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3 easy things to do to make your customer’s smile shine like the summer sun

Providing the best customer service is not easy, but simple things go a long way. To achieve a master level of customer service, you need to get the basics right first. Make sure these three things are in place: every customer is taken into account, customer service is made hassle-free and customer service agents are given the right amount of room to be creative.

The quality of customer service matters. 68% of consumers have tried a new service provider, shop or company because they have heard about its good service, according to the Customer Service Survey.

“68% of consumers have tried a new service provider, shop or company because they have heard about its good service.”

Do you want to be one of these companies? Make sure you do the following three things and you’ll be one step ahead of the rest.

1. Make sure the customer is noticed right away

Few things bother you as much as walking into a shop with your wallet in your hand and finding you’re like air. Customers don’t expect a red carpet, but with attention and a friendly greeting you can instantly put that all-important little smile on their face. Greeting doesn’t mean that the customer’s skin is immediately invaded, but that the customer feels noticed: ‘Hi, nice to see you, welcome!’.

Today, as more and more customer experiences are in fact omni-channel, it is important to ensure that rapid attention is paid to all service channels. How quickly are customers greeted if they approach you through electronic channels?

2. Make it as easy as possible for the customer to do business with you

Excellence in customer service is often thought to mean exceeding customer expectations. But according to a very interesting article in HBR and the research behind it, the most important thing is to make the experience effortless.

”Delighting customers doesn’t build loyalty; reducing their effort—the work they must do to get their problem solved—does.”Dixon, Freeman & Toman

To make the service experience as effortless as possible for the customer, incentive and measurement systems need to be carefully considered. Many customer service organisations use customer satisfaction indicators (CSATs) as a key measurement tool. However, according to a study by Dixon, Freeman & Toman, these measures have surprisingly little correlation with customer satisfaction. The study found that the Customer Effort Score (CES) correlates much more strongly with customer satisfaction. If you are not yet familiar with CES, we strongly recommend reading the article that is the source material for this article.

3. Allow customer service staff the appropriate amount of room for creativity

After all, no two service situations are the same. Elizabeth can be a reflective and passive customer, while Karen does not give the customer service agent a say. Standardising the service concept is important, and creates a good framework for a successful service encounter. However, taking it to the next level and personalising the service requires good situational awareness and the right amount of creativity.

“An excellent customer service agent can recognise the type of customer they are dealing with by the smallest clues. He or she can adapt to the specific situation of that customer, for example by using word choice, body language, tone of voice and product knowledge. “Friman 2016

Too often, when designing a top service experience, it is forgotten that it is, after all, about simple things. Commitment to delivering a good customer experience is required from management and staff alike. It is easier to start practising service personalisation and creative solutions to situations once staff have been engaged in the basics of service.

Aaku and Niina

Thoughts extracted from:

Dixon M., Freeman K. & Toman M. 2010. Stop Trying To Delight Your Customer. Harvard Business Revier.
https://hbr.org/2010/07/stop-trying-to-delight-your-customers.

Julia Friman. 2016. Infografiikka: Mistä koostuu erinomainen asiakaskohtaaminen asiakaspalvelussa.
http://www.sn4.com/fi/blog/2016/09/infografiikka-erinomaisen-asiakaskohtaamisen-elementit-asiakaspalvelussa.

Sentraali. 2015. Suomalaisten kokemukset ja odotukset asiakaspalvelulle. Asiakaspalvelututkimus. Tekijänä Taloustutkimus.
https://www.slideshare.net/Sentraali/sentraali-asiakaspalvelututkimus-2015.