If you support your customers like a pro, you’ve got a better chance of earning their loyalty. Suppose you don’t be prepared to lose them for good. The 26% growth in the switching economy over the last decade shows that clients exercise their options.
With that in mind, we’ve got some top tips to help you support your customers like a pro.
Consultant Etiquette
Your Support Team is Your Most Valuable Asset
Your service consultants are the face of your company. They must be:
· Skilled communicators
· Great at problem-solving
· Adept at dealing with various personality types
Finding the correct people to work at a support desk isn’t always easy, but it’s a worthwhile exercise. It’s initially the sales team that wows your client. It’s the support team that keeps them loyal to the company.
Use the Correct Tools
According to Eugene Gordienko, CTO of BPO Provider, SupportYourApp, its success is due to providing their team with the correct tools. Not finding anything in the market suited to the purpose, the firm built a custom CRM system.
Eugene believes that even the best consultants are at a disadvantage with outdated software or insufficient tools. It’s not just that clients expect companies to have their details at hand. Consultants require speedy access to the systems to resolve queries.
Speed Doesn’t Always Equal Service
Many companies today push their consultants to serve their clients as fast as possible. While we agree that clients don’t want to waste time, great service is a relationship-building exercise.
You can, for example, make a cup of coffee in two minutes. How good that beverage would taste, however, is open for debate.
Consultants rushing to serve as many clients as possible are likely to miss vital clues that can ensure fast query resolution and boost sales.
Provide Adequate Back-End Support and Training
How much training does a new consultant go through at your firm? Are you giving them a day or two and then expecting them to learn on the job? It’s a highly inefficient strategy that places extra pressure on the rest of the team.
Instead, put together a short manual about:
· Common questions that clients ask and their answers
· Objections that clients may raise and how to overcome them
· Workflows and reporting lines within the company
The information should be simple to search and allow new consultants to find the answers they need quickly. Your existing agents won’t have as many interruptions, and the new ones will learn to be more independent.
Use the Data at Your Disposal
Most companies today collect swathes of data, but how many analyze it? Using intelligent data analysis, firms may identify sticking points, view growth, and identify new opportunities.
The information proves to be a valuable learning experience, whatever the outcome. At the very least, you won’t make decisions based on incorrect assumptions.
Make an Effort to Personalize the Experience
Go beyond sending off an automatic email and consider including a hand-written note thanking the clients for an order. The customer will appreciate the tiny bit of extra effort, and it’s not much of an inconvenience for your team.
If sending out a note with each order is too much, at least do so with new clients. It may seem like a silly thing, but the personal attention will wow your clients.
Let Everyone Spend Some Time in Customer Service
Back-office team members are often far-removed from the frontline. They consequently have no idea of the issues consultants face daily. Allowing them to spend some time-serving clients builds a more cohesive team focused on outstanding service.
With a better understanding of the issues the frontline faces, administrators can streamline processes and update outdated policies.
Provide Omnichannel Support
Clients should be able to contact you in the way most convenient to them. Your client help desk should monitor communications via these channels and, where possible, provide immediate support.
Enhance live support with some AI-based solutions to improve workflows and resolve simple queries. AI could potentially filter through email queries and highlight the most urgent messages, like requests for refunds.
Final Notes
When you support your customers, they’ll support you. You’ll build loyalty and potentially turn them into net promoters.
