Each day our customer service team gets hundreds of emails from customers. These customer service emails range from the most basic username and password reset questions to the most complex technical server support requests and troubleshooting cases. Some cases are easy and quick. Others take time and effort as our customer service team embarks on a journey to find a solution.
The customer service journey requires vision.
Regardless of the customer, our team is dedicated to delivering an exceptional experience to each customer by helping each one know that they matter to us and that we will roll out the red carpet for them. But to do that, you have to know where you want to go.
As a team we have vision. We all believe in the best service experience for our customers. We see our customers as a life-long customer, not just a single sale. This means taking whatever time is needed to make sure we take care of the customer.
The best customer service rep was the last person I thought.
Russell wasn’t the top customer service rep on the team, numbers-wise. But he received more raving customer service reviews than anyone else did, by far. He wasn’t the most technical, the most knowledgeable, or the fastest in customer service. But there’s one thing he did the best. He was the best at helping customers understand that they were a team. Together they were going to find the solution.
No matter what had happened, Russell never began the interaction with what was done wrong. He never vented his frustration to the customer. If he ever ran into a wall, he would get back to the basics with the customer, explain what he wanted to do, and how he hoped to get there. He enlisted the customer on the journey to the solution.
The Customer Service Agent AND the Customer VS The Problem.
Today’s customers expect a battle every time they have to work with customer service. And that’s our fault. We’ve done a very good job at showing customers that we don’t care about service. If the number of customers venting their frustrations online is high, your number of loyal customers will be low.
We approach service by forcing customers through countless hoops, secretly hoping that they’ll drop off from our phone system (IVR) maze before they actually land in a queue to talk to a real human being. When they finally do, red tape, “policies”, and other gotcha’s are littered along the way to keep the customer from ever arriving at their desired solution.
We need to step back and evaluate our customer service systems, processes, and practices. Are they fostering and encouraging customer collaboration? Are they promoting solutions to customer problems? As we embark on a journey with the customer – which is much more likely to result in the outcome you want, we’ll begin to develop better customer relationships. The customer of relationships that allow customer service to build customer loyalty.
