We shall continue with expert opinions and list down a few more steps that you can practice to upp your game in the customer service industry.
Take this lesson to learn more and don’t forget to take the accompanying quiz at the end of the lesson.
We recognise that some participants prefer reading to listening. If you are one of them, then you can access a transcript of the lesson by clicking on the View Transcript button below the video.
3. Make sure you regularly remind your clients what they are getting for their money.
One of the most common questions customers ask (if only in their heads most of the time) is “What am I paying for again?” or “Why am I with this representative/agent/company?”
The onus is on us to constantly show customers what they are paying for and why they stand to benefit by staying with us. If there are tracking measures we can implement, it help us show the clients the value of what they are getting. Another great way of doing this is outlining the hours that were spent on their account and exactly what work was done. This helps the clients know that we are transparent and have nothing to hide from them. It also helps separate us from the numerous “bad” people out there that just take the money and/or do the bare minimum.
General Electric does this really well. They realise that adding value can be as simple as providing tips to increase efficiency or updates that could be useful to their customers. In short, General Electric educates their customers while marketing to them. Everything GE shares on their social channels is fun, useful, timely, and directly in line with their company values of cutting-edge innovation and technology.
4. Understand that some clients need more communication than others.
A reality of business is that some customers require much more effort than others. The good news is that generally clients who require more work are the ones you benefit from having onboard the most. That said, customers are not looking for lectures/epic manuscripts either. Informative and timely responses are what they generally ask for and it is what you should strive to deliver. So overall, if you are doing a great job educating your clients, this shouldn’t be an issue. And there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Imprezzio Marketing pointed out through their professional experience that the amount of communication needed often decreases the longer the customer is with you. It’s just the part where you get them to stay that needs work. Completely worth it.
5. Understand the form of communication that works best for your client.
Generally, experts state that emailing is the best form of communication. Since a large part of any client base is constantly in front of their email, it affords a better shot of getting their attention. Often, phone calls go unanswered because the business owner isn’t there or messages don’t get properly passed on to them. Email is also great because it is documented. There are cases where customers complain that they never receive updates only to discover that update emails were going to their junk folders. In these cases, it is really easy to show the customer all the efforts that were put into contacting them. Showing this with phone calls is harder. That being said, there are some customers who have a preference to be contacted by phone each month, while others prefer face to face meetings. It’s best to modify your communication method based on the client’s preference, needless to say.
