How to Provide Excellent Customer Support
 Customer support is basically about giving customers an experience they will
enjoy and cherish. It’s about making them feel important and that you are there
to listen to them, understand what they need and serve them with a smile. This
special treatment is what the customer will remember and keep them coming back
for more. In this era of vicious competition between companies, what gives you
an edge is a specific employee or experience that leaves a lasting impression.
For any company to retain its customer base and attract more customers,
excellent customer support is necessary so as to exceed the customers’
expectations and make them tell others about it. Here are a few important things
any company looking to provide world class customer support should do.
Introduce a customer service culture
The culture of putting a customer first and ensuring that they are always
heard has to be instilled in every employee. It is more of an attitude and
should resonate in every department ensuring that customers are handled politely
and with respect. This is a sure way to ensure customers are retained and they
always feel at home. Training of customer service representatives who will
understand customer needs and handle their complaints professionally and with a
smile is the first step in introducing this culture.
Companies need to invest in training and refresher courses to ensure that
customer service techniques are in the mind and heart of every employee. With
time, good customer service becomes part of the organization, and new staff get
introduced to treating customers nicely from their first day on the job. This is
how companies renowned for excellent customer support start and build a culture
that customers will eventually notice and appreciate.
Hire the right employees
 Companies need to take time to find the right people for the job. Well
cultured and respectful individuals improve customer satisfaction levels as they
are more likely to handle customers professionally and in a friendly manner
which is fundamental in ensuring the customer enjoys their experience.
Recruiting these right people who share the same core values as the company, and
people who respect and serve customers well starts with the recruitment process.
Human resource employees need to be able to interview potential employees and
identify desirable traits in the individual that would be helpful to the
company’s efforts of providing great customer service. Individuals who have good
etiquette and a slow temperament are usually the best to employ, because they
tend to be more patient with clients and more understanding. This ensures the
company employs a team of highly professional personnel who will help to achieve
set company goals and improve on service delivery.
Be honest with customers
Customers need to trust the organization and not feel like they are being
lied to. Trust has to be earned by owning up to mistakes and being
straightforward with customers. Transparency is key here and communication is
equally important so that customers do not feel like they are being kept in the
dark about certain dealings in the company.
The fastest way to lose customers is to try and keep certain things from
them. Business is all about building trust and communicating. Mistakes are often
made by companies, but being honest enough to admit that something went wrong,
and being brave enough to face the customers and rectify the mistake is what
sets a company apart from the rest. Taking responsibility for mistakes and
working fast to resolve the issue actually serves to bring customers closer and
not to lose them.
Listen to the customer
 This is probably the most vital thing for any company to do, yet it could be
easier said than done. The customer seeks to be heard and understood and we all
know that the customer is always right. How else will a company satisfy customer
needs if it doesn’t listen to them? Companies that listen more to what customers
are saying end up with more market share and ultimately more revenue.
Give customers the opportunity to share their views on how the service is by
providing channels through which they can give their opinions. Most customer
care desks provide a channel to handle complaints or compliments in a fast and
friendly manner. Sometimes just letting the customer vent, and showing him that
someone is listening and sympathizing gives the customer some satisfaction and
helps to calm him down before a solution can be found. Confrontation is the
worst approach when it comes to handling complaints even if the customer is
wrong. Staff should be trained to calm down and listen while offering logical
and helpful solutions to the customer.
Handle complaints carefully
Keeping customers happy has to be done for the business to grow. Employees
have to be able to handle angry customers calmly, listen to what the customer is
saying and respond to the issue immediately if possible, or as soon as they can.
Customer support teams are first in line to handle complaints and they must be
well equipped and trained to listen to and escalate complaints to relevant
departments and also be there to give feedback to the customer after the issue
has been resolved.
Customers like to see that they are being given priority and that something
is being done. This helps reduce their frustration and calm them down. It is
important for staff not to take the customer personally, and just realize that
the customer is angry and needs assistance. Once the complaint has been
forwarded to the people who can solve it, the customer should be kept in the
loop and be given a realistic time-line as to when the solution will be found.
In these situations, the faster the solution is found the better for everyone
involved. Giving quality customer support keeps customers coming back and
ensures that the business not only stays in the game longer, but also has an
edge over competitors. It always pays to give customers an experience to
remember.
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