Customers have higher standards for organizations than 20 years ago. Why? We want more. We live in a world where we want (and can usually get) everything instantly, one could argue both a blessing and a curse of the internet. As a result, customer service has become a critical part of any organization. Do you remember your last experience where you didn't feel satisfied with the resolution? I can name a handful without blinking.
You can measure all kinds of stats surrounding your customer service department: number of inbound calls, time spent on hold, call length, etc. You can also gather customer service feedback through surveys to get your customer service score. If you receive a low customer service score, here are some possible reasons:
1. Training. Organizations need to take the time to adequately train their customer service staff. If they aren't trained, they wont be able to give superior customer service because they simply wont have the necessary knowledge. Training should include explaining organizational goals and a basic understanding of all products. Obviously more extensive knowledge is needed for products they support.
2. Indifference. Some staff members just wont care. Customer service requires more than just a skill base, it also requires certain personality traits. Make sure you have a program in place to identify the correct people for your organization.
3. Burn out. It's hard to work in customer service. Reps field complaints and deal with negativity all day. How often are you in a good mood when you call customer service? Probably not very often, usually callers are already frustrated and in a bad mood. Dealing with that same negative caller over and over again will impact anyone's enthusiasm. To try to combat the effects of the complaints and negativity they face, provide recognition and incentives for excellent reps.
It's important to identify what your organization does well and needs to improve when it comes to customer service. After all, customers who receive poor service have a decreased opinion of the brand and the organization. They become much more critical and chances are soon as they have an alternative, they're going to leave. On the other hand, when customers feel they received white glove service, they tend to value the brand over competitors - isn't that the goal of all organizations?
I asked in the beginning if you remembered any bad customer service experiences. Are you still a customer? I know in most cases, I'm not. For most customers, it's not whether there was a problem, but whether it was taken care of quickly and had a satisfactory outcome. By having an excellent customer service team in place, you may find increased customer loyalty and higher customer retention rates. When was the last time you conducted a customer service survey to identify how your customer service department was doing?
You can measure all kinds of stats surrounding your customer service department: number of inbound calls, time spent on hold, call length, etc. You can also gather customer service feedback through surveys to get your customer service score. If you receive a low customer service score, here are some possible reasons:
1. Training. Organizations need to take the time to adequately train their customer service staff. If they aren't trained, they wont be able to give superior customer service because they simply wont have the necessary knowledge. Training should include explaining organizational goals and a basic understanding of all products. Obviously more extensive knowledge is needed for products they support.
2. Indifference. Some staff members just wont care. Customer service requires more than just a skill base, it also requires certain personality traits. Make sure you have a program in place to identify the correct people for your organization.
3. Burn out. It's hard to work in customer service. Reps field complaints and deal with negativity all day. How often are you in a good mood when you call customer service? Probably not very often, usually callers are already frustrated and in a bad mood. Dealing with that same negative caller over and over again will impact anyone's enthusiasm. To try to combat the effects of the complaints and negativity they face, provide recognition and incentives for excellent reps.
It's important to identify what your organization does well and needs to improve when it comes to customer service. After all, customers who receive poor service have a decreased opinion of the brand and the organization. They become much more critical and chances are soon as they have an alternative, they're going to leave. On the other hand, when customers feel they received white glove service, they tend to value the brand over competitors - isn't that the goal of all organizations?
I asked in the beginning if you remembered any bad customer service experiences. Are you still a customer? I know in most cases, I'm not. For most customers, it's not whether there was a problem, but whether it was taken care of quickly and had a satisfactory outcome. By having an excellent customer service team in place, you may find increased customer loyalty and higher customer retention rates. When was the last time you conducted a customer service survey to identify how your customer service department was doing?
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