Top 5 Ways to Improve Customer Service Skills

Top 5 Ways to Improve Customer Service Skills

What is the most important thing you can do to improve Customer Satisfaction?

The answer is as evident as it is disregarded: Improve Customer Service.

Regardless of how great your product or service is or how talented your team is, one of the few
things that customers are most likely to observe and remember is their direct communication
with your company.

In this article, let’s look at some of the ways a company can improve its customer service skills
and provide a memorable experience to the customers.

The customer service team is more often the face of your company, and your relationship with
the customers will be determined by the quality of support they receive.

Brands like Zappos increased their customer retention rates solely based on their Customer

Service strategy.

A tech-savvy brand will always be asking, “What is the benchmark for delivering excellent
customer service?”

Good customer service focuses on carefully listening and responding to your customers’ issues
and requirements.

If you are not constantly searching for prospects to enhance your customer service skills, then
your relationships will fester with time.

The top 5 ways agents can improve customer service skills:

1. Gain Expertise in Product Knowledge

Being an expert in product knowledge is similar to being a good hitter in cricket. Running
between the wickets and judging the ball are crucial elements, but if you hit well, you will always
score more.

The same applies to product knowledge in customer service.

If you are thoroughly aware of the product and company, you will always have something
beneficial and valuable for your customers. Even if you’re not the best at interaction, solving the
customer’s problem will always take priority.

2. Review Your Customers’ Feedback

If you work in a customer support team, the odds are that you’re assessed on customer
satisfaction.
While you do not want to get a negative review, this might be a blessing in disguise.
The feedback will make you aware of how your customers feel about their interaction, and you
can take notes on improving it.

Many businesses use the Net Promoter Score to evaluate customer satisfaction, which is an
excellent way to develop skills as you receive the scores almost instantly.
You can also check if the interaction was positive, negative, or neutral, and read a summary of
why the customer had a passive experience.
Not only will it improve your skills, but it will also do it in a format that will fit your fast-paced
workflow.

3. Keep a Transparent Communication

Having transparent communication, both verbally and in writing, is vital in customer service,
even if the customer you’re speaking to has a different native language.

Your answers should be precise, clear, and in your natural tone.

Customers want an explanation, but they do not necessarily want to know all the details.

If they ask for further details, you can share, but most clients look to resolve their issues
immediately.

Always end a conversation with, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” so they have another
opportunity to ask a question, and you know you’ve done everything from your side.

Besides, make sure to communicate hold times when you put the customer’s issues on hold
while you pull up their account or talk to your supervisor.

4. Always Send Personalized Emails and Messages

When a customer signs up for a free trial or buys your product, do you reach out to them
personally or send a generic onboarding sequence?

When a customer decides to buy your product, signs up for a free trial, or sends an inquiry, you
have to reach out personally to ask how you can help them.

Even though most customers do not request personal help, they’ll appreciate the effort and form
a more affirmative impression of your business.

A study conducted by Experian Marketing Services highlighted that personalize emails and
messages:

● Deliver 6x more transaction rates
● Have 29% more open rates
● Have 41% greater click rates

More than 96% of marketers say that personalized messages help enhance customer
relationships.

So, how can you send personalized messages to your customers?

Firstly, you have to use the recipient’s name when you are addressing them. You can also send
the message in the customer’s native language if they are based in a different region. Although,
you can do it only when you’re not expecting a reply from them or if the email is being sent by a
resident translator at your company.

It’s possible to personalize by using the data from their Name, Location, Age, Time of the day,
etc.

5. Stay up to date with social media trends

It’s not just about delivering fast support, but also how you do it.

Brands are now more comfortable using casual language and pop culture references to make
customers’ experiences more fun and engaging.

Keeping up with recent trends and the things your customers talk about can help you connect
with them at a deeper level and deliver engaging comments. (The ones that take your brand to
the Social Media “Hall of fame”).

Stay updated with Social Media content pieces that go “Viral” and understand your audience’s
interest (What are they watching, what are they reading, etc).
This will help you stay relatable and engaging while interacting with customers on social media.

For Example:
Right after the Avenger Endgame trailer launch, someone tagged a popular food delivery app
saying:
User: Can you send some food to Tony Stark? He looks very weak.
Agent: We would love to deliver food to Tony Stark. Can you please DM us his location?
The brand lost out on a moment that could have created a buzz on Social Media. The agent
was unable to comprehend who Tony Stark was.
(Tony Stark is the character played by Robert Downey Jr., popularly known as Iron Man)

Moving Ahead

As an experienced customer service professional, it can be persuasive to rest on your laurels
and consider there’s no room for improvement when it comes to interacting with clients.

If you’re constantly making efforts to resolve issues and receiving exceptional survey scores,
then you’re doing a great job as a customer support specialist. In any case, customers do not
see every interaction that you have every day. They are not aware of your NPS or the reviews
other customers have posted about your business.
They can only decide on their past interactions with your company, which can differ considerably
based on who they are and what they need from your brand.
When handling multiple customer issues each day, it can be easy to think that a bad experience
would not matter much in this regard.
However, a recent study by Microsoft highlights that 44% of customers feel like they do more
work to resolve an issue compared to a customer support executive.

Conclusion

Customers are the rulers of the business world and have much higher expectations than they’ve
had in the past.

As Omnichannel customer support professionals, your goal should be to satisfy the business
needs of every customer that you interact with every day. To achieve that, you need to be highly
motivated and in constant search of new opportunities to improve your customer service skills.