Top 10 ways to improve your customer service process

Investing in customer service can be frustrating for a small business. It seems like a major effort with very little return. But it’s actually a significant form of indirect marketing for your business.

Auto repair shops are a good example of this. Before online reviews, mechanics could easily overcharge and do shoddy work, cheating one customer after another. Mechanics in larger cities could get away with this for years.

The smart mechanics knew better. They knew that if they communicated well with their customers, explained things simply, and treated people fairly, those people would come back again and again for years—and those customers would recommend the mechanics to friends and family. For those businesses, their return customers were the ones that mattered most. They kept those customers by providing outstanding customer service.

Here are some tips to improve your customer service process and ensure you’ll have a choir of customers singing your praises.

1. Ensure accountability

Every member of your customer service team should have the knowledge and tools to solve any customer-related issue. No customer should ever have to ask to speak to a supervisor to get the results they’re seeking.

That’s the ideal, but it’s not always reasonable. There’s always a chance that something could go wrong and there isn’t a straightforward answer. Even in these situations, a customer should always feel like there’s a solution to their problem. Customer service representatives should be able to talk around the situation, providing several solutions to the problem in a calm and friendly way.

Make sure every member of your team understands they’re responsible for delivering the best customer service experience to your customers and train them on how to do this.

2. Use direct language

Continuing the topic of accountability, make sure your customer service reps don’t deflect customer questions with soft language. Instead of giving vague answers like, “We should have your car ready tomorrow,” let them be clear and concise, explaining any potential delays and specific resolution dates and times.

If something is against your company policy, be sure to explain the reasoning behind this policy, explaining exactly why it is prohibited.

3. Set reasonable expectations

Allow your customer service reps to set reasonable expectations for your customers. Consider the scene where a customer is waiting on the phone, becoming increasingly agitated as time passes.

When the customer service rep actively listens to the problem and clearly explains how they intend to work on it, the customer will feel more at ease.

Instead of the usual “Please hold” before minutes of muzak, allow the rep to briefly explain the process, including how long it will take, any stakeholders that may need to be involved, and a brief apology for any delays.

Even if the customer is put on hold, at least they are being guided, which will set them at ease. Setting reasonable expectations can have a major impact on how a customer views your service.

4. Make communication easy

The most delightful customer service experiences involve talking to a real person who can quickly and conveniently solve the issue. While this is the ideal and not always the reality, it’s something you should consistently strive to deliver.

Ensure the customer service rep has a friendly tone and a clear accent, and that they understand how to handle frustrated customers without becoming frustrated themselves.

5. Avoid outsourcing telephone reps

While outsourcing phone reps can save you money, the potential to lose customers could be far more severe. Outsourcing reps could potentially lead to a lack of personal connection, resulting in poor customer service quality.

Outsourced reps may lack an understanding of your company’s values, products, or customer base, resulting in inconsistent or ineffective responses. Repetitive scripts, language barriers, or long wait times could lead to frustration as the customers feel undervalued or misunderstood.

Using in-house reps could lead to better customer loyalty, faster issue resolution, and a more personalized experience, strengthening relationships and keeping customers coming back.

6. Make communication humanistic

While using AI-driven representatives is becoming the norm, you should always make it possible to conveniently reach a human. When customers call your customer service line or use your chat window and they want to talk to a person, it can be very frustrating if they go in loops, unable to reach a human rep.

Using an AI response for your customer service does have its positives. It’s quicker to use and an easier solution for frequently asked questions. But you should always make the option to talk to a real person available without having to navigate a complex directory or website.

7. Recognize the value of feedback

It’s more common for a customer to complain about a bad experience than to provide positive, constructive feedback. It takes time and effort to leave a well-crafted review to help you improve your business. While businesses should listen to both the good and the bad, there are added benefits to delighting the positive ones with a little reward.

Provide your customers with an easy way to submit commendations and suggestions, with tools like Jotform. Jotform is the most feature-rich form tool currently on the market, with an array of easy-to-use templates to help you get started.

8. Make customer support pervasive

Make your customer service details easy to find on your website. One way to do this is to create a robust footer on your website that has all the relevant contact information including your email address, phone number, and even physical address.

Beyond the standard email address and phone number, there are other ways to reach your customer service center. You could, for example, have a customer support social media presence or include online forms for people to submit service requests—another task where Jotform excels.

9. Make it easy to find

Beyond having all of your contact details on your website, they should also be on all tactile merchandise, such as packaging and displays, all social media channels, and anywhere people interact with your business.

10. Handle things proactively

Not all customers will leave complaints and praise online. Some may have very valuable feedback but won’t waste their time and effort to leave a comment. It’s a good idea to reach out to recent customers within a few weeks to make sure they’re happy with their purchase. If they are, this would also be a good time to ask for positive reviews.

But if they’re not completely thrilled, you can direct them to a page where you have a Joform ready to accept their complaints and learn from their valuable feedback.

Enhancing customer service to see business benefits

Customers are more than just someone who has bought your product. Customers can sing your praises or complain about your business. A single word-of-mouth recommendation is more convincing than even the most mind-bending ads will ever be. And by following these top 10 tips, you’ll enhance the customer experience and yield the benefits.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION