It takes a lot of effort to do good customer care. Nevertheless, this effort pays off, because through satisfied customers you get more sales, a better brand position as such, customer loyalty, positive reviews, recommendations to friends, and many other benefits.
All the places where you can meet customers can also serve as a space for your marketing. After all, nowadays, customer support does not go that far from marketing. You can perfectly connect these two areas, for example, through the See - Think - Do - Care marketing formula.
Most companies think they are doing great customer support. However, the reality is that customers do not think so. Business owners estimate the quality of care at around 80 per cent, while customers only see it at 8 per cent. How to improve it? Proper communication.
When setting up communication, pay particular attention to:
Corporate vision
Your vision will affect all your business. If you have a clear and understandable vision, you will be able to communicate your product more easily. Your customers will understand you better, which will then be reflected in customer support.
Communication tone
Do you want to be funny, friendly, or, conversely, more formal and measured? Choose one direction and stick to it. The communication tone must be consistent. However, certain rules apply - you should not be too formal or aggressive.
Arousing emotions
How do you want customers to perceive you? Decide whether you want to be a mentor, mentor, friend or boss to your customers. Stick to one style.
The most important advice
1. Answer promptly
For example, did you know that 45% of customers will not complete their purchase if their query is not resolved quickly? Most customers expect a response to an e-mail within 8 hours, to a query on social networks within 30 minutes, to an online chat within a few seconds.
2. Select the correct communication channels
Offer customers communication channels that you will be able to serve, even during the holidays.
3. Advise the customer with the choice
Always try to make the customer's choice of goods as easy as possible. If, for example, you sell used vehicles and the customer does not know the advice, send him a link to, for example, 5 used vehicles, which are graded according to price and parameters.
4. Suggest a solution, including when the problem will be solved, and provide as accurate information as possible
Even if you don't know what to do, always try to suggest a solution, or at least give information about what's going on. Feel free to write to the customer that you do not know when the goods will be in stock, but that you will check the availability with the supplier and let him know what and how within 3 days.
5. Always try to do something for the customer, even if you do not satisfy the customer
The customer has chosen the dream goods, but you don't have them in stock as on a monster? Don't be afraid to offer a suitable alternative. It is better than selling the customer with the words "we do not have, will not, goodbye". You can also offer a discount as compensation.
6. See what the email looks like
Make sure that your mailing tool does not include what should not be in e-mails, eg various system messages, such as "Please, do not write below this line", etc., which are especially popular with foreign tools.
7. If you have online chat, make sure that the cookie bar does not hide it from you
Unfortunately, this is a common problem with e-shops. Online chat is covered by a cookie bar, so the chat is either not visible or cannot be expanded at all. Go through your website in an incognito window to see how your website is perceived by the customer who comes to you for the first time. Thanks to this, you will find out how many cookie bars, pop-ups with discounts and newsletters attack it. This will take you to problem areas that could cause you to lose conversions.
8. Don't forget to address and thank you
Greeting and thanking have never killed anyone before. It's the least you can do for the customer, and yet make a good impression.
Communication channels and tools
When choosing suitable tools for communication management, do not only follow the price but look at the functions, what problems the tool can solve when handling communication, etc. Also, make sure that the tool is accessible from anywhere and that every employee can work with it.
A handy help desk will be useful for handling communication and handling questions. Here you will have all communication with customers in one place, you can better involve the automation of some processes, create templates for responses, solve internal communication, manage customer information, etc. Because customer support must also communicate with the marketing or technical department within the company, implement also a project management tool.
We are happy to listen to your opinions on technical sales support, which you appreciate as much as possible or, conversely, complain about.