5 best practices for exceptional customer service

The modern customer looks vastly different from the customer of yesteryear. She is more connected to her devices, she’s more informed and empowered, and companies have more data about their customers than ever before. The customer’s expectations are high — really high. The modern customer is digital-savvy and expects a response, connected, frictionless experience, regardless of the channel they choose.

 

Meeting these ever-increasing expectations of the hyperconnected customer can seem daunting. That’s why we created the e-book, 20 Customer Service Best Practices: to equip you with the tools and best practices to deliver top-notch customer service that not only meets these expectations, but consistently exceeds them. Here are five notable highlights from the e-book:

 

 

There are a wealth of channels that your customers and prospects can connect with every day: social media, your website, live chat, phone number, email and apps. As a business, it is your job to provide an omnichannel customer experience with the same quality of service—regardless of how the customer reaches out to you. It’s no longer just about the basics, it’s about staying on top of how your customers are engaging and anticipating new channels before they even ask for them.

 

Encourage your customers to offer up information about their preferred channels during the on-boarding process and beyond by including calls-to-action in your marketing content.

 

An omnichannel experience is beneficial for your agents too. Not only does it break up monotony of answering calls and emails, but it adds additional skills for the agents to bolster their resumes.

 

 

Your customers are developing a mobile-first mindset in droves — are you? Consider the wealth of options that mobile offers: text messaging, live chat, in-app video conferencing. Customers no longer are content with leaving an app or mobile site and picking up the phone to solve an issue or ask a question. There is a wealth of technology to enable 1:1 mobile support, it’s time to embrace it.

 

 

Customers want to feel empowered to solve their own problems and answer their own questions. A crucial tool in enabling them to do so is useful content, like blog posts, webinars, social media posts, or white papers. Not only can you provide your customers with the information they need to help themselves, but content is shareable so that they can spread the wealth with others. Plus, you can maintain a constant dialogue with your customers to tell them about new products, tips and best practices for them to make the most of your business.

 

 

Gamification is most often associated with sales teams, but the opportunity is there for gamification to transform your service team as well. The goals and targets may be different between the two teams, but the overarching idea is the same: motivation. Realtime contests can encourage reps to engage with their colleagues, strengthening your company culture and improving morale by injecting fun into monotony.

 

 

No matter what technology or tools a company has at its disposal, a customer service team will not succeed without driven, skillful team members at the helm. But how do you build an A-Team that will take your customer service to the next level? This starts with the interview: determining what motivates the interviewee and whether he will be a good cultural fit with your customer service team is the key to getting the right hire. One way to bring in a higher-calibre crop of candidates is by offering opportunities for development outside of the customer service role, like “day in the life” programs. This will attract determined, career-minded individuals, rather than candidates just looking for their next gig.

 

Want to learn more best practices that will create a customer experience that not only meets customer's expectations, but exceeds them? Download the e-book, How to put customers at the center of your business, today.