect with them deeply, and give you the opportunity to have their loyalty.

People connect with people, not companies. If you can show them a more human side, they will connect with you quickly. Always put customers first, even when you are busy. Train your agents to be more empathic and show that using your words. For example:

“I understand what you are feeling right now; even I would feel that if I was in your situation. Let me help you…..”

You can see what words can do if you use them properly. Having empathy can drive superb customer service and boost organic word-of-mouth marketing. Empathy is the easy way to cultivate a loyal customer base for your brand.

Here is a perfect example of this from pet food brand Chewy:

4. Be creative while solving problems

Not all customers use your products or service in the same way. Customers will use it the way they see it fit. Customer problems will be different as well. You have to provide them with solutions.

Great customer service comes from making it the ultimate goal to help customers succeed. You should be determined to do that no matter what. Do not just follow the same ways to solve every problem. 

Become creative and find alternative solutions for customers’ problems. Suppose it needs you to go outside of company policy but can help your customer, then never hesitate to do that. Customers will recognize your dedication and come back to do business with you from time to time.

5. Deliver fast support

When a customer contacts your support for help, always assume it is their last resort to get help. Typically people will not wait for your support staff to attend their ticket and reply after 24 hours. When a customer contacts you, they expect a fast reply.

Most businesses fail in customer service at this point. Customer expectations will always be high. 66% of customers believe valuing their time should be the most important thing for a business.

You should put a system where your support team can run every day’s support work efficiently. Invest in a suitable help desk that can provide speed, solid integrations, and instant communications with customers through multiple channels. 

Deliver fast support through omnichannel and proactive support by analyzing the demographic of your customers. New generations are more comfortable with email and social media. The old generation prefers phone calls for customer support . Train your support team for both of them. But do not rush to end the call or resolve the ticket without adequately solving the problem. Use automation wisely where the process slows you down. Speed is the quickest way to achieve great customer service.

Deliver Superfast Support!

Provide customer solutions through one-to-one communications right from your help desk software.

6. Personalize customer service

Personalized customer service can help you boost great customer experience. When customers contact your business, they expect a human to reply to their email, not a bot with automated replies. 

Customers feel frustrated if they are not treated as individuals rather than a ticket in your dashboard. It is a human behind the ticket sharing him/his problem with you. Always recognize that when you are having conversations with your customer. Customers expect you to know who they are, 

Do not follow pre-written scripts in phone calls or set automated questions for live chat. Instead, put empathic people in your team and train them to personalize customer support for every customer. Use a help desk system like Fluent Support , where you can see previous conversations, purchase history, or membership details about customers right into their submitted tickets with a profile photo, name, and email. 

A help desk system like this will help your agents know about customers and their relationship with you. They can handle them more flexible way using the information and personalized customer service.

7. Help customers help themselves

Not all customers contact support immediately after facing a problem. Most users search online to find solutions and read company f.a.q’s or knowledge base to learn more. Contacting support is the last step for them. And this percentage is not tiny.

Around 81% of customers try to find solutions by themselves before contacting support. Providing self-service is a perfect way to serve this demographic. But not all companies are taking advantage of them. A knowledge base with detailed articles, video guides, or f.a.q’s can empower your customers and reduce daily tickets.

Resources like this can be an excellent asset for customer support to point users in a support ticket in the right direction. Researchers found that 71% of customers want the ability to solve their issues by themselves. Use knowledge base for complex issues, automated chatbots for simple queasy delivery, and f.a.q for general queries for customers looking for self-service. When you make it easy for customers to help themselves, it will also relieve pressure from your support team. But if your customer still needs human help, make it easy to directly connect with your agent from the knowledge base.

8. Collect customer feedback and analyze

Customer data can help you immensely when it comes to great customer service. Customers’ needs are different in every industry. That’s why you need to collect customer feedback to understand your customers and their needs.

Reach out to your customers and use surveys to collect customer data. Always run surveys before closing support tickets. It will help you determine customer satisfaction and learn about your overall support team’s efforts.

Learn what types of customer data you should collect and how to collect them. Measure your customer service from time to time to deliver excellent customer service perfectly. Accurate customer data will help you improve your support team’s performance and can help you build great products or services through customer suggestions.

9. Be proactively helpful

Anticipating customer needs before they contact your support means proactive support . When you have customer data and preferences, you can analyze them to resolve issues before they arrive or during their first encounter.

Being proactive can boost your customer satisfaction and increase sales. It can save time for both customers and you. Sometimes customers will ask for one thing while not aware of their actual problem. If you can anticipate and solve the problem without asking, they will feel like you value them. When customers reach this level of satisfaction, they will become repeat customers.

10. Become a product expert

Good customer service comes from agents who know the product in and out. As a customer support agent, your work is related to product or service troubleshooting. Product expertise should be your priority.

Train your agents to become experts in your product or service. Your agents should know about the features, enabled use cases, and possible use cases and be aware of the benefits . If they have proper knowledge, they can show it to customers, influence their future purchases and help them get the most out of customers’ purchases.

Agents should be able to do all types of troubleshooting and fix problems within maintaining contact with the product team. Most times, customers will not be aware of certain features; it is your job to tell your customers about them and show them how they might solve their issues.

11. Empower your agents

Invest in your support agents. Your agents are the main bridge between your customers and your business. Take care of your support staff. Empower them to make decisions to help customers no matter what company policy says. The goal should help customers get most of their purchase value.

Train them regularly so they can develop their skills. Great customer support comes from skilled agents. Provide the necessary tools to accelerate their daily workload. Give them access to customer data analytics so your agents can make informed decisions. They will know what areas the support team needs to improve and how customers interact with the help desk. It will help develop their customer service from good to great.

12. Maintain a Positive tone

Maintain a positive tone while talking to your customers. Customers can be angry or rude; your agents should not react negatively. Sometimes a conversation can turn in the wrong way and customers may argue. But your agents should not change their tone in the conversations and maintain their positive attitude.

People can notice tiny changes in your tone, which can influence their decisions. Train your agents to use emotional intelligence. It is the ability to read and react to people’s emotions. The higher emotional intelligence you have, the higher chances you can influence customers to have positive impressions about your brand. It will help you retain customers and reduce customer churn.

A positive attitude towards angry customers can make them happy customers through great customer service. Treat your customer as the center of your world. Your attitude will reflect it naturally. Being a customer-centric company can help you stand apart from your competitors.

Delivering good customer service is vital for businesses to get ahead of their competitors. Always try to under-promise and over-deliver support for great customer engagement. People want to be treated like humans. Humanize your customer support, train support agents properly, and provide innovative self-service tools. 

Being empathic and proactively helpful can accelerate good customer service transcendence to great customer service. Y our end goal should be to make your customer happy as a business.

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Nishat Shahriyar

I am a Full Stack Product Marketer by day, a Content Creator by night. My passion is Content Marketing through strategy, content creation and 360-degree customer experience. I love exploring new ideas and meeting new people who are always curious. I love spending time with my family when I’m not writing at nishishere.com

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The 8 Key Benefits of Good Customer Service: Enhance Your Customer Loyalty

• May 28, 2024

• Productivity
• October 3, 2023

Reader Disclosure:  Some of the posts on our site may contain affiliate links. Clicking may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! Read our  Disclosure

In today’s competitive business landscape, providing exceptional customer service has become more crucial than ever. It goes beyond merely satisfying customers. It’s about creating memorable experiences that build loyalty and drive growth. In this article, we will explore the benefits of good customer service that come with delivering top-notch customer service and how it can positively impact businesses of all sizes.

What Are the Benefits of Good Customer Service

Good customer service is a topic that may not be on everyone’s mind, but it is one that can make or break a business. The benefits of good customer service are numerous, and they are something that should not be taken lightly. The Benefits of Good Customer Service are given below:

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Enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty

Good customer service can make all the difference in the success of a business, and one of the key benefits is enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty. A great customer experience builds trust and confidence in a brand that is hard to replicate with other marketing efforts. When customers feel valued and taken care of, they are more likely to return and recommend the business to others, resulting in increased profits and positive word-of-mouth. 

In today’s competitive market, providing exceptional customer service is essential for businesses to stand out and thrive. By prioritizing the customer experience , businesses can cultivate a loyal customer base and establish a reputation for excellence in their industry.

Increased customer retention and reduced churn

Good customer service has the potential to transform a customer’s experience completely. It can be the difference between someone who is satisfied and ecstatic about their interaction with a company. Providing good customer service not only leads to happy customers but also has a positive impact on business outcomes. 

Great customer service means a higher likelihood of customers returning to do business with a company again, which ultimately leads to increased customer retention and reduced churn. This is crucial for companies seeking steady growth and a competitive edge in their respective industries. Overall, prioritizing good customer service is a win-win situation for both customers and businesses.

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Brand reputation and differentiation

Delivering top-notch customer service is paramount in upholding a brand reputation and setting oneself apart in today’s fiercely competitive market. By consistently providing exceptional service, businesses have the opportunity to cultivate a devoted customer base who will enthusiastically champion their brand.

Beyond fostering customer loyalty , excellent service can directly translate into heightened profitability. Satisfied customers tend not only to make repeat purchases but also to refer others, leading to an organic expansion of the customer base.

Additionally, excellent customer service can set a business apart from its competitors, as customers are more likely to choose a brand that provides them with a great experience. Ultimately, investing in good customer service can pay off in numerous ways, from enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty to gaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Revenue Growth and Profitability

Good customer service plays a pivotal role in driving business revenue and enhancing profitability. When patrons are delighted with the level of service they experience, it cultivates a sense of loyalty, often resulting in them becoming steadfast customers who enthusiastically refer your business to others. This ripple effect translates into amplified sales figures and elevated customer retention rates, ultimately bolstering your bottom line.

In addition, good customer service can also help to reduce expenses related to marketing and advertising. When customers find satisfaction in the service they receive, they tend to organically share their positive experiences with others. This organic sharing can translate into invaluable word-of-mouth marketing for your business, essentially free and driven by genuine endorsements from happy customers.

Employee Satisfaction and Productivity

Everyone loves great customer service, but the benefits extend beyond just a happy customer. It turns out that good customer service can lead to employee satisfaction and increased productivity. When employees are trained to provide excellent service and are given the resources to do so, they are more engaged and invested in their work. 

Additionally, satisfied customers mean fewer complaints and less stress on employees. This positive environment can translate to better performance and overall job satisfaction. So, it’s no wonder that organizations that prioritize good customer service tend to have happier employees and a more successful business.

Better Work Environment

Providing good customer service is not only beneficial for customers but also for the business as a whole. Another key advantage of delivering outstanding service is creating a better work environment. Satisfied customers provide positive feedback and return for future purchases, motivating the staff and boosting morale. 

It also reduces stress levels among staff as they do not frequently have to deal with irate or unhappy customers. A positive and supportive work environment not only helps retain existing employees but also attracts new talent to the company. Good customer service is a win-win situation for everyone involved and creates a harmonious atmosphere that benefits the business in the long run.

Spend Less on Marketing

There’s no denying that customer service plays an essential role in shaping the reputation of a business. Not only does good customer service increase customer loyalty, but it can also help a company save money on marketing efforts. By providing exceptional customer service, businesses can develop a loyal customer base that will not only return for future purchases but also recommend the business to their friends and family. 

Word-of-mouth marketing is incredibly valuable and costs nothing, making it a cost-effective way to increase sales. Simply put, investing in good customer service has more benefits than just happy customers. It can positively impact a company’s bottom line.

Insights for Business Improvement

Good customer service goes beyond simply satisfying your customers’ needs or solving their problems. When companies proactively interact with their customers through customer service channels, they can gather valuable insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points. These insights, in turn, can be used to identify areas for improvement, fine-tune products or services, and ultimately enhance the overall customer experience. 

And if there’s one thing that customers appreciate more than anything else, it’s a company that goes above and beyond to provide them with exceptional service. By investing in good customer service, businesses can not only grow their bottom lines but also build strong, loyal customer relationships that last for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can good customer service improve customer satisfaction during challenging times .

Good customer service becomes even more critical during challenging times, such as product recalls or service disruptions. You can mitigate dissatisfaction and maintain customer trust and loyalty by proactively communicating with customers, providing timely updates, and offering solutions or compensations.

Can good customer service help businesses recover from negative online reviews? 

Yes, good customer service can help businesses recover from negative online reviews. By promptly addressing negative feedback, showing empathy, and offering solutions, you demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction. This proactive approach can often turn dissatisfied customers into satisfied ones, leading them to update or remove negative reviews.

How does good customer service impact customer referrals? 

Good customer service has a direct impact on customer referrals. Customers who have a positive experience are more likely to refer your business to others. By implementing a referral program and incentivizing customers to refer their friends and family, you can leverage the power of good customer service and excellent guest service to drive new customer acquisition.

In conclusion, the benefits of good customer service cannot be overstated if you want to enhance customer loyalty. Customers today are more demanding than ever, and they expect more from businesses in terms of the quality of service they receive. By providing excellent customer service , you’ll be able to stand out from the competition and build long-term relationships with your customers. 

Whether it’s improving customer satisfaction ratings, increasing referrals, or boosting sales, the benefits of good customer service are numerous and impactful. Ultimately, investing in customer service will pay off in the form of loyal customers who will continue to do business with you repeatedly.

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8 examples of good customer service (that all have...)

What does good customer service look like? You probably know when you’ve experienced it, and you certainly know when you’ve experienced bad customer service , but for a small business with a small support team (if you have one at all), it can be a difficult goal to define.

Even when you try to drill down and look specifically at things like fast service, what does “fast” mean? Fast relative to what? How long is an appropriate hold time if you’re practicing agile customer service ?

So, we’ve compiled a few real-life examples of good customer service, not only what it looks like, but we’ll also give you a sneak peek into how it was achieved—by our very own customers.

Hopefully, these examples will spark ideas for your own customer service team—even if it’s a department of one right now—that’ll weave positive customer experiences into the fabric of your small business as you grow.

Because, for small businesses, the importance of good customer service isn’t just a nice-to-have. Depending on your field and business model, it could be the thing that keeps subscriptions going, encourages referrals, and leads to repeat business.

Basically, good customer service can really impact your bottom line.

If you want to manage a small business that’s successful, you can’t just hope that good customer service happens on it’s own—you have to actively take the steps and build the systems that’ll make it happen at your company.

In this post, let’s look at:

• What is “good customer service?”
• Naked Wines: Be available when customers are calling
• Porch: Respect your customers’ time
• Optimum Credit: Offer multiple support channels
• Thompson Law: Don’t leave callers hanging
• Theralent: Increase customer service speed with smart integrations
• 24 Hour Tees: Automate simple questions to save time
• Essential Federal Credit Union: Monitor calls to improve the quality of your customer service
• Beauty Solutions: Combine team efforts to create great customer service

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What is “good” customer service?

Before we dive into the examples, let’s examine the pillars of good customer service.

For most people, good customer service is one of those “I know it when I see it” kind of things. You can probably find a few examples just by reflecting on both negative and positive customer service experiences you’ve had in the past.

But how can we find concrete ways to create a “good” customer service experience?

Ongoing training

Some things, like customer service reps simply being kind, are foundational to good customer service. But even if you hire the nicest staff in the world, you need to empower them with the strategies and tools, like customer service apps , to execute their jobs properly.

After all, a nice but ineffective agent is still going to make for frustrated customers. Nobody wants to spend an hour on the phone—and not get their problems solved. Actually, there are a few things that people don’t like about the experience of calling a company:

So it should be no surprise that effectiveness is a major facet of quality customer service. In fact, in one survey, lack of effectiveness was the top-cited customer service issue. 1

So, how can you make “effectiveness” happen? First off, education is key. As your support team grows, make sure that they receive consistent training and have the resources to quickly answer customers’ questions.

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Accessible knowledge

Speaking of which, another way to make your customer service more effective is to make team knowledge easily accessible between everyone. Specifically, everyone should be able to quickly pull up a customer’s history and past conversations so that you’re not making them repeat themselves to different people. In fact, in a recent survey of consumers, 70% of respondents in the Customer Communications Review said they found it “very annoying” to be transferred to a different rep and have to explain their situation all over again.

If you use a call routing or interactive voice response system, design it in such a way to get your customers on the phone with someone who can actually answer their questions. Some tools can help you pull this off pretty easily—for example, RingCentral’s “answering rules” feature lets you route calls to the person who’s best suited for certain types of questions. Learn more about how it works here .

You can also find ways to empower your customer support team to communicate with the rest of your teams—development, sales, and marketing, for instance—so that they can get customer issues resolved without having to forward calls.

If you have a team messaging platform, everyone can send messages to each other in real time to get questions answered quickly—some of these apps even include calling and video conferencing for those trickier conversations that are better over the phone:

A shared responsibility

Emphasize that customer service doesn’t live in one department, but instead is the responsibility of your whole company.

That kind of customer service teamwork is more important than you may initially think. According to Salesforce, 70% of customers believe that it’s important for customer service representatives to have an awareness of sales interactions. 3

Your team can’t be working in silos !

At a small company, it might be easy enough to encourage communication between the sales and support teams.

As you grow, though, be sure your support staff has access to your CRM (yes, even though it’s usually marketed as a sales software ) so that they can quickly get up to speed on each customer’s details. You can even use integrations or task automation platforms to have that customer information automatically pop up when they call in, saving a ton of time.

And on that note…

It should be no surprise that time is of the essence when it comes to great service. In fact, “the call taking too long” was the top reason for customers hanging up on a company:

The previous steps should all help you solve your customers’ problems more quickly, but you can also respect their precious time with flexible communications options (aka omnichannel customer service ), automated call-backs instead of long on-hold times, and effective call routing.

As you’ll see, the following examples of good customer service will reflect different ways to execute on these pillars in your own business.

8 examples of good customer service—from our own customers

We can talk about customer service best practices all day, but, ultimately, one of the best ways to learn is by example. So, here are some of the best examples of great customer service stories from our very own customers.

From using data to refine your process or staffing needs, to using technology to route calls to the staff members best suited to receive them, our customers know a lot about what it takes to provide the best customer service.

1. Naked Wines: Be available when customers are calling

Nobody likes waiting on hold—but no business wants an overstaffed support team during lulls. Striking the right balance is crucial, especially for small businesses looking to prioritize customer service without breaking the bank.

So, how do you figure out the best schedule for your customer support team? Use data.

Naked Wines is a company that allows wine-lovers to invest in independent winemakers through a monthly recurring payment that they then use to purchase wine at a discount.

And when your customers are also investors, you don’t want to leave them waiting on hold. By using live reporting data, the service team is able track call volume in real time. They can see not only how many calls are coming in, but also how many customers are on hold, which queues they’re in, and how many support agents are available.

These are all numbers that the Naked Wines team tracks in real time so they can make the right staffing arrangements to guarantee that customers don’t have to wait too long on hold. Whether that means rebalancing staff among their different queues or pulling in additional team members to help, it all leads to a better customer service experience.

Having those live reports available makes it easy to access all of that information in real time:

According to Mark Hansen, Customer Happiness Phone Team Manager at Naked Wines, the data “really helps us shine a light and get visibility into what’s coming our way and proactively plan our staffing based on these patterns and call volume forecasts.”

The takeaway? More data = faster service = happier customers

Let your customer data teach you about your customers. From when they call in, to how they like to communicate with support staff, the numbers can teach you a lot about the best way to serve your customers.

Just be sure you use a contact center platform that makes your data easy to access.

2. Porch: Respect your customers’ time

Speaking of how customers like to communicate with support, another way to provide great customer service is to provide options tailored to customer needs—and be respectful of their valuable time.

Time issues like waiting on hold, waiting for an email response, or not having support available when it works for them are surefire ways to make a negative customer service experience.

Porch , a service that connects homeowners to professionals that help them improve their home, is avoiding those kinds of timing issues by using the right communication platform.

As the main connection point between a homeowner and a service provider (like contractors, electricians, movers, and painters), Porch really relies on efficient—and effective—communication.

This is especially important because if you’re an electrician (or mover or painter), you’re probably spending most of your time on-site—which means that your cell phone is your communication lifeline.

To be able to stay in touch throughout the day, Porch uses RingCentral to offer two-way SMS communications so that their contractors can coordinate and schedule their work right from their cell phones—without giving up their personal numbers.

That also means that these service providers can offer quick responses and be flexible if they have to adjust their schedules on the fly.

On the other hand, for their customers who call in, Porch is able to offer alternative options to long hold times thanks to call-backs. When hold times are long, customers can just leave a call-back number, and the system will hold their place in line and call them back when someone is available.

These features might not seem like a priority, but even seemingly little things like automated call-backs allow a small team to manage an influx of calls without inconveniencing customers and keep them happy.

Provide this level of service by digging into your customer profiles and the data you have. What do their work hours and communication preferences look like? How can you tailor your customer service experience to suit these needs?

3. Optimum Credit: Offer multiple support channels

When you’re looking at your customer profiles and lifestyles, you may want to consider offering support in different forms.

While many customers still prefer the phone, more and more of them are starting to reach out to companies in other ways—like through social media.

For instance, for self-sufficient customers with a quick question, a knowledge base may be all they need. Other customers may want to chat or email with your support team. For high-touch or older customers, you might want to continue to offer a phone call option.

Optimum Credit , a second charge mortgage company based in Wales, does exactly that. They recognized that customers wanted to communicate with them across different channels, so they began experimenting with an omnichannel strategy.

Adding web chat to their telephone service has been particularly appealing as they expand to offer more direct-to-consumer products.

Wondering how you could possibly manage multiple support channels with a small team? With RingCentral it’s not an issue.

“With RingCentral, we can manage different channels within a unified contact centre queue,” said Paul Strinati, Founding Partner & IT Director at Optimum Credit.

Here’s how it looks:

Offer multiple options for customers with questions—you can start with social media, email, and phone calls, for instance. Measure which channels are most frequently used to see where your customers prefer to communicate.

4. Thompson Law: Don’t leave callers hanging

Another area where it pays to be speedy? Connecting your callers with the right support staff right away. Not only can a good call-routing system keep your customers happy—it’ll also help relieve staff workload and improve team efficiency .

Just ask the team at Thompson Law , an injury law firm with a speciality in auto accidents, workplace injuries, medical malpractice, product liabilities, and other injuries. When word got out about their 90% success rate at getting clients a cash reward, the calls started coming in.

It wasn’t all good news, though—not only were they forced to scale quickly (which their old phone system couldn’t handle), but their receptionists were also swamped.

“We were overwhelming our front-desk staff with transferring calls, and not creating a great experience for callers.” said Kirk Lee, IT consultant for Thompson Law .

The solution? They switched to a phone system that could handle the volume—and reduce stress on their receptionists.

By choosing a solution with an intelligent routing capability, they were able to automatically route calls where they needed to go.

“We were able to integrate [RingCentral Contact Center] with our case management platform to automatically direct an existing client to the attorneys or support staff handling that specific case,” Lee said.

It’s a win-win: clients get directed where they need to go immediately, reducing hold times and getting them the personalized experience they want. And their busy receptionists got a lighter load of calls to direct.

By taking advantage of automated customer service , they were able to give customers a better support experience.

Plus, the system is more efficient and cost-effective. Where they previously had to hire a third-party call center to help with overflow, they now had call management capabilities internally. RingCentral automatically routes prospect calls to a Phase 1 team of experts and sends overflow calls to second, third, and fourth-level teams—eliminating the need to pay for a third-party call center.

Invest in the tools to get customers to the right team member, right away. Your customers will be happy not to wait on hold, only to reach someone who redirects their call anyway.

5. Theralent: Speed up customer service using integrations

When your customers call, you need to make sure that whoever picks up the phone has the information they need to answer their questions.

But it’s a pretty big ask for a customer service rep to know every single little thing about your product. In fact, it’s pretty rare—and we’d argue unrealistic. This is where having tools and software that “talk to each other” is important. If you have the right connections between the customer service apps you’re using, you can help your customer service team get questions answered much more quickly.

Allow us to explain.

Theralent is a small recruiting firm with only a few employees—which means they value efficiency not only for their customers, but for their own team as well.

Luckily, through integrations, they’re able to deliver quality customer service—fast—simply by making sure their team has all of the information they need at their fingertips.

Specifically, they’ve integrated their communication platform, RingCentral, with Crelate (an applicant tracking software that the Theralent team uses every day).

What does this integration look like ? Well, when someone on Theralent’s team views a candidate profile in Crelate, a RingCentral pop-up widget appears that allows them to call or text the candidate—right from their screen:

They can even take notes in RingCentral during their calls, which automatically sync to Crelate. If they can’t reach a candidate, they can leave a note to remind themselves why they were calling, so they’re prepared when the candidate calls back.

It sounds simple, but according to Jason Lewis, Founder and President, “I’d estimate this integration saves me at least an hour or two every day.” Not only that, but it’s giving him and his team the ability to deliver great client service, quickly.

For a business that runs on effective communications, the right technology makes a big difference.

Use one of RingCentral’s many integrations (or use Zapier or Workato to create one) to connect all of the office apps your support team uses everyday. Not only will this help you keep all of your information in the same place, but you’ll also be able to create a smoother, more streamlined customer experience.

6. 24 Hour Tees: Automate simple questions to save time

Inevitably, there are a range of customers that come through any support channel, from big, complicated questions to quick and easy ones.

If you’re sending every question to the same queue, though, you might be losing out on an opportunity for speedy service.

Just ask T-shirt manufacturer 24 Hour Tees . They’ve been able to maintain a lean team despite significant and fast growth—and they did it using simple automations.

For instance, they get a lot of relatively easy questions from customers like “What’s my order status?”

Because they use a phone system that gives them the same business number for voice calling and texting ( RingCentral ), customers can easily send these kinds of quick questions via SMS.

Then, their system automatically searches the database to see if that customer has an open order and what the status is. An automated, pre-written response then goes out right away. You can learn more about how it works in this clip:

That’s the kind of smart automation that serves both customer and company goals.

Keep customers happy by getting them simple answers quickly. Track your most frequently asked questions and create systems so that these simple requests aren’t waiting in your support queue.

7. Essential Federal Credit Union: Monitor calls to improve the quality of your customer service

Once your customer service department grows to more than a couple of people, it becomes important for managers to keep a finger on the pulse of the service that your customers are getting.

Even if you think you’re not quite at that point yet, tracking your data over time is crucial to understanding your growth, allocating resources, and optimizing for the best customer experience.

The right technology can make it easy to get both qualitative and quantitative insights into your customer service—the kind of insights that help everyone improve.

For Essential Federal Credit Union, it was easy to draw a direct line from this increased visibility to an improvement in customer service quality.

Their original problem: “we had no visibility into who was picking up calls, how long those calls were taking, or which agents were available for a call—not without literally walking the floor and monitoring the whole team all day,” said Catrice Lee, Call Center Manager for Essential FCU.

Plus, without the information they needed on their call data, they also faced issues in both over- and understaffing their call center.

They needed better data.

So, they switched to a contact center platform that gave them detailed reporting. (Yep, it was RingCentral). Now, they could measure agents’ performance and set goals for individual team members to make sure the team is continuously improving.

Plus, supervisors could now monitor support calls, jump in to solve complex issues, and identify opportunities for improvement—ultimately, creating a better customer experience .

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💰 You can also use this calculator to see roughly how much your business could save by using RingCentral to support your team’s communication with each other—and clients.

8. Beauty Solutions: Combine team efforts to create great customer service

As we mentioned, customer service isn’t just the responsibility of your support department. Everyone who communicates with your customers directly—and even those who don’t—can be working together to make sure customers have a great experience that keeps them coming back.

Beauty Solutions is a wholesaler and education resource for salons in the western United States, and they’ve done a great job of baking a collaboration hub into their business systems to offer better customer service.

For instance, their brick-and-mortar store employees are also fully trained on their products, so when call center wait times get too long, they can log in remotely and start answering customer questions.

While support may not be the main focus of their job, this flexibility gives them the opportunity to step in and support the team. Plus, it makes customers happy since they spend less time waiting for support.

The Beauty Solutions team has also created a system for sales and support to answer questions quickly through their communication tool . How they did it was actually pretty straightforward. They simply created a team called “Education Questions” in their internal communications app, which became a forum for everyone to get real-time answers. Reps can post questions in real time, and someone will answer quickly:

An example of a team messaging thread in RingCentral’s desktop app

“That’s so important because it means our rep doesn’t have to break the momentum of the conversation with that client by calling in to our office,” said Shane Brown, IT Marketing Coordinator for Beauty Solutions.

They also recognize that busy reps don’t always have the time to check voicemails right away. So other team members pitch in, checking voicemails to weed out those who should be forwarded straight to the customer service team—and flagging the ones that need immediate attention.

This efficient flow of communication is possible because they chose the right technology for both internal and external communications.

With everyone sharing the workload, Beauty Solutions is able to offer their customers the best possible customer service experience.

Especially for small businesses, it’s crucial to instill the importance of customer service across the entire company. Share the workload by training all team members on the importance of customer service and empower them to share information internally that contributes to a great customer experience.

What does good customer service look like for your business?

Customer service can be a challenging area for small businesses to manage—there’s a lot that goes into it, and it can quickly become overwhelming.

And whether your business operates on a subscription model or relies on referrals (or wants to get more repeat purchases), good customer service is almost always crucial to your bottom line.

Through these examples from our very own customers, we hope you can learn the skills and tactics you need to make sure your business is providing great customer service. With the right techniques combined with the right technology, even the smallest of businesses can have a large, positive impact on customer satisfaction.

1 statista.com/statistics/815599/causes-of-customer-service-frustration-us

Originally published Apr 01, 2020, updated Jun 07, 2024

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“What Does Customer Service Mean to You?” (Example Answers Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

If you’re applying for a customer service representative job, there’s a ridiculously good chance the hiring manager is going to ask you, “What does customer service mean to you?” Yes, it may seem like a weird question. After all, don’t they know what customer service is all about?

The thing is, this question isn’t about what they know; it’s about what you think. Plus, while it may look like they’re simply after a definition, that isn’t actually the case. There’s way more to this question than that, and it’s crucial to understand what’s up if you’re going to get your answer right.

So, if you need to make sure you can explain what great customer service means to you, here’s what you should know.

What Is Customer Service?

Okay, let’s start by talking about what customer service even is, to begin with. In the simplest sense, customer service is the act of providing support, guidance, or assistance to people who are intending to buy or currently using a product or service.

In a customer service position, you may answer questions, provide recommendations, troubleshoot issues, and handle similar responsibilities that are customer-oriented. At times, there may be some selling involved, too, but aggressive sales techniques aren’t part of the typical equation.

In the world of business, the importance of customer service can’t be overstated. Overall, 90 percent of shoppers factor in customer service quality when deciding whether or not to actually make a purchase. Plus, 92 percent of consumers are more likely to make subsequent purchases when they’ve had a positive experience before.

When you’re interviewing for a customer service job, the hiring manager wants to make sure you can represent the company well. You’re one of the faces of the business, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

During your interview, you need to showcase skills that align with the role. Customer service skills can run the gamut, ranging from communication and empathy to problem-solving and analysis, so it’s wise to tap on several areas along the way.

Why Does the Hiring Manager Ask This Question?

So, why is the hiring manager asking you, “What does customer service mean to you?” Mainly because they want to see if your perspective aligns with the company’s.

They aren’t looking for a textbook definition. Instead, the hiring manager is after something a bit more personal, letting them get a glimpse into how you think.

Common Mistakes When Answering This Question

As with all interview questions, it’s possible to make mistakes when you answer, “What does customer service mean to you?”

One of the biggest missteps is taking the question too literally. Again, the hiring manager isn’t asking for a dictionary definition; they want your perspective. While you can add some tidbits about how it’s actually defined, that shouldn’t be the core of your answer.

Similarly, focusing too much on the job d escription isn’t a great move. The hiring manager isn’t asking for a rundown of typical customer service responsibilities. They are after something deeper, ensuring they can get some clues about your mindset.

Finally, not discussing any examples of good customer service isn’t a smart move. While you can technically answer the question without one, you’re missing an opportunity to highlight why you’re amazing.

Whenever possible, segue into an example that showcases great customer service on your part. That way, you can give your response extra oomph.

Also remember, this is just one question the hiring manager could ask you in your interview! That’s why we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview.

Click below to get your free PDF now:

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FREE BONUS PDF CHEAT SHEET: Get our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you " word-word sample answers to the most common job interview questions you'll face at your next interview .

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Tips for Answering This Question

At this point, you should have a good idea of what customer service is and why having an excellent answer to this question is crucial. So, let’s move onto how you can create a great response.

Here are three exceptional tips that can help you create a winning answer.

1. Talk About Why Customer Service Matters

At the start of your answer, take a moment to explain why you think customer service matters. When you do that, you show that you understand the importance of customer service, and that makes a difference.

In most cases, you can cover this with just a single sentence. By keeping this moment brief, you’ll have plenty of time to dig deeper.

2. Share an Example of Excellent Customer Service (and How It Made a Difference)

Examples speak louder than anything else during an interview. It lets the hiring manager “see” you in action, creating opportunities for them to learn more about how you would perform in the role.

Ideally, you want to choose examples of good customer service that connect with why you think being exceptional in this area is important. One of the best options is to talk about a time when you made a real difference for the customer. A standout moment can be very powerful, especially if it’s unique.

3. Research the Company’s Customer Service Position

If you want more information that helps you align your response with the hiring manager’s needs, look no further than the company’s customer service position.

By reviewing formal policies along with mission and values statements, you can get a ton of insight into the company’s perspective. Once you get that worked out, you can see if the company’s priorities align with your own, as well as what it will take to align your answer with that position.

How to Answer the Interview Question “What Does Customer Service Mean to You?”

Alright, it’s time for what you’ve been waiting for: an overview of how to answer, “What does customer service mean to you?”

As we mentioned above, the response needs to be a little personal. Spend some time reflecting on your customer service experiences, both as an employee and a consumer. Think about what really made a difference and how any actions reflected on the company.

After that, you need to go with the right strategy. By using the Tailoring Method , you can figure out which customer service examples and skills best align with that specific job. It makes your responses as relevant as humanly possible, and that matters.

Once you have some examples in mind, quantify the details. Numbers add a level of precision and give the hiring manager critical context. Plus, they make sure you aren’t just saying you were successful; they help you prove it.

Try to get at least one metric into your response. That way, your answer will pack as much of a punch as possible.

Want to see all of those tips in action? Great! Here are three example answers that you can use as inspiration.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

“In my eyes, offering exceptional customer service doesn’t just help a company stand out from the competition; it also boosts customer loyalty by making buyers feel welcome, cared for, and supported. To me, customer service means giving that little bit extra. While going the extra mile is important, so is going that extra inch. Every action matters, and even small ones can have a substantial impact. When I was working as a retail clerk at a clothing store, a woman came in who appeared a bit nervous. I greeted her warmly, offering my assistance. She approached and said that she’d recently experienced a significant weight change and wasn’t sure how to shop for her new body type. I told her that I was happy to help guide her. After asking her about style preferences, I gathered five tops and bottoms for her to try on. We used that as a starting point. As she found pieces she loved, we built on those successes. It was a methodical process but also an emotional journey that spanned over an hour, and I was by her side the entire way. After she was finishes picking out her new outfits, she was both elated and relieved. Not only was her shopping trip a success, but she had a newly found confidence, which was far more than she expected. It led to a $500 sale, as well as a new sign-up for the store card, and she even referred three friends to our store. That’s the customer service experience I aim to emulate every day, as I genuinely think that’s a prime example of what customer service means to me.”

2. Restaurant

“Great customer service has the ability to take a challenging situation and turning it into something amazing. That’s the foundation of loyalty, as it shows the company will go the extra mile, all in the name of customer satisfaction. In my last position at a local diner, we had a day where we were unexpectedly shorthanded. This led to long wait times for customers, both when it came to being seated and after ordering. I wanted to do what I could to mitigate the frustrations. I began by frequently communicating about the wait times, ensuring customers understood the nature of the situation right away. That was surprisingly effective on its own, as those who decided to dine with us that day weren’t caught off-guard by any delays. After that, I arranged to speed up drink services. We offered beverages to those who were waiting to be seated, making the up to 45-minute wait more comfortable. Additionally, we handed out menus to those in the waiting area, allowing them to make decisions about their meal in advance. Together, the drinks and menus change cut down the time the diners spent at the table by 15 minutes, leading to faster turnover while bettering their experience. All along the way, I focused on keeping a positive attitude. I showcased my appreciation for their patience, a small gesture that has a major impact on mood. I also remained diligent, checking in regularly to make sure they were happy. I required a lot of effort, but, in the end, customer satisfaction remained high. In many ways, that outcome is what customer service means to me; the ability to work through a challenging time while keeping the customers happy.”

3. Call Center

“Customer service isn’t just about making customers happy; it’s about ensuring they feel heard. When that happens, the company’s reputation reaches new heights, as everyone feels respected and valued. When I was working in my last call center position, I received a call from a customer who wasn’t just frustrated, by incredibly stressed. The product – which was used by her young son – wasn’t working properly, causing him to become upset. During our conversation, I worked to learn more about the nature of the situation. Along the way, I discovered that her son had a challenging medical condition, and the product was a primary source of comfort to him during a trying time. After learning that detail, I reached out to my manager to see what options were available, explaining the nature of the situation. We discovered that the customer’s issue was repairable, but it required a hands-on approach. My manager was able to coordinate with other teams swiftly, finding a person who could head out to fix the problem right away. In just two hours, everything was working correctly once more. Actively listening to the caller created an opportunity to go the extra mile. I took that lesson to heart and, in the end, use the experience as a reminder of what customer service can genuinely mean.”

Putting It All Together

Now, you should have a solid idea of how to answer “What does customer service mean to you?” Use those tips to your advantage. That way, when your next interview rolls around, you’ll be ready to shine.

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Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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11 great customer service examples

Excellent customer service is essential for business. In fact, consumers are willing to spend 17 percent more with companies that deliver great customer service, according to American Express .

Unfortunately, it’s true that bad news travels faster than good news, especially in the age of social media. Most customer service stories online are about a bad customer service experience, and consequently, you don’t always hear about companies who are achieving customer satisfaction.

Keep scrolling to find customer service examples that will inspire, as well as tips for improving your customer experience.

What does excellent customer service look like?

The definition of “good” customer service is flexible, because it entirely depends on the level of expectation that customers have for your brand. This can be affected by variables such as your industry, product cost, brand reputation and more.

For example, if you’re flying in Economy, you don’t expect a 5* service with champagne and snacks - but if you were flying Business class, you’d be annoyed if those things weren’t provided for the higher cost of your seat.

What consumers expect from your customer service experience is the key factor in whether they perceive your brand to be great or terrible. Do they want to be able to resolve issues on multiple channels, or do they go to one channel for specific problems? Is your average response time more important to them, or is it how many self-service options you provide that matters? Is poor customer service the main reason why they might try a competitor?

Your support teams are your front line, shaping customer experience on a day-to-day basis. They can be proactively helpful in providing customer service that’s memorable, and turn a bad customer service experience around.

Investing in great service is worth your while. Don’t lose customers and brand loyalty by failing to meet and exceed expectations - grow your business’ revenue by ensuring that your excellent service keeps customers coming back.

Examples of good customer service experiences are more often than not the result of a kind, customer-centric service agents who are good at the following things:

Good customer service examples

• Responding quickly: A customer will appreciate fast response times when they want to ask a question or highlight a problem.
• Acting on customer feedback: When a customer support agent acts on the feedback they’ve received, it shows them that their opinion mattered.
• Showing empathy: Employees that try to understand a customer’s point of view make a customer feel valued, and can turn an angry customer into a happy one.
• Maintaining customer self-service options: Sometimes customers would prefer to find their own answer to problems rather than getting in touch with your customer service center. Having an up-to-date FAQ page or knowledge article base can be very helpful.
• Providing omnichannel support: Different communication channels can support customers that have busy schedules or want flexibility in how they connect with businesses. Your customer service teams need to be prepared to offer support through email, phone, live chat, and social media.
• Going the extra mile: When an employee is able to deliver excellent customer service beyond the customer’s expectations or adds a personal touch to the service experience, it can leave a positive impression and increase customer loyalty.

A less generalized amd more specific example of enhancing customer satisfaction and building loyalty is by offering discounts and coupons (depending on your industry and needs).

Why is delivering excellent customer service important?

There are several reasons why great customer service is important for your business. Below we list the most important ones.

Satisfied customers will spend more

According to Hubspot , 68 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from brands associated with excellent customer service. When you invest in delivering great customer service, you’re creating happy customers but also generating enough brand equity to charge a premium for your offering.

Your ROI will improve and profits will increase

Deloitte found that brands that were customer-centric were 60 percent more profitable when they were compared to companies that neglected to focus on customer experience. Your support team should be empowered to provide excellent customer service, not just for the customer’s benefit, but for your brand’s financial benefit as well.

Customers are more likely to forgive you

If you provide good customer service, you can convince customers to return, even if something didn’t go as they expected. Salesforce found that 78 percent of consumers will do business with a brand again after a mistake is made if the customer service is excellent.

Customer loyalty improves with great customer service

Microsoft says that a whopping 96 percent of customers believe customer service is vital when they’re choosing to be loyal to a brand. If you don’t provide customer service that meets expectations when dealing with an upset customer, you risk alienating them from returning to spend more. Quality service will help you to increase customer lifetime value.

A great customer experience means a higher chance of recommendations

Consumers who have a good customer service experience are more likely to recommend your brand to other people. Our own XM Institute found that consumers who rate a brand’s service as “good” are 38% more likely to recommend that company to others.

Real-life examples of great customer service

It's one thing to talk about what good customer service is in theory, and another to apply it to real-world companies. Below are eleven customer service examples from companies that go above and beyond, as well as the customer service tips we’ve taken from their stories.

• JetBlue - Thank frequent customers with small gestures
• Tesla - Meet your customers where they're at
• Adobe - Respond to customer service complaints before they happen
• Trader Joe's - Help those in time of need
• Coca-Cola - Get involved in social causes
• Zappos - Personally reply to every email
• Us! - Provide an exceptional event experience
• Sainsbury’s – Don't be afraid to change everything
• American Express – Give customers benefits that can be used globally
• Walmart - Invite customers into the company family
• The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company – Turn customer errors into service opportunities

1. JetBlue - Thank frequent customers with small gestures

Paul Brown was flying JetBlue airlines when he casually tweeted that he couldn’t grab his Starbucks coffee before boarding the plane because he was flying out of the smaller terminal at Boston’s Logan airport. Within seconds of seeing the tweet, JetBlue sprang to action and the airport customer service reps delivered a Starbucks venti mocha to his seat on the plane. Brown was elated and raved about JetBlue on Twitter.

Good customer service takeaway : This is definitely one of those great customer examples other companies can learn from. The main takeaway? Your customers don’t always need large gestures, but just want to know they’re appreciated. In fact, 68 percent of customers leave because they perceive you don’t appreciate them.  I’m sure after knowing his request was heard, Mr. Brown feels appreciated and he’ll be a loyal customer for a long time. Keep your company at the top of your customer’s mind, with good customer care by doing small acts for more people, instead of a few large things for a lot of people. Believe it or not, it's the simple things that count and produce loyal and happy customers.

2. Tesla - Meet your customers where they’re at

Tesla literally meets customers where they’re at by going to the customer’s home and fixing issues on their car. It’s convenient for the customer because they don’t have to sit around a repair shop and it can be scheduled on their own time. This is an example of excellent customer service.

Flat tire on Sunday. Called Tesla, git a loaner tire within 40 minutes. Today they came to my house to replace the tire in 10 minutes. scheduled to come back to fix a small issue next week. What other car company does this? @elonmusk @TeslaModel3 @Tesla #mobileservice pic.twitter.com/GiNwOM3RJZ — Chris Kern (@cjk7216) October 31, 2018

3. Adobe - Respond to customer service complaints before they happen

When Adobe had an outage due to an issue with Amazon Web Services, they posted a tweet about it before they started getting customer complaints. The tweet contained a video of a puppy stampede as a distraction and lightened the mood. While there were some comments asking when the program would be running again, many replies focused on the adorable puppies.

Hi all, some Adobe services are down due to the AWS outage: https://t.co/U2qtybaT8J Here's a puppy stampede to take your mind off of it. ? pic.twitter.com/Glv6Anavje — Adobe Customer Care (@AdobeCare) February 28, 2017

4. Trader Joe's - Help those in time of need

An 89-year-old man was stuck in his house during a snowstorm and his granddaughter was worried he wouldn’t have enough food. She called around to several grocery stores and asked if they would deliver, to no avail. Finally, Trader Joe’s said they normally don’t deliver, but they would help. She read off a big list to the store and they delivered the entire order and more within 30 minutes, free of charge.

5. Coca-Cola - Get involved in social causes

Since 1984, Coke has given back more than $1 billion through the Coca-Cola Foundation. What’s great is they give back at the local level and not just to large organizations. For instance, Coke in Ireland initiated the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund , which gives €100K annually to local charities that empower young people, foster sustainability, and encourage diversity and inclusion.

6. Zappos - Personally reply to every email

Zappos responds to every email it receives, even if it’s addressed to the CEO. In this case, a woman sent a request to Tony Hsieh and even though he was unavailable, his representative sent a humorous and engaging email back.

7. Us!  - Provide an exceptional event experience

During many conferences that we attend, we send our  “Qualtrics Dream Team” to fulfill customers' needs and wishes to make the event a truly exceptional experience. From food and drinks, to swag, to even vacations and massages, our team tries to fulfill as many requests as possible. They also collect customer feedback and make changes for a better event experience, such as room temperature and providing phone chargers.

Not a legal comment, but every other company listed here has some example of a customer thanking them for good customer service. I think our example would be stronger if we had something like that.

Curious to know how we run the Dream Team using our own software, or why we bring it to events like #CXOLeadersSummit ? Stop by our booth and we'll share all the secrets! Our team is here till 4pm AEST. pic.twitter.com/pEjfd2Jl8K — Qualtrics (@Qualtrics) August 8, 2018

8. Sainsbury’s – Don't be afraid to change everything

When Sainsbury’s, a UK supermarket chain, received a letter from three-and-a-half-year-old Lily Robinson, they ended up rebranding one of their products entirely. Lily thought their "tiger bread" didn’t resemble a tiger’s stripes at all – it looked more like the pattern on a giraffe. Sainsbury’s responded that the little girl was right and made new labels to share Lily's insight with other customers.

9. American Express – Give customers benefits that can be used globally

American Express maintains their position as a top-tier credit card company by offering its customers plenty of extra benefits: complimentary travel flight credit, insurance, and access to airline lounges to name a few. Combine these worldwide benefits with American Express's 24/7 support line and its global partners network and you have a company that truly connects with you wherever you are.

10. Walmart - Invite customers into the company family

Walmart has a reputation for being focused on providing value to everyday families. They live out their family focus through the way they treat their employees. When one of their associates turned 101 years old, they shared the news on Facebook and invited customers to participate in the celebration.

11. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company – Turn customer errors into service opportunities

Ritz-Carlton employees are allowed up to $2,000 to fix any guest problem, no questions asked. One example was told by customer John DiJulius, who left his charger behind at The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. He received a next-day air package with his charger and a note saying ‘Mr. DiJulius, I wanted to make sure we got this to you right away. I am sure you need it, and, just in case, I sent you an extra charger for your laptop.’

How to provide great customer service

The best way to provide a good customer service experience is to gather feedback, set metrics and take action on your overall customer experience (CX) .

Why not check out our free survey template to collect feedback for customer service and contact centers? You can download it here.

With Qualtrics, you can track key metrics with a customer service benchmark report to help you to understand how your service is improving over time. Track interactions and feedback across the customer journey and customer service experience, and set action into motion to gain customer trust and loyalty.

Best customer service practices: Improving agent effectiveness

Diana Kaemingk

Diana Kaemingk is a contributor to the Qualtrics blog.

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Important Conclusions: What Customers Want

Important conclusions about what you “think” you know about what customers want, and the power of customer service.

continued from

So, theoretically, one would be more accurate and precise if one said something like this:

McDonald’s customers in Brentwood, on a Saturday, and….want [insert characteristics}.

Specifying context will always be more accurate, and more informative. The following statement is much less useful:

McDonald’s customer want… [insert characteristics]

The Common Wisdom About What Customers Want and Over-Generalization

Now that you’ve gone through this chapter, take a look at the following article titles and research report titles, and you should immediately the over-generalization issue should jump out at you. Almost all the information most of us see about customer service suffers from this problem. Which makes it very hard for companies to figure out WHAT they should be doing for THEIR customers.

Customers Care More about Service Quality and Attitude than about Service Speed (Kissmetrics)

Bringing up Savings Makes Customers Feel Self-Centered and Greedy (Kissmetrics)

Customers are more willing to use social media to praise a good service experience vs. complaining about a poor experience (Interactive intelligence)

Customers aren’t willing to pay extra for higher service levels (Interactive Intelligence)

81% of Shoppers Willing to Pay More for Better Customer Experience, Oracle Research Shows (Oracle)

What Customers Want When They Speak Out (customerthink.com)

Most consumers prefer social media customer service (Prweb based on research by U.K. Company Fishburn-Hedges ,

Startling Survey Results: Customers Don’t PREFER Social Media For Customer Service (Bacal & Associates Video)

• Customers do business with companies that love their employees and deliver on their promises (valaafshar tweet)

Unfortunately, the more specific you get about a particular sub-set of customers, the less applicable that is to broader groups of customers. It gets very complicated to characterize each “kind of customer” and what they want if you have to drill down to countless variables. You end up with complete information overload. Drawing actionable conclusions from such detailed information, even if companies had it, is very very difficult indeed.

Let’s tie this in to the theme of this book: Why is customer service still so terrible? As stated in Chapter 3 in order for companies to improve their customer service levels there needs to be two things going on. Decision makers need to feel the pressure to change, or be motivated enough to commit to improving customer service over the long haul. In the absence of data they can trust, and in ambiguous situations about what causes what, the level of commitment will be lower.

The second thing required is for decision-makers to have reliable and valid information about what works and doesn’t work for their customers, so they can do the RIGHT things. Even if they see the importance of improving, customer service won’t actually improve if the companies do the wrong things because they are operating on data that is too general. Later on, we’ll talk about some of the misconceptions about social media and customer service, and how the “buzz” about social media has pushed companies in the wrong direction. In the absence of reliable, valid data about what customers want, it’s not surprising that decision-makers, affected by the overall buzz, invest to social media.

In one sense it’s a pretty bleak picture. Not only is it hard, or perhaps impossible to get in the heads of customers to determine what will work in any specific context, but it may be we’ll never be able to get those answers. Still, this is quite common in many areas of human functioning. If we can’t have really precise, actionable information, we’ll have to get by with what we can glean from the world around us.

So while the problem of determining what works in customer service is a difficult one, companies can’t stop functioning. The solution, one that will cover in the final section of this book is for decision-makers and those that advise them to realize that the data they think of as reliable and valid, is, quite simply, probably not so. That’s regardless of source, regardless of where the “buzz” is, and even regardless of what customers may say they want. In other words, the data, the common wisdom must always be questioned. That’s because it’s too general, or simply misinterpreted, or otherwise faulty. And, yes, that even applies to what a company’s customer say they want. It’s that old distinction between say and do.

At the risk of breaking my own rules regarding generalization (it’s really impossible to have a conversation without making generalizations), I’ve suggested what I think are legitimate, actionable and reasonable conclusions about what most customers want and expect. These operate across many situations and contexts, and while not perfect, I believe they will serve as useful information to guide action.

Author: Robert Bacal

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6 Conclusion

My literature research has revealed that customer satisfaction can be defined as an overall customer attitude towards a service provider, or an emotional reaction to the difference between what customers anticipate and what they receive, regarding the fulfilment of some need, goal or desire. Satisfaction represents a veritable key of modelling the acquisition behaviour of the customer, being supported by three groups of variables:

• Cognitive variables, based on the qualitative superiority of the products given by the performance.
• Affective variables, based on the emotions produced to the customers.
• Conative variables, based on the interaction between the provider and the customer in the buying act.

The above groups built up the interface where latent variables, such as corporate image & brand image, customer expectations, perceived product value, perceived service value, perceived value, commitment, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty are developed or even damaged.

Customer satisfaction is addressed as a strategic business development tool. Customer satisfaction does have a positive effect on an organization's profitability, satisfied customers form the foundation of any successful business as customer satisfaction leads to repeat purchase, brand loyalty, and positive word of mouth. Satisfied customers are most likely to share their experiences with other people to the order of perhaps five or six people. Equally well, dissatisfied customers are more likely to tell another ten people of their unfortunate experience. Research has demonstrated that even a difference between a totally satisfied customer and a somewhat satisfied customer could lead to an increased revenue contribution of a factor 2.6.

Quite often fundamental causal modelled interdependencies among B2B customer satisfaction processes are lacking. Instantly this makes it difficult to point out the antecedents and relationships of customer satisfaction. Estimation of the extent of customer satisfaction is habitually based on the collective interpretation of customer complaints handled as administrated and individual interpretation of face-2-face meetings between employees and customers. For that reason statistical confidence, accuracy and representativeness easily lack quantitative significance and lead to unreliable quantitative trend analyses.

A lack of customer satisfaction modelling and the nonexistence of a well-defined questionnaire could have a negative effect on the development of sustainable and recurring business. For that reason organisations could definitively take advantage of a proven systematic customer satisfaction process. The challenge for organisations is to implement and secure a standardized customer satisfaction process across their class of markets and geographic markets (countries). Customer satisfaction is addressed as a strategic business development tool. Ultimately it will lead to more loyal customers and more profitable business.

My literature study has delivered an extensive source of customer satisfaction knowledge. I have chosen for a qualitative empirical research study taken from a singular desk research angle which incorporates a study of academic papers, thesis and dissertations in customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction models.

My literature research exposed four general characteristics of customer satisfaction involving features or qualities related to customer satisfaction serving to identify this phenomenon among other customer relationship management propositions;

• Customer satisfaction is a highly variable personal assessment that is greatly influenced by individual expectations based on his/her own information, expectations, direct contact and interaction, and circumstances (time, location and environment).
• Customer satisfaction involves the sum of personal (product and service) experiences driven by its antecedents.
• Customer satisfaction is most often related to purchase, loyalty and retention behaviour with an effect on organizations profitability.
• Customer satisfaction characterizes itself by a high degree of word-of-mouth where satisfied customers are most likely to share their experiences with other people to the order of perhaps five or six people. Equally well, dissatisfied customers are more likely to tell another ten people of their unfortunate experience.

Desk research into the four most known causal customer satisfaction models (SCSB, ACSI, NCSB, ECSI) have shown fundamentally similarities. All models have an academic/scientific, causal construct. The purpose of each customer satisfaction construct is to be a structural equation model for standard measurement for evaluation of customer satisfaction based on a set of latent variables determined by a set of manifest constructs. Each latent variable is measured, the level of each latent variable estimated, the relevant connections between the latent variable established and the magnitude of the connections estimated. The objective of all customer satisfaction models is to provide results that are relevant, reliable, and valid and have predictive financial capability. Nevertheless they have some obvious distinctions in model's structure and variable's selection so that their results cannot be compared with each other. Therefore, adoption of a model needs to be guided by a set of objective selection criteria, so called user requirement specifications.

It is important to realize that many customers will not complain and this will differ from one industry sector to another. In other words, we often are not aware of the extent of satisfaction / dissatisfaction as long as we do not ask. Customer satisfaction research should be done with greatest care. Measuring customer satisfaction must be a continuously, consistent, timely, accurate and reliable process. B2B organisations need to undertake direct action to avoid serious hindrance of their business development over the coming period. B2B organisations will not succeed by simply doing more of what they are doing now; they need to do some things differently. This is where a new corporate customer satisfaction approach becomes a powerful strategic business development tool for B2B organisations.

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Best Resources for Customer Insights Managers

Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise, stay updated with industry trends, or find practical tools to enhance your workflow, the right resources are essential for continuous growth and success

This guide will introduce you to the best resources available for customer insights managers, providing you with a curated selection of valuable materials to enhance your skills and knowledge.

Let’s get started!

A customer insights manager is a professional responsible for analyzing and interpreting data related to customer behavior , preferences, and feedback to inform strategic business decisions.

• Books : Learn customer relationship management, customer experience (advocacy & satisfaction), product development for customers, marketing (trust & positioning), and employee experience for happy customers (See: Customer relationship management, Managing the customer experience, INSPIRED, This is marketing, The Nordstrom way).
• Webinars : Delve into user journeys (Userpilot Events), gather customer feedback (Qualtrics), access exclusive customer insights content (CustomerThink & CX Accelerator), and learn best practices in customer experience (CXPA).
• Blogs : Stay up-to-date on customer insights & AI (Userpilot), original customer surveys (Intercom), customer success insights (ClientSuccess), customer behavior & experience (Zendesk), and customer experience best practices (CustomerThink).
• Podcasts : Hear business development strategies (The Consumer Insights Podcast), customer insights from experts (Getting to aha!), market research trends (Happy Market Research Podcast), tips to avoid customer churn (Reel Talk), and customer experience news & tactics (Conversation with Zendesk).
• Best tool for feedback collection and product analytics – Userpilot : A no-code tool, Userpilot lets customer insight managers trigger in-app surveys, conduct funnel and path reports, and visualize data on custom dashboards that are easily sharable with stakeholders.
• Best tool for project management – Jira : Jira is an excellent project management tool designed for agile teams. With robust features for sprint planning, user behavior tracking , and reporting, Jira ensures your customer insights projects stay organized and on track.
• Best tool for team collaboration – Monday : Monday.com is a versatile project management and team collaboration platform. It offers customizable workflows, customer journey visualization , and seamless integration with other tools.
• Best tool for customer support – Zendesk : Zendesk is a leading customer support platform that provides comprehensive solutions for managing customer inquiries and support tickets. Its robust analytics and reporting features help you track customer issues, measure response times, and improve overall customer satisfaction.
• Best tool for customer relationship management – Zoho Desk :  Zoho Desk is one of the best solutions designed to streamline customer support operations. It offers multi-channel support, automation features, and detailed analytics, making it easier to understand customer behavior and deliver personalized support.
• Best tool for inbound marketing and sales – HubSpot :  HubSpot offers a suite of tools for marketing, sales, and customer service. Its customer insights capabilities include detailed analytics, lead tracking, and customer feedback management, helping you align your strategies with customer needs.
• Best tool for customer engagement – Custify : Custify is one of the best customer success tools that emphasizes customer engagement and retention. It offers automated workflows, health scores, and detailed analytics, enabling you to monitor customer satisfaction and intervene proactively to prevent churn.

Looking into tools for customer insights managers? Userpilot is an all-in-one product platform with engagement features and powerful analytics capabilities. Book a demo to see it in action!

What is a customer insights manager?

They use different tools to gather insights from various data sources, such as user interactions, support tickets, and customer surveys .

What does a customer insights manager do?

A customer insights manager collects and analyzes customer data, segments audiences , and prepares reports to inform strategic decisions.

They collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance products and marketing efforts, continuously monitor customer feedback, and identify improvement areas . Additionally, they conduct competitive analysis and communicate insights to stakeholders to optimize the overall customer experience.

Customer insights manager’s main responsibilities

A customer insights manager plays a crucial role in understanding customers and driving strategic decisions based on their findings.

Their main responsibilities include:

• Data collection and analysis : Gather and analyze data from various sources, including user interactions, surveys, and support tickets, and utilize analytics tools to track product usage and customer behavior.
• Customer feedback management : Collect, analyze, and report on customer feedback to identify trends and areas for improvement and conduct qualitative research such as interviews and focus groups to gain deeper insights.
• Market and competitive analysis : Perform market research to understand industry trends and competitor strategies to develop benchmarks for product performance based on market data.
• Reporting and communication : Create detailed reports and analytics dashboards to present insights to stakeholders.
• Strategy development and implementation : Work with product teams to integrate customer insights into the product development lifecycle.
• Customer retention and satisfaction : Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented strategies on customer satisfaction and product success .

Best resources for customer insights managers

Working as a customer insights manager requires one to stay updated with information and tools. There are books, webinars , podcasts, blogs, and more to help augment knowledge. Here is an overview of these resources:

Best books for customer insights managers

Here are five books that every customer insights manager must read:

• Customer Relationship Management: The Foundation of Contemporary Marketing Strategy : Here is a book that balances the behavioral and database aspects of customer relationship management . It offers students an in-depth introduction to important areas of marketing.
• Managing the Customer Experience: Turning Customers Into Advocates by Shaun Smith : This book highlights companies that have turned customers into advocates, something every customer insights manager must understand.
• INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products that Customers Love by  Marty Cagan : dives into unique approaches that giant tech companies use to attract their customers. The insights in this book can be key in creating satisfied customers for your products.
• This is Marketing: Seth Godin : In this book, you will learn how to build trust and permission with target markets, and the art of positioning.
• The Nordstrom Way of Customer Experience Excellence : For Nordstrom, employee experience determines customer experience , and this is reinforced in this book.

Best webinars for customer insights managers

As a customer insights manager, understanding your customer base is crucial for business success. Here’s a curated list of helpful webinar sources for growing your career:

• Userpilot Events remains your go-to for user onboarding and product growth. Their webinars delve into user journey mapping, feature adoption analytics, and user sentiment analysis – all providing valuable data points for customer insights.
• Qualtrics offers webinars on using their experience management (XM) platform to gather customer feedback and analyze customer journeys. Learn how to identify customer pain points, optimize touchpoints across the customer journey, and improve customer satisfaction.
• Services like CustomerThink and CX Accelerator offer premium subscriptions with access to exclusive webinars and research reports on customer insights and best practices.
• CXPA (Customer Experience Professionals Association) offers webinars and resources on best practices in customer experience management. Gain insights from industry leaders on building a customer-centric culture and using data to drive customer loyalty.

Best blogs for customer insights managers

Blogs are a great source of information for customer insight managers. Here are several blogs that you should not miss:

• Userpilot : This blog has hundreds of articles on various topics linked to customer insights. Learn what customer insights are , how to leverage customer insights AI , how to create robust customer insights , and much more.
• Intercom : Intercom is a popular software company specializing in customer support software. They conduct original surveys on what customers want and can help you create a better experience for them.
• ClientSuccess : This award-winning software company’s blog is filled with useful insights for customer success managers.
• Zendesk : The customer service solution provider Zendesk provides this blog to offer insights into customer behavior , customer experience and strategies to improve customer experience.
• CustomerThink : Here is another thorough blog from a community of business leaders that covers everything from customer experience management to customer success and much more.

Best podcasts for customer insights managers

Here are some podcasts that will make your journey into this career path very easy:

• The Consumer Insights Podcast : You can hear how leading brands are creating strategies for business development.
• Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta : No business can thrive without customer insights. Learn more about the topic from this podcast by experienced professionals.
• Happy Market Research Podcast by Jamin Brazil : Listen to interviews with top minds in the world of market research on tech and industry trends. This is a podcast that can help you uncover more ways to gather and use customer insights.
• Reel Talk: The Customer Insights Show : Christoph Trappe shares valuable ideas to help you understand your customers better to avoid churn . He discusses insights and how to use the data most effectively.
• Conversation with Zendesk : Listen to amazing conversations as Zendesk experts bring you the latest news, market trends, and marketing tactics in customer experience.

Best tools for customer insights managers

Leveraging the right tools for customer insights can significantly enhance your ability to gather, analyze, and act on customer data. Here are some essential tools:

• Best tool for inbound marketing and sales – HubSpot : HubSpot offers a suite of tools for marketing, sales, and customer service. Its customer insights capabilities include detailed analytics, lead tracking, and customer feedback management, helping you align your strategies with customer needs.

Professional growth is a continuous journey, and investing in your development is key to staying competitive in the field.

We hope this guide has equipped you with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in your role.

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What Is Customer Service?

The definition of customer service is evolving. Here’s what every service professional needs to know.

Customer Service Defined

Customer service is so important that it is now considered a strategic function for organisations across industries. In fact, 85% of service leaders say their org is expected to contribute more revenue this year.

Why is customer service important?

In one word: retention. Happier customers are more likely to continue doing business with you. This helps your bottom line. It’s less expensive to keep current customers than to attract new ones.

Customer service is also a differentiator that sets your brand apart from competitors that offer similar products or services. Service teams not only answer questions; they personalise each customer experience. In fact, 88% of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services.

Meanwhile, subpar customer experiences contribute to churn. Eighty percent of shoppers will abandon a retailer after three bad experiences, for example. Great customer service is important for your brand reputation, too. After all, customers are quick to share negative experiences with the masses online.

Discover the latest trends and gain valuable insights from more than 5,500 service professionals.

Read the Salesforce “State of Service” report for an in-depth look at the findings.

The seven pillars of great customer service

1. Connect customer service to the broader organisation

The key is to connect service to your customer relationship management (CRM) system. This will give you a complete view of a customer’s interactions with your company. When a customer reaches out, the agent has all relevant data on a single screen — demographics, order history, preferences, and more — so they know how to help. And they'll know who to pull in from another department to help resolve the issue, if need be.

2. Offer support on every channel Today, great customer service happens everywhere — email, social media, text, and, of course, the phone. No matter the channel, customers want fast, convenient, and high-quality support. Here are the channels every service leader needs to scale support:

• Mobile : The vast majority of service organisations use messaging apps (79%) and mobile apps (78%) to deliver customer service. Mobile options offer asynchronous communication. Customers and agents can access a log of past interactions and keep the conversation going over an extended period.
• Social Media : Eighty-two percent of service organisations use social media channels . Integrate marketing and customer service data to give both teams a single view of the customer. This will help them to better collaborate and determine the appropriate next steps if a customer reaches out with a problem or complaint.
• Email : Email is the most-used service channel , tied with phone support. Customers like email for its convenience. It also gives them the ability to see a written record of their correspondence and the option to add attachments, such as a receipt. With the right customer service technology , you can automatically turn an email into a case and route it to the right service team member.
• Chatbots : Seventy-three percent of decision makers say their organisations use chatbots . Chatbots use AI to analyse data and answer routine questions quickly. Based on the customer’s request, the chatbot shares relevant content. If the case is complex, the chatbot puts the customer in touch with an agent for further support.
• Video : Some cases need face-to-face interaction, but not necessarily in-person service. Examples include rebooting a piece of equipment or replacing a part yourself. That’s why 77% of service organisations report using video support. With visual remote assistance , customers have the option to connect with an agent or technician through video. The expert guides them through the steps to resolve an issue on their own.

3. Strike the perfect balance between quality and speed Sixty-eight percent of agents say it’s difficult to balance speed and quality. Omni-channel routing directs cases to the right agent and gives managers a bird’s eye view of contact centre activity . This ensures that agents are on the right cases based on their skills and availability.

Another way to help agents meet expectations for fast support is through automation . Automated workflows guide agents through the steps to complete an action. You can repurpose these workflows on your self-service channels to help customers complete a process on their own, too. For example, you can walk a customer through the steps to initiate a return.

4. Train Agents On Soft And Hard Skills

Agents today must actively listen, exhibit empathy, showcase product knowledge, and deliver a personalised experience to every customer, all while resolving cases quickly.

• Interpersonal skills: At the end of the day, it’s how you make people feel that matters the most. Teach agents the basics of communication, including listening, positive language, persuasion, and empathy. Express the importance of putting yourself in the customer’s shoes.
• Product knowledge: Update all employees on any new releases or updates. Encourage agents to study company protocols, products, and services. Provide opportunities to shadow and collaborate with experts to improve their product knowledge.
• Technical expertise: Ensure your technology is intuitive for agents. Train them on the latest features and functions. Ask agents for their feedback so that you can improve the experience for every employee.

5. Act as one team

Although agents often work one-on-one with customers, they still need a sense of professional support and camaraderie. Maintain open lines of communication and collaboration. This is especially important with a remote workforce. Daily standups are an easy way to keep everyone connected and united.

6. Turn customer service into a revenue driver

Once the agent solves the issue at hand, they can take the relationship further by upselling and cross-selling. AI can help : It analyses the customer’s data — such as past orders and likelihood to buy — to recommend relevant products or services to the customer.

Beyond adding incremental revenue, customer service can support your business strategy. Agents glean customer insights and feedback every day. Consider inviting your service team to present customer feedback at company meetings. These insights can yield great product innovations or improvements.

7. Change up how you measure success

Handle time is an important metric, but it doesn’t tell you the whole story. Analyse a range of customer service metrics to better understand the customer and their relationship with your company overall.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

• Revenue: Review your contact centre analytics to determine if quality customer service is contributing to a higher number of transactions or greater sales per customer.
• Customer retention: Pay attention to what happens after the customer disconnects. Has a frustrating customer service experience contributed to churn?
• SLA performance: Most companies have service-level agreements (SLAs) for the contact centre, including items such as the most amount of time customers should wait on hold, for example. Compare your SLAs against actual performance according to your contact centre analytics. This will help you to identify improvements to meet SLAs.

The meaning of great customer service today

Even though the definition of customer service has changed over time, the sentiment remains the same: It’s the magic behind customer loyalty. Your service team understands the customer in a way that no other department can. They have the power to make customers feel special and understood while meeting their expectations. That’s a win for your team and your entire organisation.

See how you can solve cases faster on the #1 platform for customer service.

Service Cloud saves your employees time with a powerful, connected agent workspace so they can focus on what’s important, your customers.