When someone asks your experience with an organization, what is the first thing that you consider? Yes, you guessed it right, it is customer service. People tend to revisit a company where they were welcomed by smiling and heartening salespeople. So, it is evident that customer service can make or break an organization. Good organizations will always be looking for ways to improve their customer service.

What is customer service?

Customer service is the act of taking care of the needs of the customer before, during, and after purchase to ensure that they have an enjoyable experience with your organization. It includes providing accurate information, helping them to choose the right product/service, and building a long-term relationship with them.

Why customer service is important?

You have a great product at an affordable price, but you don’t have repeated customers. What could be the possible reason? Customer service is integral to building loyal customers. Though the customers consider the quality of the product and its price, the overall experience is important for them. Nowadays, most of the companies compete in terms of customer service.

Following are the reasons that show why customer service is important for your business:

• Customer service showcase your brand identity

The customers will create an idea about the brand from their marketing efforts. However, the main factor that creates a connection between them and your company is customer service. The way your team interacts with them will make a lasting impression in their minds. It will communicate the idea behind your brand and your values.

• Good customer service builds loyal customers

If the customers are satisfied with your service, they won’t look for other brands. Loyal customers will trust you and buy the product/service only from you. But building loyal customers is not as easy as you think. It requires meticulous care and deliberate efforts to develop a rapport with them and instill trust in your brand. Answering their queries promptly, helping them to solve the issues, and being available when they require support are some of the important factors that customers consider while trusting a brand.

• Happy customers will give references

No kind of marketing is effective like word-of-mouth advertising. Happy customers will share their experiences with their friends and family. People tend to believe the real experiences rather than marketing. So, what others say about you is more important than what you say to the customers. If you have happy customers, you will get the cheapest form of advertising which is more valuable than all other ways.

• Creates more marketing opportunities

When your sales team keeps in touch with the customers, they will get more and more opportunities to sell your products. They can try upselling and cross-selling to get additional revenue from the same customers.  

Ways to improve customer service

Organizations must look for ways to improve customer service. You can provide training to your team to harness their skills, evaluate their working style, and seek the opinions of the customers to get a better picture. Following are the important ways in which salespeople can provide the best customer service:

1. Know your product

It goes without saying that a sales representative must know the product like the back of his/her hand. Companies must train their employees to ensure that they know the product inside out. If they have a clear idea about the product, they can provide better support to the customers.

2. Communicate clearly

Effective communication skills are essential for customer service personnel. They must be able to convey the ideas clearly. Customers usually expect them to speak clearly and directly without leading to any confusion.

3. Be genuine

Though the aim is to sell the product, the salesperson who seems to be unmoved by the issues of the customer is prone to failure. They have to show that they are trying to help the customers and their efforts must be sincere.

4. Listen to your customers

When we think of salespeople, the first image that comes to our mind is a person who speaks a lot. It is high time that they break this stereotype. Let the customer speak. They should listen to him/her and intervene at the right time. This will also help them to understand their issues, expectations, and ideas about the product and also the organization. Even after they have bought the product, encourage them to speak and share their feedback which will be beneficial in the future.

5. Work as a team

Customer service is a team sport. Every individual in the team must be trained to deal with the customers. Always make sure that the whole team is working towards one aim, i.e., creating happy customers.

6. Be empathetic

It is a skill that can make you closer to the customers. Skilled salespersons will understand the nature of the customer in the first few minutes and they will think from his/her perspective before offering the solution. The ability to get into the shoes of the customer can be a boon to salespeople.

7. Maintain a positive attitude

Sales is often compared to fishing because it can be frustrating, exciting, or exhausting. But always maintain a positive attitude and speak to the customer with a smile.

8. Act on negative feedback

Don’t ignore negative feedback. Salespeople must take a tactical approach while dealing with angry customers. Even the most stubborn customer will feel good if their issues are solved on time. So, make it a practice to solve the issues of the customers promptly and follow up to ensure that they are satisfied.

9. Improve employee engagement

Well, this is often overlooked by organizations. Even if you accept or not, only happy employees will create happy customers. So, before you try to make your customers happy, make sure that your own people are satisfied with their jobs.

There are no shortcuts to improve customer service. It requires consistent efforts to learn from the experiences and look for the areas which need improvement. Feedback from the customers is certainly the key to making changes in your strategies.