A start-up’s goal is to create transformative products that change or improve the way people and businesses go about their daily lives. Investing in customer service in an unscaleable way is a roadmap for accelerating the path to that success. Of course, the product/ business and its quality are the utmost priority but keeping the customers happy and engaged positively is not too far on the checklist.
Start-ups have a lot on their plate and that is normal however, a lot of times we see even though a business has a great product, an amazing website, and/or high demand in the market, their customers aren’t happy. The sales are good but when it comes to customer retention and overall rating it’s below average. Why does it happen? The answer is simple, the customer service team has glitches and as a start-up owner you may say, “ I’ll fix it when the next funding comes, or in the next quarter, or my main focus for the next 2 years is just on the product and tech team.” Unfortunately, it may be too late, and what’s more unfortunate, a lot of times one may not see it coming. So, focusing on your B2C department from the foundation level is the key to acing the game.
Here are some tips and tricks used by some major e-commerce companies across the globe, to stay at the apex ;
- Treating All Customers Equally
The first and foremost point to ALWAYS keep in mind is that every customer should be treated with equal importance. Their buying style should not affect your way of dealing with their questions, giving them solutions, etc. The only thing as a customer service representative you should know after studying the customer’s buy is what sort of questions he/she may have about the product and what more can you do to retain that customer.
- Balancing between Customer Satisfaction and Company Policies
This is one of the most frustrating, yet undoubtedly crucial elements a customer service team has to work with. Every time, when helping customers (be it in person or virtually) a customer care person faces a problem if to completely accept what the customer is demand or to say a “ service no ” as per the company’s policies. ? Remember, not all customers can be sent happy and there are ways to work around some policies without jeopardizing the company’s norms. Maintaining a balance between customers’ demands and company boundaries is not an easy task but a possible one.
- Learn the Art of Saying a Service No
Saying NO is never easy and when it comes to saying it to a customer who isn’t happy anyway, is a nightmare but sometimes (many times) you have to. Understanding the customer’s concern, and rationalizing it with the company norms or vice versa is not an easy task but is extremely important. Once, you’ve concluded that you have to say no to the customer, try to compensate for that with some additional giveaways, something that will make the customer feel less unhappy. Also, mastering the way of saying a service no goes a long way.
- Gambling with the Set Script
Now, this may sound crazy but not every manipulation act is negative, not all gamblers are bad. Sometimes, these things are good, provided there’s a positive intention behind them. A simple trick, to make your customer feel good and set an exceptional impression of the company is, to play with the TAT. For instance,
a customer has a question about the estimated time of delivery of his order, now you know as per your company logistics it usually it takes 5-7 business days for a product to be delivered. However, to set an impressive track record you can always say that it usually takes around a week to 10 days (only after discussing it with your boss) but since, the customer is a valuable one you’ll try to expedite it. Also, mention that he will get all notifications regarding the same.
Now, imagine when the customer gets the order on the 6th day than on the 9th. He is sure, going sure happy and positive word around. This will make the customer feel important, and taken care of and help with trust building not with just the company but with the employees too. So, it is not that illegal!
- Going the Extra Mile
Everyone likes to feel important, taken care of, or given something extra, something more than expected. If you’ve worked as a customer support agent or customer relationship person, you would be familiar with the phrase, “going the extra mile for the customer.” This is the best way to ace the customer satisfaction game, having said that it isn’t always easy. In the contact center, an advisor would “go the extra mile” if they went beyond standard company protocol in the best interest of the customer. This is not always possible, but in a small company or a start-up, it is a little easier since the protocols/policies are not too rigid and have scope to be modified. Best ways to practice walking extra for your customers ;
- Knowing/Understanding what the customer wants
- Listening actively with acknowledgment
- Taking responsibilities and showing eagerness to help
- Keeping your cool
- Following up
Businesses can grow revenues between 4% and 8% above their market when they prioritize better customer service experiences. American Express says, 70% of customers say they have already chosen to support a company that delivers great customer service. Accenture insights say half of the U.S. customers are no longer making decisions based on price or product selection. They access what a brand says, does, and stands for thus creating good and bad customer service examples. The customers are ready to spend extra for brands that have created exceptional customer service examples and express brand loyalty by referring it to friends & relatives. You can make your customers’ jaws drop no matter how big your budget is. Stay dedicated to the customer service cause and watch your business grow with dedicated customers that become like a second family.
