Be a Customer Service Rock Star In Three Simple Steps

UPDATE: This blog has been updated from its original Jan. 9, 2019 posting.

If you read a company's reviews closely, you might notice that the majority of those that are negative describe a customer’s bad experience with the company's customer service, rather than a bad product. Even if their complaint is originally about the product, customer service usually handles returns and exchanges. So if the customer's needs aren't met, their ire quickly turns towards the customer service team

We've all seen and read examples in the news of poor customer service turning a situation from bad to worse. People on a delayed or canceled flight don't receive updates, customers are kept on hold for hours, and sometimes a company might even refuse to honor a product warranty. In cases like these, the very first thing people do is turn to their social media pages to put the company on blast, which creates a larger public distrust of that company.

Customer service teams play a critical role in every organization, no matter their size. It takes years to build a strong reputation for reliable customer service but, particularly for small businesses, only days to wreck it. The growing reliance on chat bots and automated phone messages can make people feel like their concerns don't matter.

But the truth is, with organizations facing tight budgets, reduced staff doing more work, and more pressure than ever before to produce results, customer service sometimes gets lost in the chaos. Your team is feeling the heat and so are you. But there are three things you can do to ensure that your customers remain your customers, even when you don't meet their expectations.

1. Know how to deal with people directly

It’s easy to talk to people who are just like you. But, when a customer doesn't relate to your ideas or line of thinking, the job gets tougher. Handling people, especially ones with a difficult personality, often depends on the method of interaction.

Face-to-face

Body language does play a significant role here. Most people know the usual advice of maintaining eye contact and smiling, but this is the time when it's most obvious to the customer if you're distracted. Put away your phone, face away from your computer, tell your coworker you'll get back to them, do whatever you have to do to let the customer see that they're your top priority.

Over the phone

It's easy to misinterpret or just not hear what the other person said. Don't guess. They might get annoyed by having to repeat themselves, but that's better than guessing what they want and being wrong. Inbound customer service is most likely to deal with angry customers, and if you're in this role you've likely received a lot of training regarding how to respond to anger. Follow your company's recommendations and standard procedures, they're there for a reason.

Live Chat

Many companies are giving customers the option of chatting directly with a rep, rather than speaking over the phone or in-person. In fact, the majority of customers prefer this method over other types of customer service options. However, a lot of companies don't respond to these chats in a timely manner, which only makes matters worse. When you do respond to these, there's less incentive to be friendly or develop a rapport with the customer. Usually, they just want facts and direct information. 

2. Use the right customer service language

Most of us know the phrase "under promise and over deliver." If you're giving estimated shipping time on a product replacement, you might say it will arrive in 7-10 days as opposed to 3-7 days. Even though it's likely they'll receive the replacement within a week, you can build in a buffer by tempering expectations, so they might be pleasantly surprised when it gets there earlier than the time you quoted. 

What you do is more important than what you say, but using the right language with a customer is still critical.

• Be proactive. It's okay to say that you don't know something or to admit a mistake, but find out the answer or correct what went wrong as soon as possible. Don't dwell on what went wrong or pass blame, even if the customer did something incorrectly. Rather than say something like, "You should've done..." say, "In the future, you might try..."
• Be thorough. Provide tracking numbers, explanation of processes, contract stipulations; anything they might need. Answer questions with as much clear information as you can.
• Be thankful. Let them know how much you appreciate their business. Offer what you can and if necessary, take notes on what went wrong so you can improve and prevent it from happening again. Customers are much less likely to forgive a mistake that happens frequently.

3. Learn to say ‘No’

In the real world, sometimes you just can't honor a customer’s request. Not everything is in your control, and there will be times where what they're requesting just can't be accommodated. When this happens, it's best to focus on what you can provide, rather than what you can’t. 

Try using this three-step process for saying ‘no’:

1. Acknowledge their request
   Make a short comment to let them know that you heard them, you know what they are asking for and you are considering what they said.
2. Clarify your circumstance
   Tell them what it is that keeps you from being able to honor their request. Use a tone that emphasizes explanation, rather than one that makes it sound like an excuse. 
3. Offer your best alternative first
   You want to offer your clients the best possible option as quickly as you can. If you're a manager, empower your employees with this ability, so that they can figure out the best alternative for their customer in the moment. Of course you're doing your best to fulfil their request, but sometimes you have to offer another way around a roadblock that may not be ideal.

Knowing how best to respond in certain situations takes a lot of practice, and there will be trial and error. But understanding and empathy goes a long way, so remember to keep the human element in your customer service process.

---