In any industry, exemplary customer service is one of the most important things you can invest in and prioritize for long term returns. Americans say that they're willing to pay 17 percent more to businesses that provide an excellent customer service experience.
Do you know what exemplary customer service is and how you can implement it at your company? Learn the key to providing excellent customer service with a five-star team instead of one rock star rep.
Why Customer Satisfaction Matters
Why is providing excellent customer service important? If you have a great product or service, does customer service really matter? The short answer is a resounding, "yes!"
The benefits of excellent customer service are worth making it a priority in your business:
- Increase customer loyalty
- Increase your reps' confidence
- Spend less on customer retention
- Increase customer referrals through word of mouth
- Ability to increase prices due to premium customer service
- Improve business reputation
- Creates a competitive advantage
Did you know that acquiring new customers is five times more expensive than retaining customers? When you take care of your customers, they take care of you. If customers are consistently satisfied after engaging with your company, they'll be more inclined to return and, better yet, tell their friends.
The Difference Between Good and Excellent Customer Service
What is excellent customer service? What is the difference between good and excellent customer service?
To help you understand whether or not you need to improve your approach, here are some examples of how to distinguish the two types of customer service.
Good Customer Service Exemplary Customer Service Meeting a customer's expectations. Exceeding a customer’s expectations and going the extra mile. Fixing the problem, eventually. Fixing the problem the first time and avoiding escalations. Kindly answering the phone, but offering a subpar service. Offering a great customer experience from start to finish. Following basic procedures for handling problems. Adding a personal touch and creating a connection with the customer.
Take a moment to evaluate the list above. Is your customer service exemplary, or just "good?"
Here is a list of things you can do to elevate your company’s customer service:
- Provide regular feedback. Administer assessments regularly and ensure customer service reps receive constructive feedback from team members and managers.
- Coach customer service reps. Further help each representative succeed by providing actionable insights to improve their performance.
- Respond ASAP to customer complaints and questions. Quick responses over social media, chatbots, or even emails are game-changers and show exemplary customer service.
- Ask for customer feedback. Send out customer surveys to find out what people like, dislike, recommend changing, or particularly value about their experience with your company.
- Address mistakes immediately. Before an issue escalates into a serious problem, make sure any error is owned up to and made right with the customer before the interaction ends.
- Require customer service training. Train new hires on your company's processes and procedures before they start interacting with customers. Ongoing support through training gives current reps the confidence they need to provide a great customer experience.
The Key to Excellent Customer Service: Training
What is the key to excellent customer service? If you want to become one of the excellent customer service examples people talk about, you need an outstanding, well-trained team.
Customer service training empowers employees and gives them confidence in your company’s products or services when they’re assisting customers.
One option is to attempt training customer service reps in-house. However, with tapped resources and overflowing to-do lists, internal training tends to take a back burner on the priority list. Another option is to let the experts step in and create a customized customer service training program – housed in a learning management system – to meet your specific goals.
Read what Ernie Chase, Technical Trainer and Administrator for Lochinvar University, said about working with Unboxed Training & Technology:
"...[C]ustomer service is beyond just 'Give us your money, and we'll give you our product.’ Any time we have a question, we get an answer. When we have a problem, Unboxed finds the solution. And with Unboxed, we know they're always updating Spoke and keeping it current."
Great customer experiences happen by training, not by chance. When customer service reps have a roadmap to follow on how to provide exceptional service, they can confidently answer the phone and end the conversation with a fully satisfied customer.
What to Look for in a Customer Service Training Program
Out-of-this-world customer service is a significant competitive advantage for any company. People will know your name for all of the right reasons when customer service is a priority.
The following are some key aspects to consider when searching for a great customer service training program:
- Comprehensive content. Make sure the customer service training program covers essential topics and details specific to customer service representatives.
- Active Listening
- Showing Empathy
- Probing Questions
- Building Rapport
- Adding Value
- Communication Skills
- Positive Language
- Problem Solving
- Customization. For optimal results, look for a customizable program to fit your business, employees, and customers' needs.
- Mobile-friendly. In a fast-paced environment, every employee training program should be accessible wherever your reps find themselves.
- Positive reviews. Ask for case studies and testimonials. Check to see who the program is trusted by, even if they aren’t in your industry.
Good customer service vs. exemplary customer service – what kind of service do you provide? Is it time to change the way your company serves customers?
Start Offering Exemplary Customer Service Today
Wouldn't it be nice if customer service reps knew how to make the right decision without excessive hand-holding or guidance? Customer service training mitigates that concern.
To wow your customers, you need to invest in the people who will be speaking with them. One of the most important things you can do for your company is to invest in custom training for your employees.
The right training program can help your reps learn the fundamentals of customer service and provide an exceptional customer experience. Additionally, well-trained customer service reps are more productive, streamlining the customers' experience and benefiting your bottom line.
Reach out to our team at Unboxed Training & Technology and request a customer service training demo!
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