Good vs great customer service can make all the difference to your bottom line. Did you know that 84 percent of businesses that focus on customer service see an increase in revenue as a result?
If you want to see revenue increase, start with customer service.
Not sure what the difference is between good customer service and great customer service? Keep reading. You'll also find some great customer service examples and advice on how to improve your business practices today.
Why Does Customer Service Matter?
There are lots of reasons to make great customer service a priority for your business. The following are some of the most noteworthy:
- Increased loyalty. 73 percent of consumers say a positive experience affects their purchasing decisions and willingness to work with a business again. Happy customers are the best advocates of your brand.
- Better reviews. Happy, loyal customers leave positive reviews, which encourage others to engage with your business. 5-star reviews can help your business attract new customers through word of mouth alone. No ad spend? Yes, please.
- Reduced costs. Spending lots of extra money to try and appease already-disgruntled customers can be more work than it’s worth. A loyal, recurring customer is more valuable than a new one who has unrealistic expectations.
Great customer service can turn into a sales engine for your business. In turn, it helps increase revenue by exposing you to new customers and instilling trust in current consumers.
What is The Difference Between Good and Great Customer Service?
Okay, so you need to focus on offering better customer service.
At this point, you understand that improving the customer experience (CX) is a necessity. However, you might be wondering what great service actually looks like.
Here are some key things to keep in mind when determining whether you're providing good vs great customer service.
Meeting Expectations vs Exceeding Expectations
One of the first things to evaluate is the difference between meeting vs exceeding customer expectations.
If you can meet a customer's expectations, wonderful. They came to you for a particular product or service and got what they were looking for. Expectation met.
But, exceeding expectations is the true gold star.
Exceptional Customer Service Meaning
Take a look at some examples of what it would look like to exceed the call of duty:
- Going above and beyond the initial project scope.
- Finishing ahead of schedule.
- Sticking around to make sure the customer knows exactly how to use the product they purchased.
- Providing goods and services at a reasonable price, which creates significantly more value for the consumer - everyone loves feeling like they got a “good deal.”
Resolving Problems the First Time
Another key component of outstanding customer service is resolving problems on the first try.
If you've ever been on the phone with a customer service rep and had to be transferred to someone else, you know why this is crucial. The more hands a problem has to be passed through before it's solved, the more unhappy the customer is likely to be.
What's the difference between good vs great customer service when it comes to dissatisfied clients?
Good customer service reps will get the problem solved eventually. Great customer service reps will get it solved immediately, doing everything they can to remedy the problem at hand.
Focusing on the Holistic Experience
Businesses and employees who offer good customer service will ensure problems get addressed. Those who provide great customer service will do more than fix what's broken. They will work diligently to make the entire customer experience as positive as possible.
There are lots of ways that one can do this. The questions you ask, the promptness with which you solve the problem, the type of language and tone you use while communicating to the customer or client, etc.
Professional interactions that make the customer feel special can be the difference between a good or great customer service experience.
Adding a Personal Touch
Great service providers also differ from good customer service providers because they personalize their communications. They find a way to connect with the customer on a more personal level.
“[Personalization] is a chance to differentiate at a human scale, to use behaviour as the most important clue about what people want and more important, what they need.” – Seth Godin
Think of the times you had a great customer experience. Most likely, you felt heard as a person, and not as ticket number 437.
We talk a lot about employee training on this blog, but the quality of your client engagement is just as important. Improving customer experience results in better customer retention and creates a lifelong relationship instead of a one-time buyer.
What Does Excellent Customer Service Look Like?
Are you still a little unsure of where your company falls on the customer service scale? Perhaps some examples will help. Take a look at these examples of great customer service and other examples of what you shouldn't be doing.
Legendary Customer Service Examples: Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe's is already known for offering great customer service to everyone who shops there. One of the best examples is when the grocery chain opted to deliver food to an 89-year-old WWII veteran. He was snowed in and didn't have enough food to prepare meals for himself.
Trader Joe's doesn't normally offer delivery, but they made an exception to help a veteran in need. The best part? It was a complimentary service. No extra charge, just great customer service. Enough said.
Bad Customer Service Examples: British Airways
Great customer service can generate a lot of good press for your business. However, so can terrible customer service experiences.
For example, a customer tweeted British Airways after the airline lost his father’s luggage. The response time took four hours. But it was too late. The dissatisfied customer had already taken measures into his own hands...or thumbs….
Image source: NBCNews
He drew global attention by promoting this tweet on British Airways’ corporate Twitter feed exposing it to their +300,000 followers. Regardless of the context or scenario, 300,000 people now have the impression that British Airways has “horrendous” customer service. Not the kind of brand publicity you want.
This may be an unlikely scenario, but it gives perspective on just how valuable (or tragic) customer satisfaction is.
How Do You Start Providing Legendary Service to Your Customers?
Hopefully, your customer service standards are more in line with Trader Joe’s than British Airways. Regardless, you likely have questions about how you can change things for the better. How is your business training employees to know the difference between good vs great customer service?
Customer Service Training
One of the best, most efficient, and most cost-effective ways to improve your customer service through customer service training. Investing in employee training on customer service gives you instant access to time-tested, research-backed information.
Help your employees exceed expectations every time, learn the difference between bad vs good customer service, and mitigate potential issues immediately.
During customer service training, your employees will learn a variety of important skills, including:
- Active listening
- Communication skills
- How to show empathy
- How to ask the right questions
- How to build rapport
- How to add value to customers and clients
- Positive language
- Positive problem-solving
Can you teach all of this content on your own? Do you want to spend hours sifting through online resources to learn what you should share with your workers? Do you value the quality of your customer’s experience as a reflection of your business and its reputation?
Invest in one, concentrated resource that includes everything your team needs to know about what makes customer service exceptional.
Level Up Your Customer Service Today
Do you want your employees to truly understand the difference between good vs great customer service?
Are you ready to start offering great customer service to everyone who works with your company?
Follow the guidelines listed above to begin taking your customer service to the next level today. For improving customer experiences in the long run? Contact the experts. We happen to know a company!
Reach out to our team at Unboxed Training & Technology for more information on how you can teach your employees the ins and outs of offering great customer service. We're here to answer all of your questions and get you set up with the right training program for your team.
The start of every new year is a chance to revisit training goals and aspirations for the coming 12 months. How do you know what’s worth your investment?
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