{"id":662536,"date":"2017-05-18T22:42:11","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T05:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.interactionmetrics.com\/blog\/improve-your-customer-service-with-one-concept\/"},"modified":"2017-05-18T22:45:20","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T05:45:20","slug":"one-concept-that-improves-all-your-customer-service-interactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/one-concept-that-improves-all-your-customer-service-interactions\/","title":{"rendered":"One Concept that Improves All Your Customer Service Interactions"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the US market alone, there are hundreds of customer service consultants offering thousands of customer service improvement strategies which begs the question: does anyone need yet another customer service improvement plan? I think, decidedly, yes, for the simple reason that most customer service remains lackluster and inconsistent\u2014while executives routinely believe their customer service is better than it really is. (For more information on this, just ask, we\u2019re happy to share.)<\/p>\n

So why does customer service tend to be largely reactive, inefficient, and overly transactional?<\/p>\n

From having evaluated tens of thousands of customer service interactions<\/a>, I find that when customer service disappoints it\u2019s almost always because it has been managed\u00a0in an overly general, cookie-cutter way. The result is that customers are treated more similarly than they really are, as though they have the same needs, expectations, and perceptions. But of course, that\u2019s not true. Each customer is unique, making their inquiries at least a little bit different. So when companies treat everyone the same, rarely are customers fully engaged or completely satisfied.<\/p>\n

Antidote! What I outline here is a plan that actually improves customer service. I know this plan works because we\u2019ve been using it for more than a decade to improve customer service for clients in a wide array of industries. And the reason it works is that the entire plan hinges on a single proven concept\u2014one that\u2019s paid huge dividends for our clients: specificity. That\u2019s specific ways to add value, relative to specific scenarios, measured by specific scoring rules, summed with specific metrics and last but not least, coached with specific model answers to build necessary customer service skills.<\/p>\n

If your immediate reaction is, \u201c\u2026but that\u2019s not scalable!\u201d, I assure you it is. There\u2019s a well-crafted process behind this plan, so it\u2019s actually more scalable<\/em> than the usual approaches to customer service that are less formally conceived.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Decide What Specifics You Will Add<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, you need to decide what specific, extra value you can add to each customer service interaction. This \u201cspecific extra\u201d becomes a way to involve your associates\u2014and it\u2019s a powerful way to create a lasting, positive impression in customers\u2019 minds. Examples of \u201cspecific extras\u201d include brief, meaningful educational content; or a policy that is clearly and frequently articulated like Zappos has with its easy-to-return shoes.<\/p>\n

Adding value through \u201cspecific extras\u2019 is about consistently doing a little bit more, on top of addressing the question at hand or solving the problem.<\/p>\n

Where to start? Gather your customer service improvement team and brainstorm. Then see how each of your good ideas can actually play out in real interactions. Sometimes those great ideas are clumsy when put into execution. So adding a specific extra is both imaginative and iterative, and requires a little bit of trial and error to land on what\u2019s right for your brand and goals.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Take a Complete (and Specific!) Inventory<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to improve your customer service, you need a clear and specific picture of who contacts you and why. Don\u2019t assume customers who ask the same question need the same answer. And don\u2019t assume that your customer service report or software analytics are picking up on\u00a0unique scenarios, because at present, software is not sophisticated enough to tease out this level of differential nuances.<\/p>\n

The solution is to observe a statistically-valid number of your customer service interactions (emails, chats, face-to-face, etc.) and classify them by touchpoint, inquiry type, customer state of mind and customer objective.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve figured out the possible combinations of touchpoints and customer characteristics, you\u2019ll have your list of specific customer scenarios.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Define Specific Criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t manage what you don\u2019t measure. So for each unique customer scenario, develop specific scoring rules. When figuring out what to measure for each customer scenario, start with the four dimensions common to all customer service interactions:<\/p>\n