ELECT

• Customer service is the direct one-on-one interaction between a consumer making a purchase and a representative of the company that is selling it. Most retailers see this direct interaction as a critical factor in ensuring buyer satisfaction and encouraging repeat business.
• Customer service


  The support you offer your customers — both before and after they buy and use your products or services
• Customer service


  The act of providing support to both prospective and existing customers
• "89% of companies now expect to compete mostly on the basis of customer experience."
• Customer service channels

  • Phone call
  • Text message
  • Email
  • Self-service
  • Messaging
  • Social media
  • Live chat
  • In-person
• Phone call customer service


  • Customers call a hotline, enter a queue, and a customer service representative picks up the phone
• Text message customer service


  • Customers want to connect with businesses on this channel (for order confirmations, reminders, status updates, surveys, coupons, etc.) because they're already using those platforms daily, so it's a convenient way for them to get support
• Email customer service


  • It's still possible to provide a human touch, even over a computer. Email was the second most preferred method of customer service communication for all ages — which is perhaps a reflection of the time-saving capabilities of submitting requests on your own time, without having to wait on hold
• Self-service customer service


  • Many customers are now turning to DIY customer service methods to get the information they need quickly and easily without having to hop on the phone or wait for an email reply. In fact, more than 69% of consumers try to solve issues on their own
• Messaging customer service


  • Messaging as a support channel has grown significantly in use over time, as it is now one of the most popular ways that customers seek out service help. With more than 3 billion users worldwide, businesses are starting to rely on them to offer quick and easy content distribution and customer service to audiences
• Social media customer service


  • Customer service on social media is another up-and-coming way businesses are communicating with customers more frequently
• Live chat customer service


  • Customers say that the most frustrating part of customer service is long holds and wait times, so live chat is an option for providing speedy customer service without forcing your customers to wait for replies. A bonus is that it can be operated by humans, bots, or a combination of the two
• In-person customer service


  • This is for brick-and-mortar stores in industries like the food and retail space. When someone goes shopping, they usually are approached by a customer service representative who asks if they need help and then rings them up
• Great customer support drives an amazing customer experience, especially when your support team moves beyond just reacting to problems and toward anticipating customers' problems. When support agents are empowered to go above-and-beyond with customers or have a help desk solution that makes it easy for them to upsell or cross-sell relevant services, they can create winning experiences that help you stand out from the competition.
• 68% of customers leave because they're upset with the treatment they've received.
• Prioritizing customer service support helps you attract and retain loyal customers, and can have a big impact on your company's bottom line. Customer service can make or break your reputation.
• It's more important than ever to support customers on every channel from day one and establish what good customer service looks like internally and externally.
• The line between products and services is blurring, and customer experience has become part of the product or service itself.
• Surveys have shown that 86% of consumers would pay more for a better customer experience.
• 8 Impact of Good Customer Service

  • Customer Retention
  • Customer Loyalty
  • Build a Strong CULTURE and REPUTATION
  • Get Referrals
  • Boost Sales
  • Upsell Product
  • Improve Employee Happiness
  • Remain Competitive in the Marketplace
• 8 Ways to Provide Excellent Customer Service

  • Treat customers with respect
  • Provide prompt assistance
  • Find solutions that actually meet customer needs
  • Communicate clearly and concisely
  • Be honest when things go wrong
  • Focus on customer satisfaction and a sense of care
  • Have a positive attitude
  • Educate your team members about your business
• 8 Ways to Improve Customer Service

  • Support customers as a team
  • Listen to customers (and share their feedback)
  • Offer friendly, personable service
  • Be honest about what you don't know
  • Practice empathy
  • Know your product
  • Remember that every second counts
  • Improve as you go
• In today's hyperconnected world, your product is only as good as the service you back it up with.
• 6 Basic Steps to Set Up Customer Service

  • Determine which channels you'll support and identify the KPIs for great service
  • Determine how you'll organize and prioritize incoming requests, and when and how cases get escalated
  • Determine what type of customer service tools you'll use and how your customer service app maps to your business's customer support strategy
  • Develop content with marketing and/or product teams to help agents quickly answer customer questions and help customers help themselves with self-service support
  • Train your service team on your customer service tool(s), systems, and processes
  • Build out your customer service roadmap, including how to integrate your customer support system to other business tools, so you can scale your service as you grow
• 6 Rules for Delivering Superior Customer Service

  • Know your customer
  • Keep them informed
  • Serve them quickly
  • Provide them with access
  • Build trust
  • Give advice and guidance
• Keep them informed

  Communication is the basis of a sound relationship with your customer. By keeping your claimant or customer informed at all stages of the decision process you alleviate stress and enable them to plan for their future.
• Serve them quickly

  Your claimant is in need and so your responses should be fast, timely and professional at all times. You must have immediate access to the answers they need.
• Provide them with access

  With consumer expectations at an all-time high you have to be accessible to your claimant at every stage, and give them the choice of how they wish to interact with you.
• Build trust

  Trust is vital and will come through transparency. The claimant or customer needs to know where the process is, what decisions you have made and why you have made them.
• Give advice and guidance

  The further you can go beyond merely providing compensation, the greater your value will be in the eyes of the customer. By giving expert advice and support and providing service beyond just the contractual obligations, you can aid in recovery and make a real difference to the claimant's experience.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

  A technology for managing all your company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. The goal is simple: Improve business relationships. A CRM system helps companies stay connected to customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability.
• CRM system or platform

  A tool that helps with contact management, sales management, productivity, and more.
• CRM software


  Helps you focus on your organisation's relationships with individual people — including customers, service users, colleagues, or suppliers — throughout your lifecycle with them, including finding new customers, winning their business, and providing support and additional services throughout the relationship.
• Customer Centricity


  The idea that being dogmatic about your customers will bring you success. It's about putting customers at the center of your business and making every decision with their best interest in mind.
• Company Culture

  The personality of your business. This includes how employees interact with customers, how leaders treat employees, and how you behave as a brand towards customers.
• Customer Experience

  Everything from the first time a customer hears about you to the time they engage in your product or service to after they have left an interaction with you. It's important that your customer experience be memorable and pleasant throughout each step of the process.
• Customer Data

  How do you know if your customer experience is good? Collect data! Using data, marketers can measure statistics like conversion rates, retention rates, average spending amounts, and more. Then, they can use this data to improve their customer experience.
• Customer Journey


  The touchpoints along a person's path to becoming a customer and then eventually, a loyal customer. During this journey, there are several steps that need to be met in order for someone to become a repeat customer and advocate for your company.
• Consumer Experience


  What people remember about interacting with your brand after their first purchase or interaction has ended. It's how they feel about your brand after doing business with you and how likely they are to buy from you again in the future.
• Consumer Expectations


  What consumers think about when considering interacting with you or buying from you again.