A great maxim for excellent Customer service is, make it EASY for the Customer to do business with you! If the Customer finds it easy and pleasurable to do business with you, they will return, and they will also want to buy more.
Make it Easy
Using the motto, Make it EASY for the Customers will give you and your Customer Service people the right focus to deliver that extra experience. The word easy involves both aspects of the Customer service call:
1. The task side, answering the query, providing the right information or resolving the issue
2. The people side, ensuring that this Customer has an excellent customer service experience of us and the service we provide
The word EASY stands for:
Effective
Action
Speed
YOU - the customer
Effective
The call will be effective for the Customer if it works for the Customer. An effective call is one where:
1. The Customer can easily find the right number to ring
2. They can get through to a service representative quickly, without too many buttons to press or too long holding
3. The person answering the call understands the query or issue, and check with the Caller to ensure that they have the right issue
4. They resolve the issue in a way that the Customer feels is reasonable and acceptable
All of these aspects count, and yet some are readily overlooked. Can the caller find your number? Does the person answering the phone give a positive first response; certainly I can help with that? Do they ensure they have the right issue? Do they have the skills to tackle tricky issues in a way that the Customer will feel is reasonable?
Action and Speed
Queries or issues should be addressed and resolved as quickly as possible, preferably on one single call. Ensure that the person answering the phone has sufficient knowledge, skills and responsibility to resolve the majority of issues.
If the issue can't be addressed on one call, the Customer should be given a definite timeline for resolution of the issue and this should be a reasonably short amount of time. An issue that is left for an unreasonable amount of time will be much more difficult to resolve. Take action to reduce the amount of issues and the time it takes to resolve them.
You - the Customer
A Customer wants to feel that their issue is important to the customer service representative and that the representative understands the impact of the issue on the Customer. All Customers are different, but a good customer service representative will ensure that he or she gives the Customer the feeling that they are being dealt with in a way that is appropriate for that individual Customer. The customer service representative must be professional, but giving the feeling that they CARE.
This impression of action being taken is given to the Customer by what is being said and the language style the Customer service representative uses. This language must be brisk, positive and definite language, for example:
The first thing I will do is I will get this resolved right away.
The Caller's expectations must be managed so that the time line is real, but they must still get the feeling that there are people there working actively and speedily to resolve their issue.
The Customer is the Judge of your customer service
How do we make it easy for our Customers? Well, the first thing to bear in mind is that the Customers themselves are the judges. They will decide if the experience is good, mediocre or extra special. They will judge if you are making it easy or difficult to buy from you and your Customer service people.
To ensure you are making it easy for the Customer, it is important to either:
1. Ask the Customers, in surveys or feedback forums
2. Do your own Mystery Shopper calls.
Work constantly to ensure that you make it EASY for every Customer.
