This guide outlines how to develop or improve your customer service strategy with simple effective tactics.
The digital dimension added a new level of necessary client attention. Many of the tips and tricks of the trade that work perfectly when performing client facing actions in person or on the phone are still as useful, but there are new considerations that your company must put into place to remain competitive.
An online customer service strategy is crucial
The research proves over and over again just how much customers expect when it comes to customer service. Those that do not provide up to the minute, clear, and intuitive online service will certainly lose customers and revenue.
It may be a burden to develop new protocols for connecting with online audiences, however, on the positive side it’s proven that focusing on agility in digital customer service is a great way to outshine competitors. A full two-thirds (66%) of customers who switch brands did so because of poor customer service experience and much of that occurs online.
Customer service strategy with social media
Strategies for addressing customer service needs online begin with the now ubiquitous social media world. More and more often, consumers are taking their grievances to Facebook and Twitter, before even attempting to contact a company by other means.
What do you do with a negative comment on social media? First, keep calm. You are not alone. According to the study, the sheer volume of negative customer reports on social media is staggering: 80% of customer service related online comments are negative.
The important thing is to acknowledge and respond swiftly and decisively to social media criticism. 42% of irate customers expect their message to be addressed within the hour. Being non responsive when it comes to complaints is not an option – neglecting customers online comments result in a 15% increase in churn.
This means, have a protocol in place before receiving complaints.
Provide online customer service options
The truth is, customers would rather not interact with a person for their service needs. According to a study, one-third of those polled would rather be “cleaning a toilet” than talk to a customer service rep.
Ultimately, it’s more efficient for customers and less expensive for your company if issues can be solved online, with no service interaction. The question is: how do you make that as convenient as possible?
Offer DIY solutions
FAQs and online troubleshooting pages are not only helpful, they are expected. Nine out of ten customers look for a self-service customer care portal before seeking out ways to contact you and approximately that same number say they prefer using an online database (so long as it is easy to use).
Make service mobile-friendly
Something that is killing some customer service initiatives is a lack of mobile options. 90% of customers report at least some significant difficulty when looking to address service issues on their mobile devices.
How often do people look for customer service on those devices? Over 60% of customers report searching for solutions on their phones more that once a month. That’s a huge customer base looking for something that you can provide, if you want to be a cut above your competition.
Cover all your bases with your customer service strategy
With those digital options for consumers in place, that means if they are calling you they likely have a more complex grievance. Therefore, it’s more important than ever that representatives remain competent and have elite people skills. This includes a comprehensive understanding of potential online fixes.
Customer service strategy tips:
- Always get a name: It’s proven that people are more receptive when they hear their name in conversation.
- Apologize when warranted: Most customers would like an apology and, according to this study, most customers don’t get one. Be careful not to make your company legally liable for anything, but apologies can work wonders.
- Quality resolution build repeat customers: A large majority of customers will do business with a company again, if their issue is resolved in a satisfactory manner.
Importance of good online customer service strategy?
That saying that “a satisfied customer refers your store to ten people, but a dissatisfied customer will make a negative disclosure to twenty”, has never made as much sense as in the practice of online customer service.
The scope of information today is much greater and faster than twenty years ago, when technological advancement gave an air that it would become a competitive differential for most companies.
The arrival of Industry 4.0 changed the way consumers are related. Virtuality has updated the dissemination and shopping channels to bring convenience and practicality to those who wish to make their purchases without leaving home.
With this, the number of online stores has increased, but not all are prepared to circumvent the competition and stand out in the market. For example, adopting good recurring payment management can ensure a good customer experience. Therefore, it is important to adopt strategies of approach and enchantment, even if your store offers quality and excellent products.
The best customer service strategy and sales practices
1. Keep the service team well trained
The online customer service team must be continuously trained to serve the virtual customer well. Tools change and update all the time and keeping up with trends is essential to close good sales.
Train the team to be even more agile than the customer, because it is possible that he, even liking the product of your store, is also searching on another site. To ensure that at checkout he finalizes the purchase, show him some differentiated advantage.
Good customer service strategy and sales are directly related, so the doubts generated by the customer need to be completely solved so that he does not oscillate when making the purchase.
Whether by phone, chat or social networks, keep the online customer service strategy team standardized, with a human tone, with people who understand the customer’s problems and are willing to give all the support during the closing of the purchase.
2. Use the appropriate tools
When a customer decides to buy online, he certainly imagines that he will not waste much time on slow and bureaucratic processes, otherwise he would opt for physical service.
Use automation to make as many resources available as possible and to offer a pleasant shopping experience to your customers. Provide several online customer service channels:
- Telephone
- Website
- SMS
- Social networks
- Chat
Many stores are betting on mobile sales, and implementing their mobile or m-commerce version to make life even easier for the consumer. This type of customer service strategy solution has been gaining more and more followers, as purchases can be made on smartphones at any time of the day with an even more dynamic performance.
Another customer service strategy that encourages the customer to buy in a store is to have a transparent checkout on various means of payment, such as:
- Online payment (PayPal etc)
- Credit card for national and international purchases
- Bank transfer
3. Speak the language of your target audience
Try to connect to their way of thinking and acting to better understand their desires and expectations about a product. Analyze searches for the online environment to suggest attractively priced shopping options. Leave subliminal messages so that the customer realizes how much you and your team care about him and the purchases made in your store.
4. Offer agile and quality service
Try to exercise empathy when serving a customer, as this is the moment that, in fact, will determine the completion of the purchase and subsequent loyalty. While the consumer is only conducting research, he has not yet decided whether or not to buy in your store.
But from the moment he seeks service or puts the products in the cart suggests being willing to make the purchase, and it is at this time that the quality of online customer service needs to reach a high level in search of the satisfaction of its target audience.
Another customer service strategy of great relevance to the online market is meeting deadlines. As soon as the customer’s payment is identified, take care that the delivery is made within the deadline promised at the time of purchase, generating the reliability that the customer expects with margins for repurchase.
5. Consider the feedback provided
As we said at the beginning of this guide, social networks are the largest feedback channel for stores that want to understand what consumers think about their shopping experiences.
Be aware of everything that is said about your store, because all comments are mental triggers produced in moments of euphoria and enchantment, in which the customer makes a point of telling everyone how satisfied with the acquisition.
Therefore, if possible, create thank you strategies for the most assiduous customers or those who make a large volume of purchases on your store’s website. They will be multipliers of your brand and will help increase the conversion rate of those who still have doubts about the best store to make their purchases.
In the end, even if you and the entire customer service and sales team already perform excellent service, there is always something that can improve. Analyze all stages of the process and check for bottlenecks in any of them as party of your customer service strategy.
6. Understand that the secret of loyalty lies in your customer service strategy
Although competitiveness is a villain among stores, it is in online customer service strategy that lies the secret of loyalty that all businesses crave. The customer does not give up the truth and honesty regarding the cost-benefit of his purchases.
Connect to your consumer’s thinking so that he is instinctively the disseminator of your brand through good example, respect for the customer and, above all, good service.
Rest assured that this is the best way to sustainable growth and referral in the market. All other achievements will be the result of channeling efforts so that the customer always feels the center of attention of your store, as it should be.
Conclusion
Now that you know what a good online customer service strategy does to improve sales, how about putting it into practice.
You can apply it in your e-commerce or marketplace and generate good results.
Providing intuitive design for customer service options online is key for both customer satisfaction and retention. The research shows just how important your approach to customer service strategy can be for your company.
