Inside this article
In the modern consumer society, reputation can break or make your business. With the ability to leave a review or spread a bad experience in a matter of seconds, comes the opportunity (and duty) to offer a world-class service to your customers to boost customer retention and speed up the customer acquisition process.
Not every company out there can offer high-quality customer service, at least not the one that sticks with you for how good it was. Exceptional customer experiences may have never been more important than they are today. Continue reading to solve your questions about what it actually means and check some examples of world-class customer service and apply their strategies to your business.
What is world-class customer service?
World-class customer service can only be understood as the ultimate standard of high-quality customer service. A level that vastly exceeds customer expectations, gets you superb reviews, spreads the word about how attentive you are and makes customers come for more.
When you run a business, you quickly discover which are the needs, problems and wishes of your customers. Learning how to transform good customer service into world-class service is a matter that needs to be mastered with time and the right knowledge.
Your customer service team needs to be experienced, be constantly interested in learning about customers’ problems and needs, have sufficient time to treat each customer with the care they deserve and be constantly evolving.
7 Not-so-secret tips to transform good customer service into world-class
1. Listen to customers
Online stores, as any other business, need to listen to their customers’ concerns and problems, because it helps the store to understand their customers' needs and preferences, pinpoints areas that need improvement and helps to build trust and customer loyalty.
By actively listening and responding to customer feedback, online stores will offer a better service, leading to greater customer satisfaction, long-term success and ultimately, more sales.
2. Proactivity > Reactivity
While quickly answering customers’ queries is important, it’s even more beneficial to approach them to let them know when there’s an issue or when you suspect that they may have doubts on a specific product.
For this reason, being proactive should be the “default-setting” in your customer support staff, as only by excelling in this part of customer service, will you be able to go from “good customer service” to providing a world-class customer experience.
Outvio helps you be more proactive thanks to automatic triggers that notify the store whenever there’s an issue with an order.
3. Trained and experienced team
Working with the right software is crucial to speed up operations, ensure a centralized hub of information and communication and be efficient while offering a high level of customer support. However, it all starts with the people.
In this sense, we can’t recommend enough that you find the right staff for your team: people that are committed, knowledgeable, willing to learn and with the right attitude for the job they have to do. Let’s say it: customer service isn’t a task for everyone. It takes patience, organization, empathy and many other qualities.
4. Quick response times
A quick response time contributes to building high-quality customer service in several ways: it builds brand trust, reduces frustration, and sets the tone for good communication between the brand and buyer. When the customer feels heard from the first minute, it’s easier to solve the issue when you compare it with communications with angry customers.
In today's scene, managing different channels can be challenging and this is the reason why agents take a while to provide the first reply. Centralizing all customer communication is the only way to speed up the process and make operations more efficient.
With Outvio you can centralize all customer communications regarding an order to offer faster replies and gain quick access to order and shipping information so you can solve issues in a timely manner and give the best possible customer experience.
5. Anticipate their questions
Once the claim or query has been solved, the next step is to analyze which new questions or issues may pop up in the customer's mind. This way, you can solve questions before they even make them (proactivity reminder) and avoid queries that could take your time in the future.
In this sense, it can be helpful to have an FAQ page where you solve some of the most commonly asked questions regarding your products, shipping policy or return process.
6. Ask for feedback, learn from it and use it to impress!
Whenever there’s communication going on between a customer and a business, it’s only logical to check the end result. Did they get the answer they were looking for? Or could the process have been better?
While most already ask for feedback, they may not be asking the right questions. New product ideas, product fixes and new ways to market can all be a result of simply listening to customers’ feedback.
7. Avoid escalations
One frequent mistake when the customer doesn’t receive a fast or convincing reply is issue escalation. The incident may end up on a social media platform and ruin the reputation you tried so hard to build.
To avoid issue escalation and things getting out of control, the best tip is to consider and apply all the strategies and advice in this list!
3 real-life world-class customer service examples
Amazon
Amazon has always been at the forefront due to the attention they pay to its customers: free shipping options, premium deliveries, hassle-free returns that often involve keeping the item, exchanging it at no cost or receiving a full refund at an amazing speed.
Multi-language and 24/7 customer support on mainstream platforms, personalized recommendations and fast-payment options may be the top reasons why it’s highlighted by many as an example of world-class service.
Netflix
Take a weakness, learn from it, and transform your business. Netflix was born as a video rental store and online video streaming platform. Movies, TV shows, series, games, and the introduction of clips are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to catering to different audiences. The level of personalization to each viewer is probably one of the reasons why Netflix gained so much in so little time.
Apple
Apple is mostly known for its revolutionizing products and way of marketing. But this means nothing when high-quality support isn’t there to back up the luxury feel that people look for when they look at Apple’s products.
That’s why they invest so much time in their Genius Bars: a section within their physical stores where they listen to customers in one-on-one meetings to help them set up a device or decide on its repair.
This level of attention and care for someone’s concerns or problems isn’t what customers expect from a tech company, and it shows in the level of loyalty that Apple buyers have towards the brand!
Conclusions: world-class service checklist
World-class customer service should be one of the top priorities of any retailer, as it increases customer retention and contributes to faster and cheaper customer acquisition.
Keeping consumers happy isn’t easy, at least to the degree that we discussed throughout the article. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, each customer may come with different needs, problems and preferences, but there are some key points that foster a lasting relationship between the buyer and the business.
Automate your customer support actions without compromising the buyer experience with Outvio. This post-checkout platform fosters customer loyalty and optimizes internal processes for online stores. Put your business on auto-pilot by signing up now.
We leave you with this final checklist of some of the best practices for a high-quality customer support approach:
- Listen to customers
- Proactivity > Reactivity
- Trained and experienced team
- Avoid escalations
- Use complaints to learn and impress
- Quick response times
- Anticipate their questions
