The last year and the whole field of customer service worldwide has given a noticeable push. More and more, people are buying more and more products and services online. Competition in e-commerce has become tough. And technological advances in digitization have again improved the quality of good customer service. The importance of the subject has increased. 

Customer Service, Customer Care, Customer Support - What do you need to best meet customer expectations for your company and guarantee a perfect customer experience?

 

Customer care means maintaining a customer relationship as a whole 

What are all these different terms? Customer service Customer service, right? - No, that's not true anymore. And it’s important to be accurate. Customer care is the exact generic term that brings customer service, customer support, etc. to a common denominator. And customer service is the “old way of thinking” - so we have excellent customer service even after buying”. 

Customer service (as the most common term for customer care), on the other hand, focuses on the whole customer journey. Google search results range from your company's first glance to your product range, from browsing to product acceptance and after-sales service. Good customer service means you provide an attractive and reliable customer experience at all stations. The touchpoint of the customer journey - equally! If you have a mood dialect speaker on your customer’s phone, you can’t win a flower pot. The company’s website highlights the attractive high-priced attraction and your Facebook page brightens the buttocks of youth. Just as an example. 

The following information also touches your customer service margin. Because the important thing is the overall, positive customer experience from A to Z.

 

The meaning of good customer service has differentiated 

Customer service includes any interaction, online or offline, that a customer or prospect may have with your business, and includes the initial sales to the final sales and beyond. 

It is easy to see how the technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has radically changed consumer expectations, which is increasingly complex and refined. Providing customer service is not so easy which meets these high standards. 

Generation Zero almost assumes that they can only check the status of the order by speaking on one device. But their parents remember when they ordered via mail using the catalog. The study found that 67% of customers said that their value for a better customer experience is higher than before.

 

Excellent customer service increasingly means: 

●      A fast service ("in real-time" or "always operational" in marketing terms)

●      A personalized service that offers a connected and omnichannel experience

●      and proactive service, which offers a solution even before a problem or a change occurs.

 

10 tips for customer service that is trendy

 

#1 Service in real-time: In a crisis like 2020, customers were more willing to endure problems such as longer delivery times. Do not count on this end. Customers wait as long as possible. This applies to all touchpoints, not just online retail. So: there are no queues on the phone, chatbots, and frequently asked questions give business time for written searches outside of short distances.

 

#2 Offering the right communication channels: Providing the right communication channel is crucial for the satisfaction of your customers. When making your selection, you should primarily pay attention to the popularity of the communication channel with your customers. Even if you may have special features according to the type of business. Recently, increased use of Messenger channels has also been added.

 

#3 Cross-channel customer service management (CRM): The more channels you offer, the more important professional CRM will become. Because the next best channel is when your customers want something. It's a shame when you don't know that the same subscriber shared the last message on another channel. Omni-channel CRM systems pay for them quickly in a reasonable way to collect all the information from or about the customer.

 

#4 Video and Audio Targeted Usage: Better customer service is increasingly being used through video and audio-keyword podcasts. Use these media where they are particularly efficient. This way you fill in the preferences and habits of your target group. Such as for example instructions, advice information, etc., and at the same time leave the customer service staff who can concentrate better on their core work.

 

#5 Using social media creatively for customer service: The whole social media marketing has become very advanced. Also, it has been different and comprehensive. The key here is to uncover the hidden potential of comprehensive customer care. And implement them innovatively. Not only looking at the “customer to company communication channel” aspect but also presenting yourself on your own initiative. Because these are useful, convenient, interesting, etc. in posts, comments, and much more. Social media customer service itself is a wonderful world!

 

#6 Customer-oriented live chats and chatbots: Live chat statistics show that this channel is becoming increasingly important for improved customer service. In light of this, you should shortlist this option. Of course, this involves human and technological efforts. But the benefits of a positive customer experience are immediately obvious. Because it is fast, documented answers, real conversations, and - well-coordinated. (!) Chatbots - at least a rudimentary 24/7 supply.

 

#7 Remote customer service: A lot of work in the home office leads to unintentional outsourcing and other things as well as such innovative ideas. Customer service employees do not even sit in the company, nor are they permanently employed. Freelancers or home office workers now know how to use the necessary communication tools. So can provide complete customer service with the help of practically wide distribution. Which in some cases can enable more intimate and faster personal communication with the customer.

 

#8 Customer service in crisis mode: Saw - painful for some companies. So that their existence may be threatened without a sudden change in the terms of the customer service structure. And without the desire for improved flexibility and improvement in customer relationship management in general.

If you survive something like this, you don’t have to relax leaning back. Rather start getting the right plan of crisis communication to transfer to the drawer in different situations. So that your customers can at least mention your customer service to avoid the next "event". The highest priority is immediate, completely transparent communication about the current situation.

 

#9 Individualization and personalization: You may forget customer service “off the shelf”. For example a sample with a letter and message sent to the responsible department. Your customers are justified in expecting to be recognized and treated accordingly (because this is no longer a technical issue). A CRM system for enhanced customer service enables you to receive people who are going to be your customers in the same way. Personalization in online marketing also helps you in other ways.

 

#10 Offering self-service: This point does not apply to others either but runs like a red thread through different approaches. The option of being able to help yourself should always include good customer service - but not alone and like finishing the flag. Self-service tools and equipment can be a very useful part of help desk software. Here they can help your customer service representative with complex questions as well as help customers themselves.

 

Conclusion: Answer "always more" with "always better"!

Expectations of good customer service are unlikely to drop. This and the increasingly competitive market, especially in online trading and online marketing. Advise that you do not always offer the same or use similar tools. But look carefully: what customers need, what they want and like. It requires creativity and a desire for innovation - but it pays off.