Battling with Customer Service: How to Win the War, Part 2 of 2
The "battle" comes with many different rounds
As I mentioned in my last blog about customer service, every company has their own unique customer service struggles. Some of them have greater difficulties than others, and companies should take the time to brainstorm solutions that could benefit their particular situation. This is what I mean by "battle." It comes with many different rounds where you need to come up with solutions on the fly in order to win the war. What you want is a call-back so that they can help more efficiently, but you also don't want them to keep your customers waiting on hold for too long or oversell your product.
Think of customer service, in this context, as a kind of battlefield. The key to winning, then, is to not only be able to successfully fight this war but also to win it with as few casualties as possible. Remember that you're both fighting for the same thing: your customers' satisfaction. If you can ultimately come out on top in this war, your customer will be happy and you'll be successful at the same time.
In my opinion, some of the most challenging aspects of the "battle" are the things we usually do without even knowing it. I'm going to list those five things below and then give some examples from real companies and situations I've encountered personally or out of curiosity about others' experiences. Ultimately, you need to be conscious of these behaviors whenever you're dealing with customers, in order to come up with better solutions than your competitor.
1. Keeping customers on the phone without ever listening to what they're saying.
In a customer service or support situation, it's easy to take the customer's same question and say, "Oh, I don't know. I'll have to look into this," and then forget all about it. On the other hand, it's also easy not to listen at all without any intention of communicating back; that's what I mean by "not listening. " It sounds incredibly simple, but I think this is a common problem among human beings.
So, how do you do it? Take the time to listen and make sure you're giving them feedback in a way that will encourage them to keep talking. In other words, learn to listen in such a way that your customer is willing to go on talking without you having to interrupt or interrupt yourself. You want them asking follow-up questions while they're still on phone call with you or telling you what you missed; if they're happy with the response and your customer service, they'll likely keep coming back while their problems are still unresolved.
2. Ignoring the fact that nothing was given verbally and not adapting accordingly.
The second thing that's common is forgetting about what was said when you gave an answer. You can see this happening on your end as well. Not all companies are alike, but I've found in my own experience that the most important thing that people want to hear from customer service is when they're happy with the outcome and look forward to future purchases—but this isn't always communicated in a verbal way. So, one of your options is to give verbal feedback, either through email or telephone, so you don't forget and don't have to keep going back over things later. But if you're giving feedback verbally, make sure you're giving the exact same information they gave to you in order to stay on the same page.
3. Using "yes" and "no" as interchangeables
It's also easy to say "yes" or "no" about whatever the customer asks or issue that person has, especially when you have limited time or have to deal with multiple customers at once. This can be a problem all by itself, but it gets worse when you communicate with customers who don't understand why nothing is the same. If that customer is vocalizing his frustration, it's even harder to not say anything and ignore it instead of trying your best to solve the issue. You should never tell a customer that you'll solve the issue and then not follow through, but also avoid saying "yes" or "no" to questions you don't understand either.
4. Not trying to relate and take the customer's side.
More often than not, people don't take the time to put themselves in their customers' shoes; they're too busy dealing with the problem at hand that they tend to forget the feelings that come with being a customer. In my experience with companies, I've found some who say "no" because they need one of these three things: more time, more information, or information on your part. I've also found some who take the time to fully explain their side of things and why they're doing what they do. (For example, when I purchased an online movie ticket for a movie I wanted to see in the theater, I was given an email with all my information that explained everything about my order and how it would work from start to finish.)
The fact is, though, that customer service can be much easier if you're able to relate and put yourself in your customer's shoes. You go through the same issues as a customer yourself, so their problems are just like yours. So you should try your best to solve their problems by talking with them on the phone or helping them out in any way possible. In some cases, this means making sure that you're communicating or looking into the situation on a regular basis in order to give a more adequate response; in other cases, it may mean just being transparent about what's going on.
5. Treating customers like they're dumb, forgetful, and greedy.
I've also noticed that many people are quick to assume that their customers have no idea what they're talking about and are incapable of understanding things (they're so "interested" in their problem that they don't even care). I think this is incredibly rude because there are people who don't know how to do things properly. The more you understand about your customer, the more you have the ability to communicate with them and make sure they understand what you're telling them; when you don't understand, it's very easy to say "no" without even realizing that your customer doesn't know what he's talking about.
So, one of the most negative things we can do as a company is treat customers like they're stupid by assuming they don't know what they just said and giving them a response like you're not listening. We need to learn how to talk to our customers in an understanding manner and ask questions out of curiosity rather than because we feel that they are incapable of understanding. Asking questions out of curiosity is the only way to understand what they're really trying to say. You should always explain why you don't know what the customer is talking about, especially if it's a common issue that you handle often, and ask questions when you can.
Source: Entrepreneur.com Photo credit: Flickr
6. Not communicating with customers in a caring manner.
Many people also forget that their customers take time to call them because they care about the problem at hand and want to make sure it gets fixed as soon as possible.
Conclusion
As I've said before, customer service is very important for any company because it can help you sell more or even keep customers loyal to your brand. You've already made sure to keep in mind the most common things that go wrong with the customer experience, and you know what kind of stories customers want to hear from a company. It's now time to know you're able to face all situations that come up with a smile on your face and a positive attitude in order to serve your customers well.
Photo credit: Flickr
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