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You’ve worked your fingers to the bone to build a strong business that can survive the test of time. You have it all – a highly-trained team, top-notch products, and agile systems that promise to over-deliver. You’ve trounced all the bootstrapping ghosts that threatened to derail your huge ambition. Congratulations! You are a shrewd entrepreneur.
While everything looks good to you, your business is still struggling to stay afloat in a turbulent sea of competition. Sales volumes are dwindling. No referrals are coming your way. And you are increasingly getting worried.
7 Customer Service Mistakes
Your biggest undoing: your customer service stinks. Sooner, your business might come tumbling down like a pack of cards. Since customer service makes the backbone of any successful business, you can’t afford to turn off a customer. Here are munchable customer service mistakes that may be contributing to that “I’m not buying anything from you again.”
1. Over-automation
Sometimes, adopting technology can be a curse cloaked in a thin layer of blessings. While the urge to automate everything to cut costs may be so strong, you don’t automate just because you can. Technology can’t provide a perfect replacement for that “one-on-one” experience. You can’t afford to erase all direct contact you have with the customer.
Plus, different customers prefer different modes of communication. According to Dana Brownlee, founder of Professionalism Matters, a consulting firm that handles communication bottlenecks, you need to “give the options” so that your customers are not treated to “the frustrating phone trees.” Where possible, provide phone numbers, live chats, emails through which your customers can reach you.
2. Urge To Handle Customers As Quickly As Possible
Customers are always looking for efficient and respectful solutions. The problem is that most reps just don’t listen. You need to take time to listen to your customers, understand their specific problems, and give a solution that solves their problems. Unfortunately, most representatives always assume they know what the customer want.
And when they pick calls from their customer, they rush to give them a solution to their factious problem. Finally, your disgruntled customer will end up resenting your company. To avoid losing customers, teach your customer representatives effective listening skills. When you try call center outsourcing to the Philippines, you’ll know that all their agents are trained in showing empathy to every customer they communicate with. They teach them how to develop processes that prioritize listening to customers. Encourage them to get rid of CSR scripts.
3. Being Satisfied With Small Wins
Avoid taking a reactive position. Instead, be proactive when dealing with your customers. Customer service always happens on the front end of your business. Not a back-end affair. Find ways of winning the hearts of your customers on the front end. Concentrate more on one-to-one interaction – calls, messages, and live chats. To succeed, conduct process analysis of your products, root causes, and improvements that can really give your products a competitive edge. Also, to maintain a connection with the customer, Brownlee recommends taking at least “five customer service calls” every month.
4. Sickly Outages
The truth is, no system brags of a perfect uptime. Even the most acclaimed cloud-based systems have their fair share of trouble when this outage monster strikes. The tragedy is, if your customers can’t reach you, the hundreds of liters of midnight oil you burned grooming your business will be in vain. At the end of the day, you want to make a positive impression.
So to be on the safe side, look for a reputable web service provider that offers fast page loading time and reliable round-the-clock uptime. Ensure that your customer can reach you during the hours you promise support for those who provide support via email and telephone. If you are not reachable after hours, build a system that allows them to put in a request or a ticket. Then call back when you are available.
5. Slow Turnaround
Today, ordering anything on demand is just a click away. Thanks to the power of technology, we have completely become impatient. We want everything fashioned in terms of “quick turnaround time.” Customers will frown at you if you keep them waiting. The speedy response will draw them in, winning their long-term loyalty to your company. Respond promptly to your customer’s questions and feedback on social media. Otherwise, your competition will be laughing all the way to the bank.
6. Undervaluing Customer Service Team
Your customer representatives are the people that interact with your customers. They make the face of your business. Unfortunately, they are also the least paid and regarded employees. Sinking their morale will sink your business to rock bottom. You have to find a way of motivating them to go the extra mile to satisfy your customers. Also, hire top talent, pay them well and reward them whenever they post great results. You will also attract top talent to your service desk if you build a reputation for treating your employees well.
7. No Complaints Pretty Customer Service
You are always working hard to get into the veins of your customers. You have trained your staff to handle different questions. You don’t want them to give awkward answers that may alienate your customers. And you are happy that you are not getting any complaints. Don’t mistakenly think that your customer service is pretty good because you are not getting any complaints.
Studies have shown that only 1 out of 26 disgruntled customers will complain. And that means for every complaint you receive, there are another 25 dissatisfied customers who don’t bother to complain. On the flip side, if you receive an avalanche of compliments and little to no complaints, you have reason to smile. Maybe you are doing things right. Businesses are all about the balance sheets.
No one wants to be treated to a horrible customer experience. If your customer representatives are not up to the mark, it will be the surest way to send your business to the bin. As a shrewd business owner, you need to create an environment that pumps up employees’ morale to offer excellent customer service.
About the Author:
Sanjay Darji works as a software analyst at SoftwareSuggest. His interests include top CRM software, helpdesk software, photography, and food. He likes to spend time with his son and catch up on the latest technologies in his spare time. You can follow him on Twitter at @sanjaydarji01.
