The Art of Customer Service

Customer service is the key to success for any business that has market competition. Some – if not most – companies don’t consider customer service a vital asset. But without good service, the company won’t be able to grow and expand.

Depending on the business type, customer service not only provides good service during a support call, it creates and builds the trust relationship necessary for keeping the customer happy and ensuring he remains a customer for a long time.

The big question is: how do we achieve that type of relationship?   Before answering, I’d like you to think about customer service as an ART. Of course an artist has to have the basic skills, but it also takes thought, intuition, imagination and experience to turn that picture into a piece of art.

My intent is not to show you how to make a piece of art, but to give you the basics of good customer service. The rest I’ll leave to your imagination

The basic rules:

1. Listen: Anyone who calls support does so to report a problem, so the expectation is very high from the outset. Picking up the phone and talking to the customer requires your full attention to actually hear and to understand the problem. You also need to let him know that his frustration is being heard too. Doing so will gain the customer’s trust, putting him in a receptive mood to cooperate and work with you to try to resolve the problem.
2. *Pay attention to what the customer is saying: *Have you ever had to repeat these 2 words, ‘pay attention’, when explaining something to someone? Then you know that frustrating feeling that you’re pouring water on sand. Don’t make your customer feel that way.
3. Teach: Teaching the customer how the product works not only reduces the number of calls but gives him power. That power will give him a sense of control over the application and the know-how to diagnose and possibly fix the problem. Teaching also reduces the frustration of having to call support every time an issue occurs. The best support technician is the one who can reduce a customer’s calls to those that are absolutely necessary.

Now let’s build on the foundation:

1. Ask the right questions: Most customers don’t call until after they’ve already done some digging. To them, you are the last resort,  so asking THE right question can be the solution in some cases.  Example: is the issue related to the customer’s environment? Often, that question helps Support in getting the customer’s appreciation and trust; moreover, it often saves a lot of time for both parties.
2. Don’t interrupt: You’re there to help customers on their time: don’t rush a customer.
3. Apologize: Always be ready to apologize even if the problem is not your fault. Remember, the customer is the King, and apologies are an easy way to defuse an emotional situation. Apologies in customer service are not to be taken personally – it only shows that you sympathize with what happened.
4. Focus on solutions, not on blame: *Frustration makes customers disperse blame on almost everything – mostly the product, even though it might not be the culprit. Technicians should never blame their colleagues or another department. Instead, *focus on finding a solution. This will magically reset everything to normal.
5. Be there for the customer and go beyond expectation: Each call contains some level of frustration. Sometimes customers themselves don’t know what to do in the middle of a crisis, so this is the perfect time for Support to show their readiness to assist, and to go beyond the customer’s expectations. And any freebie help (even with a non-proprietary application) is more welcome than ever.
6. Pick up the phone and call: Use your judgment about when to call the customer. If you feel there are too many back-and-forth messages being exchanged and the issue persists, using email is not always the best way to solve problems as it could raise customer frustration. Take note: for some customers, one bad experience can make a big difference, and it could take some time to win back their trust.
7. Smile when you pick up the phone: One of the best ways to answer a call and give a good first impression is to smile while picking up the phone. As pointless as this sounds, the person on the other end will hear the warmth in your answer and feel that he called the perfect person who is ready to listen (Rule 1), pay attention (Rule 2), and provide a solution if not valuable advice (Rule 3). If you don’t believe this point is true, then pick up the phone and try it yourself: call your pharmacist, your ISP, or anyone who normally provides advice or support, and notice the difference.

If you can remember and apply this advice every time you answer a support call, everyone benefits: the customer, you, and the company as a whole. Customer service often carries more weight than you realize when customers compare and choose a product.