Is there something you can do to improve the relationship you have with your customers? Yes, there is. Great customer care services help employers to engage with customers easily and also allows them to build strong and lasting relationships. In addition, employers get excellent online reviews for their business which prevents business failure in the long run.
So it’s a good thing that you’re looking to improve your customer care services. Some business owners prefer leaving it at just great customer relationships, which is not bad. However, there’s more that can be done and it involves improving customer care services.
These services revolve around listening to customers and attending to them properly to ensure that they are satisfied with your services and products.
Here are the 5 things that you can do to improve your customer care services.
1. Positive language use
The use of positive language is such a broad term but let’s start with the basics such as:
· Suggesting instead of instructing.
Instead of saying, “You need to…” try saying “Can I suggest that you try…” a suggestive way is the better way to go. Make sure to ask before suggesting. Another important thing is to ask the customer if they don’t mind you repeating the question or answer. Remember to occasionally drop in an “okay?” after each instruction.
· Offering options
When you give a customer options, it makes them feel like they have a choice. They can participate and make their own decision. Plus, it makes it easier for them to zero down on what they truly want. For example, if you start a sentence saying, “Given that you’ve told me you like…..I suggest you choose between options A and B.
· Do not use accusatory terms
Believe it or not, customers hate the phrase, “You said”. It doesn’t seem wrong but most customers will interpret that you’re passing the blame onto them. The right way to do it is to say, “As we previously spoke…” It helps lessen the accusatory tone. Another thing is to use “We” instead of “You”.
2. Practice active listening
Keep in mind that customers are also people just like you and are unique in their way. So when a customer calls in with a question, try to listen and understand it in the capacity they explained it in, no matter how many times the same question has already been asked. Before answering, be patient, reflect, first understand what is being said, and always focus on the speaker. Remember to smile, make eye contact, and lean in when listening. In case you don’t understand anything ask questions for clarity. When both of you have explained the situation to each other, summarize everything and end the conversation.
You may not be able to succeed at being a good listener in one night but with practice, you will become good at it. This will not only help with your customers but also with employees and other relationships outside of work.
3. Be well informed about your products and services
It would be embarrassing if a customer asked about a product or service only to realize you lack sufficient knowledge about it. To impress your customer, have deeper knowledge about your products and services inclusive of the way they work. Correspondingly, offer to help when customers are experiencing problems concerning your product. One way of doing this is sharing with them a “did you know this product can do this and that.”
4. Admit that you messed up
Do you get defensive when you make a mistake? A lot of people even business owners find it difficult to own up to a mistake they made. The first way of admitting that you messed up is by:
· Apologizing
It is unwise to save apologies for later, now is the better time. As soon as you realize or maybe if the customer calls in to complain, say, I’m sorry.” It’s always good to have a clear apology immediately.
· Explain what went wrong in detail
This step has to come after you’ve made an apology. Get right into the details of how it happened. Explain if it happened by accident or a mistake of another employee. Make sure that you don’t sound defensive through all this because it doesn’t help.
· Emphasize with your customer
By the time a customer calls in, they are probably feeling frustrated, angry, and hurt. That’s why you should tell them that you know exactly how they feel. For example say, “I understand how frustrated you may be feeling………we let you down.
· Show that it won’t happen again
Your customer needs to know that you have everything under control. Explain to them how you’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again and what you’ve learned from it. Avoid telling lies just because you want to move forward, mistakes happen every day, you just have to own up.
Outsourcing some services
Outsourcing to a facilities management company can improve can customer care services along with improved work efficiency. However, the benefits of outsourcing customer care services are often overlooked yet they contribute a lot to client satisfaction. If your staff lacks the required customer care skills, then outsourcing is the best solution. Service agents provided by the company can help improve the quality of your customer interaction while increasing your business’s availability to customers and giving them professional services.
It also helps businesses to be clearer about what they want to do for their clients. In case you were wondering whether or not to outsource, you should.
To sum this up…
Do not beat yourself up, nothing can be learned in a day. It may take days or even months of practice before you become an expert. Try to learn from your mistakes and then work on improving your customer care skills.
For you to become an exceptional world-class customer service agent you must be willing to work hard with every opportunity you get, and if everyone else in your company can learn this, your business will thrive.
