Recently, it seems that everywhere I look I come across more and more instances of customer service, and it makes me realize how crucial customer experience is when it comes to retaining business. Unfortunately, customer success sometimes gets overlooked because time seems better spent on the obvious – running the operational day-to-day tasks of an organization. Just recently I took on the responsibility of customer success at our organization, and I have been thinking a lot about what the key components are to driving customer care for inside sales.
As I started thinking about a strategy for better customer service at our organization, I asked myself, Where do I even start? I went back to basics and thought about the key characteristics of successes I have seen in my experiences, both at my organization and as a customer. I’m fairly new to this, so I am not claiming to be the expert; however, I feel that once you identify the key components that are crucial to making your customers happy, you can create a business plan and strategy to roll out. Here’s what I feel are the key elements when it comes to providing the best customer service:
- Be Consistent. I remember attending an Oz Principle workshop that was all about creating consistent experiences for employees, because their experiences are what shape their beliefs and happiness at their organization. The same theory goes for experiences with customers. Customers want to know they are going to receive a certain level of service every time, throughout all stages of their engagement with you and your company. Once they see consistency, they will not only return as a customer, but they will refer others as well.
- Be Reliable. Customers need to know they can count on you and that you won’t let anything slip through the cracks. If they email with a request, they should receive a response as soon as possible. Oftentimes, even if I receive a request that I know will take some time to complete, I still send a note back to customers letting them know I have received their request and will get back to them by the end of day or the end of week, just so they know I am not neglecting their email. The key here is to follow through with your promises. I think of support at Salesforce.com when I think of being reliable. Whenever a case is opened, customers receive an email that says when to expect a response, which is usually within two days. They have never let me down, and I can always rely on them to get back in touch with me.
- Be Proactive. It’s easy to handle challenges that arise with clients as they come up. However, there is something to be said when you are able to pinpoint any problems or issues well before they come to a head. The best way to be attentive to these needs is to be proactive. Whether you have a representative or even an executive from your company, check in with customers over the phone or through a survey. Odds are, you will be able to nip any issues in the bud before the customer decides to go elsewhere. I experienced an example of this over the weekend when I attended a wedding in West Virginia. Upon checking into the hotel, I was given a customer experience survey to complete before I left. I also had three members of the staff ask me about my experience before I left, and I was there for less than 24 hours. My stay was excellent, but it was probably due to the hotel’s ability to reach out to customers on an ongoing basis to fix any issues. While I probably wouldn’t choose to go to West Virginia for vacation, I am definitely considering going back to the resort based on my experience.
Customer success is key to business success, and that connection is very interesting to me. If you’ve read my blogs before, you may know I write some blog posts because a topic is new to me and I would like to learn more! In this case, I want to hear your feedback when it comes to launching a customer service strategy. What has worked? What hasn’t? What recommendations can you share?
