We’ve talked before about the importance of customer service when it comes to running a business. People need to feel as though they matter when they use your company, regardless of what service you’re offering. That’s a personal opinion but creating a positive customer experience can also have a direct impact on your bottom line. As shown by research agency Gartner, 82% of customers who receive “value” when using a company are likely to make a second purchase [1].
Similarly, if someone has a positive transaction, there’s a 97% probability they’ll share their experience with other people. Put simply, if your customer service is on point at every stage of a transaction, it can have a positive impact on your business. That’s the set-up, now, let’s talk about three actionable ways to take your customer service to the next level…
1. Every Customer Matters
A lot of human resource agencies and experts put individual customer needs at the top of their service hierarchy. Essentially, you should treat every customer like an individual to ensure they receive the best service. You can only do this by establishing their needs. We live in a time where gathering information is not only extremely easy but cheap. In fact, time is the only major cost you have to bear if you want information from existing and potential customers. You can publish a survey on your website, send out emails requesting feedback and run social media campaigns. The latter option is best if you want to see what consumers at large desire.
2. Speak to Customers in a Language they Understand
We’ve previously covered the importance of providing a human touch when it comes to service [2]. Tied in with this is the idea that you should speak to people how they want to be spoken to. This means you shouldn’t use words or jargon that people don’t understand. An example of this is dealing with non-native speakers. The UK is a multicultural country, which means some people will speak little to no English.
As a business, you could employ people from abroad to cover your customer service needs. If that is a viable option, you’d need to obtain a sponsor licence, which would enable your business to sponsor candidates who need skilled worker visas to work for you. As noted by immigration lawyers Reiss Edwards, a skilled worker visa entitles someone, initially, to work in the UK for up to five years. It also ensures minimum salary requirements (this varies depending on what you do, but it’s worth noting that the minimum thresholds will be increased from spring 2024), so you will need to take this into account if you want to diversify your customer service team.
3. Time Matters
None of us have enough time. Customers in particular don’t want to wait around for a transaction to be completed or for the resolution to a problem. The general rule here is that less time equals more satisfaction. In terms of specifics, customers don’t necessarily need a transaction to happen instantly if it means things happen securely. When it comes to resolving problems, speed matters most. A study by Oracle found that 42% of customers expect a response within an hour, and 32% within 30 minutes.
This isn’t always possible, but these stats give you an idea of how quickly people expect a resolution. Looking at things from a general perspective, 24 hours is an acceptable resolution time but, if possible, you should try to handle queries in less time. Get this right, while ensuring you maintain a human touch and address people’s needs, and your customer service standards will improve dramatically.
Further Reading