Improving Customer Service for Better Results

Leading Extraordinary Customer Service in 2024 Leadership is the crucial factor in elevating average customer service into exceptional customer service. Here's how leaders can do that: Empower Employees: Give your team the authority to make customer-focused decisions without higher-up approval. Define their limits in terms of time and money, fostering a sense of ownership and willingness to go above and beyond for customers. Exemplify Behavior: Lead by example in creating a customer-centric culture. Demonstrate the importance of customer service in every action and interaction, ensuring a service mindset pervades your organization. Enhance Training: Go beyond basic training. Equip customer service representatives with advanced skills in understanding human behavior, asking the right questions, and taking effective actions. Skilled employees are motivated employees. Utilize Feedback: Actively gather and use customer feedback to drive improvements. Ensure the process is customer-friendly and not burdensome. Personalize Interactions: Strive for personal connections with customers. Treat them as individuals, not numbers, by understanding and addressing their specific needs. Leverage Technology: Use technology to improve service efficiency and effectiveness, but avoid letting it hinder personal service. Implement tools like CRM systems, chatbots, and data analytics strategically. Reward Excellence: Acknowledge and reward those who provide outstanding service. This not only motivates them but also inspires the entire team. Communicate Clearly: Maintain clear, consistent communication within your team and with customers. This aligns with the principle of effective communication central to your teachings. Convert Complaints: You can do more than address complaints; you can convert them into commitment. Address complaints promptly and effectively. Show customers they are valued through efficient resolution, turning challenges into opportunities for growth. Continuously Improve: Regularly review and enhance customer service processes. Encourage brainstorming sessions to find new ways to enrich the customer experience. By implementing these strategies, rooted in leadership principles, you can transform customer service into an extraordinary experience for your customers. #marksanborn #customerservice #leadingservice #cex #keynotespeaker #leadershipspeaker #2024

Everyone deserves high-level customer service. However many brands drop the ball when it comes to supporting their customers. Is your team making these common customer service mistakes? Mistake #1 - Slow response times. Customer inquiries that aren't dealt with in a timely and efficient manner can lead to a decline in customer satisfaction levels.  Solution #1 - Clearly communicate your expected response times on your website and selling platforms. This helps manage customer expectations and demonstrates your commitment to providing timely and efficient service. Mistake #2 - Lack of training - Unprepared customer service representatives can exacerbate customer issues, leading to dissatisfaction and negative brand perception. Solution #2 - Implement standardized operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency in handling inquiries and solutions. Regularly update training materials to keep your team ahead of the latest developments and frequently asked questions. Mistake #3 - Ignoring customer feedback. This not only alienates customers but also hampers your ability to improve and innovate. Solution #3 - Addressing negative feedback publicly shows new and existing customers that you value accountability and transparency in your business. It can build a strong sense of trust and credibility for your brand.  Mistake #4 - Limited access to customer support. Neglecting customers on smaller platforms or channels can result in missed opportunities and revenue losses. Solution #4 - Ensure that your customer support team has the resources and capacity to assist customers across all platforms, regardless of size or popularity. Consistent support reaffirms your commitment to exceptional service and builds trust among your audience. Exceptional customer service is a non-negotiable aspect of building a successful and sustainable brand. What does your customer service strategy look like?

Creating the ultimate customer experience involves a holistic approach that prioritizes customer satisfaction, loyalty, and delight. Here are key elements to consider: Understanding Customer Requirements: Start by deeply understanding your customers, their preferences, pain points, and expectations. Gather feedback through surveys, customer interviews, and data analysis. Personalization: Tailor your products or services to individual customer preferences. Use data and technology to provide personalized recommendations and experiences. Seamless Multichannel Experience: Ensure consistency and ease of use across all customer touchpoints, whether online, in-store, or through customer support. Customers should have a seamless experience as they move between channels. Empathetic Customer Support: Train your customer support teams to be empathetic, responsive, and knowledgeable. Resolve issues promptly and with a customer-centric approach. Convenience: Make it as easy as possible for customers to interact with your brand. Simplify processes, reduce friction, and offer self-service options. Quality Products and Services: Deliver high-quality products or services that consistently meet or exceed customer expectations. Transparency and Honesty: Build trust by being transparent about your products, pricing, and policies. Honesty is crucial in maintaining a positive reputation. Anticipate Needs: Use data analytics to anticipate customer needs and offer relevant products or services at the right time. Engagement and Communication: Stay connected with your customers through regular communication, such as newsletters, social media updates, and personalized messages. Surprise and Delight: Occasionally go above and beyond to surprise customers with unexpected perks, discounts, or personalized gifts. Community Building: Foster a sense of community around your brand, where customers can connect, share experiences, and provide feedback. Continuous Improvement: Regularly gather and act on customer feedback to improve your products, services, and overall customer experience. Sustainability and Ethics: Demonstrate your commitment to ethical business practices and sustainability, which can resonate with socially conscious customers. Employee Satisfaction: Happy and engaged employees are more likely to provide excellent customer service. Invest in your staff's training and well-being. Measure and Analyze: Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. Analyze the data to identify areas for improvement. Adapt to Changing Trends: Stay updated on industry trends and technology advancements to ensure your customer experience remains relevant and competitive. Crisis Management: Have a well-prepared crisis management plan in place to handle unexpected challenges while maintaining customer trust. #customerexperience #customerservice #businessaccelerator #businesscoaching

Fixing the customer experience - Hot topic for D2C brands hovering around the 7-figure mark. Typically up to your first million you are winging customer service and putting the bare minimum into it, but you shouldn't. This is when you should be building processes and best practices into the organization for a few reasons: If you can wow all of those customers and bring at least half of them back for a second purchase within the year, you are pushing $1.5M without any additional ad spend (depending on the size of the second purchase obviously). It gets much harder to put in place those processes and different pieces of technology once you have more customers you are taking care of. So, what are 5 of the most important things you should be looking at to improve the customer experience? 💥 Response times - It's not acceptable to tell customers that you will get back to them within 5 business days. That's too long for a customer to sit around and wait for more information from you. I don't care how many inquiries you get per day. Staff up to get your response times down to 4-5 hours max. It will pay off in the long run. 💥 Make returns and exchanges EASY. Too many e-commerce businesses make these hard in order to discourage returns and exchanges. Get rid of return shipping costs, get rid of restocking fees, offer free return labels, etc. If you do this right, you might even get them to come back and buy something else of equal or greater value right then. 💥 Make it easy to get in touch with you. Open up your communication channels and meet your customers where they are. Customers hate when they are forced to go to your contact page and submit a form in order to speak with them (and then add on 5 business day response times... yuck 🤮). 💥 Send freebies or gifts once your customers hit a certain sales tier. You'll surprise and delight your customers if they receive a little something in their third order. I learned recently that you can set up Klaviyo to trigger a notification to the fulfillment team to include a gift once a revenue threshold is hit. This takes the guesswork out of this. 💥 Make your website stupid simple to use. Simplify everything and provide as much information around FAQs and product features as you possibly can. Setup a one-page checkout to reduce as much friction as possible. What else would you add?

Your customer service employees are struggling. Don't rush to solve the problem. First, ask "Why?" One office couldn't get employees to follow the correct procedure for greeting visitors. Employees were expected to be friendly, but also follow a few security protocols. The receptionist did it well. The back-up receptionist was also great. But chaos ensued when one of those two were out. Everyone else was expected to pitch in, but they never did it right. Management brainstormed a list of solutions. More training. Call a meeting. Send out an email. None of it worked. I was visiting the office for an unrelated consulting project. The manager explained the challenge, and I asked to chat with some of the employees. The first question I asked was "Why is covering the front a challenge?" The employees all admitted they struggled to follow the correct procedure for greeting visitors. "Why?" I asked. "We always forget it," admitted the employees. "Why?" I asked. "Because I don't use it often," said one employee. "By the time it's my turn to cover the front, it might be a few weeks since we talked about it in a meeting." Asking "Why?" just three times uncovered the real challenge. Employees wanted to do the right thing, but they did it so infrequently that they forgot the procedure. The solution became obvious. A small sign with the three step-procedure was placed at the front desk, so any employee covering for the receptionist could see it. Performance immediately improved and everyone followed the procedure. Bottom line: don't rely on brainstorming to solve customer service problems. Go to employees first and ask them "Why?" until you get to the root of the issue. #ServiceCulture

As a customer service veteran of over 30 years, I've witnessed a lot of changes. One of the most notable changes is that today's customers are more informed than ever. With the ability to buy anything online from the comfort of their own homes, businesses must embrace technology as a tool to stay relevant. However, it's equally important to offer value to customers both online and in-store to keep them coming back. Here are some simple ways for all businesses to offer value: - Provide in-store specials and offers that aren't available online. - Ensure easy access to all merchandise and services, both in-store and online, without unnecessary barriers or rules. - Have staff readily available to assist customers with zero delays. - Keep all merchandise in stock and ready for purchase at all times. - Have associates provide clear directions to customers for finding merchandise. But most importantly, businesses need to consistently listen to their customers. By making the customer experience as seamless as possible, businesses can earn repeat business and positive word-of-mouth from satisfied customers.

Customer service can reframe a poor experience & turn negative into a positive experience... Story to illustrate I stopped to get gas yesterday before an appt. A 7-11 (in case you're curious) I fill up Use my business credit card Go for receipt Machine is jammed, none comes out. I can see my CPA on my right shoulder "gooo get the receipt; you could be audited" So I trot inside to grab a receipt. The GM addresses me "Hey sir; how are ya" I explain I need a receipt. I wasn't upset. It happens a lot; prob 25% of the time I go to get a receipt from a gas station, none comes out. So the GM, instead of just fetching the receipt for me (like everyone else does) He said: "Hey sir; I know you're busy; so grab a free drink on us for the trouble of having to come inside" Wow; I'm about to hit the dentist; so no drinks for me; BUT thanks for the thought. Instead of walking out & not thinking twice about the spot; I was pretty impressed with the offer. I had no reason to remember that 7-11 (never had been before) But now I've had it ingrained into my brain. I'll prob choose to stop there again; when in the area; over the other 5 stations nearby. Think about this when you're dealing with your client / customer. Every encounter is an opportunity to build lasting impressions. Go above & beyond when you can Turn the negative into a positive You aren't their only option for XYZ service Don't take them for granted It's easier to put $$ in the bank when you don't need it, vs trying to withdrawal when having a bad go of things.

Your client relationships have a huge impact on your brand. Here's why... ⬇ Brand perception is heavily shaped by customer experience. And if your client service is less than stellar, chances are good that your brand perception isn't so hot. If you want to keep clients and turn them into raving fans, you must pay attention to how you care for customers. Yesterday, my good friend, Dew Tinnin, spoke at the local Better Business Bureau's awards about how to improve client relationships. Here were my two biggest takeaways: 1️⃣ Take responsibility when things go wrong. It’s so easy to brush off complaints and chalk it up as another frustrated client. But, when you make a client’s problem as “no big deal”, it feels like the end of the world to them. However, when you treat problems as the end of the world, it becomes no big deal to the client. Taking that responsibility makes all the difference. 2️⃣ Investigate and improve. Taking a client’s complains and feedback seriously is how you get better as a business. That means listening intently (and not just for your turn to speak). Dew shared a story about a hair salon owner who said “if the issue gets to me, it’s free.” So, when the salon had gotten hair dye on a women’s suit jacket, the owner gave the client $400 to replace the full suit. No questions asked. Prior to that issue, the woman had never referred clients to the salon. But in the year following, she referred 12 clients to the business. That’s proof that mistakes aren’t detrimental if you focus on how to make it right. ⭐ BOTTOM LINE ➡ If you want to improve your brand, don’t overlook customer experience. How people experience your brand says a lot about your business. After all, your brand is NOT what you say it is. It’s what your customers say about you when you’re not in the room. How you deliver on client service goes a long way toward shaping their perception of you. Serving well is one way to ensure their perception is a good one. Have you ever had an experience where a company turned a negative situation into a positive one? Have you ever had a client experience that turned you into a raving fan? I’d love to hear about it! 👇

DAY 8 of our LinkedIn challenge: ENHANCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE In today's competitive landscape, providing exceptional customer experiences is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. Happy and satisfied customers become loyal advocates for your brand, driving repeat business and attracting new customers through positive word-of-mouth. Let's explore strategies to take your customer experience to the next level! Understand Your Customers: To enhance customer experience, you must truly understand your customers. Conduct surveys, gather feedback, and analyze customer data to gain insights into their preferences, pain points, and expectations. Develop buyer personas to create a clear picture of your target audience, allowing you to tailor your offerings and communication to their needs. Map the Customer Journey: Take a deep dive into your customer journey and identify touchpoints where you can make a positive impact. From the initial point of contact to post-purchase interactions, every step should be seamless, delightful, and aligned with your brand values. Personalize Interactions: Customers appreciate personalized experiences that make them feel valued and understood. Leverage customer data and segmentation to deliver personalized content, recommendations, and offers. Use automation tools and CRM systems to track customer interactions and provide tailored experiences based on their preferences and behaviors. Foster Effective Communication: Communication is key to building strong customer relationships. Ensure that your communication channels are readily available and responsive. Be proactive in addressing customer queries, concerns, or complaints. Listen actively, show empathy, and communicate transparently. Exceed Expectations: Go above and beyond to exceed customer expectations at every touchpoint. Surprise and delight customers with unexpected gestures, personalized notes, or exclusive offers. Empower Your Team: Your team plays a crucial role in delivering exceptional customer experiences. Invest in training programs that equip your employees with the skills and knowledge to provide outstanding service. Foster a customer-centric culture that emphasizes empathy, problem-solving, and a commitment to exceeding customer expectations. Continuously Improve and Innovate: Customer expectations evolve, and your customer experience strategy should evolve too. Regularly seek customer feedback, analyze metrics, and measure customer satisfaction. Identify areas for improvement and implement changes to enhance the experience. Embrace innovation and stay abreast of emerging technologies or trends that can elevate your customer experience. Measure Success: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with your business goals. Track metrics such as customer satisfaction scores, Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer retention rates, and referral rates. #customerexperience #customersatisfaction

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬   The path to success can be challenging and rewarding, whether climbing a mountain peak or scaling your customer base.   To grow your business, you want customers to remain long, embrace upsells, and refer new business. To profit, you want to avoid wasting time or money.   Optimizing the customer experience increases your chances of success.   This post covers potentially harmful issues and ways to improve. Let's grow!     𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀   The customer journey at a high level: Branding ➡️ Marketing ➡️ Sales ➡️ Onboarding ➡️ Support ➡️ Growth   At each stage, determine the best customer experience and transitions.   You may not think all these steps are necessary e.g. does a mobile app need onboarding? Well, if someone cannot use it immediately, they may leave.   Also, when customers face a discrepancy between their expectations and reality, it can cause problems even if the quality is good.     𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀   𝘖𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 – Define success in simple, clear terms.   “𝑭𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔.” – Steve Jobs   By concentrating on only highly impactful ideas, Apple customers expect high quality and innovation and willingly pay a premium for new products.   Level up: Announce success stories about customers, such as designing a new feature or delighting a customer. These stories inspire commitment.     𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 – Strategically determine the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) based on consumer or company demographics.   Level up: Focus marketing and sales on ICP targets. This approach optimizes your resources and ultimately benefits both you and your customers.     𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 – People learn differently, so offer videos, illustrations, and messaging to share the optimum experience.   Level up: Share case studies and promote other customers' successes to reinforce your value.     𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 – Startups often benefit from loosely defined roles. However, a lack of accountability at each step may result in a bad customer journey.   Level up: Assign ownership for each responsibility and establish best practices for transitions and overall success.     𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 – When someone becomes a customer, explain how to get support and offer suggestions since users often share valuable insights.   Level up: Fight fires AND fireproof. After you extinguish the flames, prompt ways to prevent future blazes, saving time and money in the long run.     𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘴 – Startups typically measure a range of financial indicators. However, customer success affects revenues and profitability.   Level up: Align customer success with team and individual performance by measuring churn and user engagement then collaborating on improvements.     Appreciate the impact of the customer journey on long-term success since revenues and scalability depend on efficiency and retention.   #leaders #founder #adapt #startups