How to give good customer service: 7 tips that'll "WOW" your customers

Customers want to feel like more than just a ticket number. Receiving automated responses or being shuffled from person to person frustrates them. Many brands lose customers because they feel they are indifferent towards them.

Give customers the personal touch where you can show that you care. Address customers by name through email, over the phone or in-person to humanize the interaction. Personalize emails, thank-you notes, birthday cards and more all help to make customers feel appreciated. Be friendly and personable in all communications and customers are more likely to remain loyal.

A social media expert for a proofreading service says that consumers today use multiple channels and devices to do their shopping. This means you need to make sure they get the help they need, no matter which channel or device they use. If getting in touch with support takes too long, customers have probably already searched and found an answer to a problem or canceled an account.

Consumers expect an omnichannel service. They want a seamless, consistent experience when they move from one form of communication to another, whether they use live chat, email, phone, or social media channels. The Aberdeen Group found that businesses offering consistent customer service quality across multiple channels retain 89% of their customers and boosting customer retention rates increases profits.

Customers today relate to brands on social media and they not only do so because it is convenient but because they expect a speedy response. According to Statista, 48% of consumers expect a response to a complaint or question on social media within 24 hours and 18% expect a response within one hour. A platform like Facebook makes it easy to see the average response time.

As the best custom papers on customer service put it, it is in the best interests of your company to have employees dedicated to tracking and responding to social media comments. A speedy response is one of the cornerstones of good customer service because customers put a high value on their time.

Intelligent self-service and automated customer contact systems are increasingly being used to support the demands of customers. Self-service is a cost-effective, scalable way to keep customers happy. A report by Aspect Software shows that 73% of customers want to solve product or service issues on their own.

Microsoft found that over half of all consumers say the main reason they are unable to solve a problem on their own is that there is not enough information online.

Companies need to address the most common questions and complaints and provide answers in an in-depth knowledge base that is easily accessible. If customers cannot find what they need, they can then access help from a live person.

Customer feedback is a clear indicator of how happy your customers are. Do not wait for customers to offer feedback – reach out to them and ask for it. This could be in the form of a survey after a purchase or a social media poll. Customers could be asked to rate their interactions with the company and suggest improvements.

Getting customer feedback is very important whenever you want to introduce a new product, feature or service as it will help to improve customer satisfaction once you deploy it. Show that you recognize the value of their input and that you want to tailor what you offer to their needs. It can help to elevate your offerings from average to exceptional.

You do not have to give huge rewards to make a positive impact on customers. Providing a discount or giving them some company swag can show your appreciation. If a customer faithfully purchases the same product time after time, offer a reduction on the next purchase.

Discounts are usually a great incentive to buy and giveaways can work well if you offer a subscription-based service. For example, you could give customers one free month of service.

Another way to reward loyal customers is to offer them something exclusive, such as access to a new product or service that is not available to the general public yet. Giving loyal customers an experience they will not forget can also influence their loyalty. For example, if you run a winery, reward loyal clients with a wine tasting event.

Companies often offer money-back guarantees to consumers to win their trust. It makes the purchase process risk-free, which encourages more people to try out products or services. It is important to make a refund policy easy to understand for the average consumer and complicated legal jargon will just confuse them.

The complicated legal terms can come under the Terms and Conditions and an easy-to-understand FAQ article can put it in plain terms. Clearly show eligibility requirements in bulleted lists and emphasize any deadlines. Many companies offer a 30-day money-back guarantee but if you offer 60 or 90 days, you will ‘wow’ your customers.

From the first interaction with a company, customers want to feel that they matter. This is often even more important to them than the product or service. They want to feel that their feedback is valued and that they can reach out at any time and have their complaints and questions dealt with quickly, efficiently and courteously. Going the extra mile and being proactive in your response to them is one of the most important elements of good customer service.