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A customer service
strategy is a thorough plan to handle customer interactions. It lets you provide a consistent customer experience throughout the customer journey. 8 Steps to Develop an Effective Customer Service StrategyStep #1: Make customer happiness the end goal across the companyA successful customer service strategy is a result of focusing on customer happiness. At first thought, this makes sense for people working on the frontline. But what
about those that never face a customer? Operations, engineers, and product designers are just a few examples.
Why would they focus on customers they never
speak to instead of just doing their jobs? The customer-first mindset across the board makes support teams better at their jobs. When everyone works with the end customer in mind, your customer service team doesn’t have to make solutions look better. They simply deliver them. Another benefit of a customer-centric approach is that you’ll remove organizational silos. Information can flow quickly between the customer support team and other teams. This makes customer care extra efficient and thorough. Example:Let’s say a customer is complaining about the way your product was packed and delivered to their door. It arrived broken. Step #2: Identify all customer touchpointsAnalyze your customer interactions. To do so, answer the following questions:
You can map out and visualize these answers in a way that shows you a full customer journey. Based on these customer touchpoints, you may end up with something like this: You’ll benefit from these insights because they allow you to:
In other words, you can match and exceed customer expectations. Example:Let’s say your average customer journey resembles the one on the graphic above. Step #3: Set goals for customer serviceHere’s what SMART goals look like for your service team:
Finally, the best customer service reps focus on customer contacts. They feel empowered and supported to do right by the customer. Make this approach the background of all customer service goals you set. Example:Good customer service goals might be to bump up:
But these big-picture goals will result in action when you break them into specific areas. Define them with numbers and deadlines, for example:
Related: 12 Customer Service Trends You Can’t Ignore Step #4: Identify customer service KPIs to monitorWith your goals in place, you must then define KPIs to track and improve. Without them, you can’t turn your goals into action plans.
Example:For example, you’ve improved one KPI, such as NPS. But you
noticed that revenue metrics are getting worse, such as customer lifetime value. You need to go back to the drawing board and establish the correlation between the two. Step #5: Build a driven customer service teamThen, it’s time to identify the right people to work on these goals and KPIs.
Identify the personalities that will enrich your team and match your company culture. List all the skills you want a person to have for each of your customer support roles. Mark all listed skills with must-have or good-to-have, and include both hard and soft skills. Example:All customer service reps should hold the above skills to
succeed in their roles. Step #6: Build a powerful customer service toolkitYour reps must think quickly, make decisions on their feet, and
coordinate multiple channels and conversations at once.
Example: Step #7: Give your customer service representatives powerIf you stopped at the previous step, you’d end up with a good customer service strategy.
This will keep the customer from taking their business elsewhere before the issue escalates. It will also spark positive word of mouth, as well as save time for managers and other senior staff. Example:Ritz-Carlton hotels have one of the most outstanding employee empowerment policies. Step #8: Create a consistent feedback loopAfter you launch or update your customer service strategy, you can take one of two actions.
Listen to your customers through surveys, polls, on social media, in focus groups, and conversations with your reps.
This way, you can improve your products, features, positioning, and all business conversations. Example:Through regular customer surveys, you may discover that they feel they’re receiving sufficient
support. However, they need a more thorough written recap of it after speaking with your reps on the phone. So, how do I give the best customer service experience?There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to extraordinary customer
service.
And just like that, customer service is no longer a burden or an afterthought. Instead, it becomes the fuel behind your company’s long-term success! What strategies can be used for developing customer focus?How to improve your customer focus strategy. Encourage collaboration.. Make your customers feel heard.. Meet your customers where they are.. Use feedback to get better.. Combine data with empathy.. Leverage AI.. Support the teams that support customers.. How do you keep your customers focused?10 Tips for Becoming a Customer-Focused Organization. Know Your Customer. ... . Figure Out Their Problem, and Solve it. ... . Build Trust with Your Customers. ... . Keep Up to Date with Your Industry. ... . Utilize Customer Feedback. ... . Tie Your Customers into Your Brand. ... . Customer Experience is Key. ... . Continually Improve Products and Processes.. What are the strategies to handle the customer?10 Tips for Dealing with Customers. 10 Tips for Dealing with Customers.. Listen to Customers. Sometimes, customers just need to know that you're listening. ... . Apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. ... . Take Them Seriously. ... . Stay Calm. ... . Identify and Anticipate Needs. ... . Suggest Solutions. ... . Appreciate the Power of “Yes”. |