Stats about Customer Engagement

Are businesses really about what they claim to be? Products or services? How about profits? I guess we can also count on that as well. They are about people, and that is what matters most. It is the story we tell about people that matters most.  As a result, you should use that story in a way that engages your customers and drives them to return for more. 

 

Customer satisfaction is always the most important thing:

 

Almost eighty-six percent of buyers (86%) would be willing to pay more for better customer service.

 

 It is worth noting that 54% of the customers believe that companies must fundamentally transform how they engage with their customers.

 

The majority of customers believe that the best way to entice and engage them is through surprise gifts and offers.

 

 If given a discount, 30% of lapsed app users said that they would return to the app if offered a discount.

 

According to 64% of the customers, tailored engagement based on past interactions is what they expect from brands.

 

Sixty-seven percent of customers prefer to do their own thing rather than speak to a company representative.

 

There is a 52% reduction in customer engagement caused by a bad mobile experience, according to the study.

 

Statistics about the Customer Engagement Industry:

 

 Within the next few years, AI and machine learning will be used to automate almost forty percent of all customer interactions.

 

More than three-quarters of companies don't ask their customers for feedback on their interactions regularly.

 

 In comparison to those visitors that are not re-targeted, there is a 70% greater likelihood of converting re-targeted visitors.

 

Pricing and quality have a significant influence on consumer engagement, with 81%, 80%, and 55% respectively. 

 

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Statistics on Customer Engagement Best Practices:

 

Approximately 75% of marketers believe that the highest level of engagement occurs at the middle and/or end of the marketing funnel.

 

It is a proven fact that almost 78% of customers prefer omni-channel customer engagement.

 

Those customers who are fully engaged have a 23% higher share of profitability, revenue, and relationship growth compared to those who are not fully engaged.

 

Successful B2B companies realize a 63% lower customer attrition rate when they engage their customers effectively. In addition to this, they also manage to increase their share of wallet by 55%, and their productivity by 50%.

 

The mobile app audience grew by 31% year-over-year in 2020, as compared to 16% in 2019.

 

It has taken roughly five years for the shift towards e-commerce to accelerate since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Discover how Airship’s acquisition of ReplyBuy extends our platform beyond customer engagement, enabling direct commerce, payments, and customer conversations through direct partnerships between Airship and ReplyBuy.

 

An average of 94% of consumers who rate a company as "very good" in terms of their CX are likely to buy from that company more products or services in the future.

Make sure that you are there for your customers at every stage of their customer journey so that they can have a seamless and relevant experience.

 

In the United States, 28% of consumers want to be able to pay for goods using their smartphones at all times.

There are a lot of reasons to believe that mobile wallets are a good channel and tool for the customer and for the brand. Customers adore the convenience of always having up-to-date coupons, tickets, boarding passes, and loyalty cards at their fingertips. Moreover, mobile wallet passes are incredibly popular because they create a whole new channel for engaging customer's on mobile - without the need to download an app.

 

52% of customers expect that offers will always be personalized, up from 49% of customers in 2019.

With a multi-channel approach that delivers meaningful, personalized messages, you can show your customers that you understand and appreciate their business, in order to build their loyalty. 

 

According to a recent survey, 81% of Americans own smartphones, up from 35% only four years ago.

To meet the high expectations of their customers, brands need to offer excellent mobile experience to meet the high demands of their customers.

 

By the year 2020, there will be more than 80 percent of companies investing in an omni-channel customer experience, up from 20% in the year 2000.

I think it's important to engage customers where they are, and give them access to your messages and products in a way that is convenient to them. You can find more information about cross-channel acquisition by visiting our website. 

 

According to the latest reports, consumer spending on mobile will reach $102B in 2020, up 2.1x from 2016.

Don't miss out on your customers when they're on the go, especially on their mobile devices. The Airship platform's open architecture makes it easy to reach customers on any device or channel to drive purchases and drive loyalty.

 

In 2019, there were 1 trillion accesses to finance apps around the world, a remarkable increase of 100% over 2017.

Make sure your customers are able to stay connected to their money by providing more ways to do so and personalizing every interaction with your company. Using any device or channel, you can send real-time and valuable messages in an intuitive, intuitive way.

 

Only 29% of consumers say that they are actually able to get a seamless experience across all channels, even though 71% of consumers believe they should.

We offer a customer engagement platform that's designed for the future, so you have maximum flexibility to optimize the channels you're using now while being able to easily integrate new channels - via a centralized interface.

 

 The number of shoppers who prioritize reliability (70%) and convenience (68%) when making online purchasing decisions continues to rise.

 

The number of average app opens per user and the number of average notifications opened directly from the app have both increased 29% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As your customer enters the acquisition phase, you want to make sure they see - quickly - how your products and services will make their lives much easier once they start using them.

 

There are 76% of customers who prefer different channels depending on the context in which they are dealing.

Any time your brand engages with your customers, they expect a seamless experience no matter where they are. In order to create meaningful customer experiences that are coordinated across all of your channels, it is essential to have a centralized place where customer messages are coordinated across all of your channels.

 

According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 60% of U.S. adults get news on a mobile device, while 30% of them get news on a desktop or laptop computer.

 

After experiencing a bad experience with a brand they love, 32% of consumers will decide to no longer purchase from that brand.

 

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Engaging customers in a successful manner

 

Netflix was the leading brand in the category of online entertainment, achieving a ranking of 89% based on how well the brand met consumer expectations compared to the consumer-driven and category-specific ideal.

It is a source of information that Statista provides.

Any business that wishes to succeed must be able to engage its customers actively. The way to accomplish that effectively is by ensuring that customer expectations are met at all times. As part of Netflix's effort to learn what their subscribers really want to see on their platform, they analyzed search history to determine what they would like to see. It is also worth noting that many of their customers are quite satisfied with the fact that they don't have to pitch their ideas, but are gradually able to see their desired shows on the streaming platform.

 

It is estimated that more than 60% of failed customer support calls could have been resolved with better data access. (Source: IBM)

In order to establish successful customer engagement with your customers, you can gain access to data that will help you gain better insights into their behavior. If you want your operators to be able to answer your customers' questions more effectively, you need to ensure that they have a better understanding of the products and services you offer. It gives you the opportunity to keep customers engaged with the brand and also helps to boost the brand's loyalty.

 

With extensive personalization utilizing the next best action, the average revenue per user increases by 166%. (Source: IBM)

In my opinion, this is one of the most important points in customer engagement and one that no company should miss out on. When the business provides a customized support experience to their customers, it becomes a straightforward process not just to increase customer engagement, but to increase revenue as well.

 

In fact, 79% of consumers state that the ability to speak to knowledgeable store associates is "important" or "very important." (Source: Microsoft)

You need to make sure not only your store associates, but also your support operators, have a considerable amount of knowledge of a process, if you want to keep your customer engagement high. This is due to the fact that more than 80% of customers find that to be an essential quality. These potent statistics on customer engagement will help you realize that by keeping your customer service agents up-to-date regarding product upgrades, you can engage them in an effective and active manner.

 

As a result of the above-mentioned successful customer engagement statistics, we can conclude that keeping a close eye on the customer expectations, proactively keeping operators informed about product updates and improvements, and offering personalized support will result in active customer engagement.

 

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The benefits of customer engagement

 

An average customer who is successful in engaging their customers represents an average 23% higher share of wallet, profitability, revenue, and relationship growth as compared to an average customer. (Source: Gallup)

If you want your business to grow its revenue successfully, don't ignore such statistics on customer engagement as they can help your business achieve success. As a result of successfully engaging your customers, you would be able to receive benefits such as higher profits, increased revenue, and improved customer relationship growth for your business.

 

In the consumer electronics industry, the most engaged customers bring in 44% more revenue, and the hospitality industry brings in 46% more revenue from fully engaged customers.

(Source: Cognizant)

In my opinion, this shows just how important customer engagement is for businesses to grow and succeed. That is one of the reasons why business owners are encouraged to develop strategies that would allow them to develop dynamic relationships with the customers naturally.

 

Customers who actively engage with their primary banking institution, compared to actively disengaged customers, bring 37% more revenue to their primary bank each year.

(Source: Gallup)

A study that has been conducted on customer engagement in the retail banking sector has also shown that correct strategies can be used to increase annual revenue, based on the findings.

 

Businesses that have been successful in engaging their B2B customers have reported 63% lower customer attrition rates. (Source: Gallup)

Engagement with customers does not only benefit B2C businesses, it has benefits for B2B sectors as well. A B2B organization can easily lower customer attrition with an effective customer engagement strategy.

 

There was a 55% higher share of wallet for companies that engaged their B2B customers successfully. (Source: Gallup)

This statistic about customer engagement totally proves how a business can earn more profits by implementing good strategies for customer engagement - so it is all the more important to get the best strategies in place to allow a business to prosper.

 

Companies that engage their B2B customers successfully report 50% higher productivity than those who do not. (Source: Gallup)

The benefits of customer engagement strategies are not limited to the fact that they lead to greater revenues and profits, but it is something that should not be ignored. A clear example of how good customer engagement strategies also result in improved employee productivity can be seen in the above statistic on customer engagement.

 

This section clearly states what all benefits a company can attain by working on their engagement strategies by taking into account the statistics on customer engagement in this section. Additionally, it helps businesses increase profits and employee productivity as well as increasing revenue.

 

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Challenges in Customer Engagement

 

 

By the time your customers engage with you actually, 57% of a purchase decision has already been made. (Source: Oracle)

There is a chance that your sales team or the support team might not have the opportunity to actually interact with the customers and keep them engaged with the brand or its products. One of the most challenging aspects of a customer engagement strategy comes down to the technical side.

 

Just 34% of complaints regarding goods and services were based on the quality or reliability of the goods or services, while 62% of complaints were based on the attitudes or competencies of staff members. (Source: Deloitte)

Another challenge that this customer engagement stat discusses is the staff that fails to engage visitors actively on the website. It is therefore important to train your staff on a regular basis. It is important to note that this will increase the chances of not losing customers and create a great customer engagement equation.

 

It is interesting to note that most respondents (81%) are most concerned with getting their questions answered and, surprisingly, only 19% wish for companies to be aware of their mood and respond accordingly. (Source: Verint)

According to this customer engagement statistic, it is evident that customers refrain from communicating their moods to companies 19% of the time when they are seeking support.

 

 

In fact, 88% of consumers believe that online reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations. (Source: Verint)

If you've put a lot of effort into engaging with your customers, they will leave you awesome feedback if you have really executed on this. If you do not do any of this, then you may end up facing lots of complaints online, which can lead to fewer visits on your website and a reduced conversion rate.

 

Since 2014, the trust consumers have in retail stores and manufacturers has declined by over half. (Source: Deloitte)

When customer trust levels continue to erode at such a rapid pace, it will become all the more important for businesses to interact with their customers on an ongoing basis.

 

The customer engagement statistics collected for 2021 definitely indicate that one of the things your business will have to work towards is developing stronger customer engagement strategies, specifically given all the challenges that will need to be overcome.

 

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Expectations of Customer Engagement

 

Among consumers, 91% said they would be more inclined to shop with a brand that offers personalized offers and makes recommendations relevant to them, and 83% said they were willing to share their data in order to accomplish this. (Source: Accenture)

In the coming years, customer expectations are expected to grow even more. You must make sure that you learn them before beginning any sales process with them, so that you can guarantee the success of your sales process.

 

There is a 9X greater likelihood that leads generated by the website will convert if they are followed-up within 5 minutes. (Source: Oracle)

In order to engage your customers, you need to follow up as soon as possible. This is one of the customer engagement facts that clearly shows that if you don't learn how to follow up with qualified leads as quickly as possible, then it is unlikely you will convert them.

 

There is no doubt that over 95% of buyers choose to work with a company that provides ample, relevant information to guide them through every stage of the buying process.

(Source: Oracle)

As your business enters the purchasing lifecycle, you need to provide knowledgeable inputs to customers so as to stand true to the expectation that your business will stand true. As long as your operators are actively engaged, they will be able to bring more business to you during this time.

 

It has been reported that more than 60% of customers interact through multiple channels and that they expect consistency regardless of time, place, device, or medium.

(Source: Deloitte)

One of the keys to success is consistency - one of those sayings that you don't just repeat out of habit. Ensure that you and your team are open to utilizing a number of different mediums for engagement when creating an active engagement strategy so that the customer understands that you are approachable and can openly engage with them when they are ready.

 

In today's market, every business is under pressure to meet the expectations of their customers when it comes to engagement. This statistic is a testament to the fact that companies are looking for engagement. It is important to recognize your returning visitors, you should engage qualified prospects instantly, and you should provide knowledgeable information, which results in sales, while remaining consistent across all platforms of communication.

 

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Engagement of mobile customers

 

It is estimated that 78% of consumers use a mobile device when interacting with a business for support and customer service. When working with millennial consumers, the figure rises to 90%. (Source: Genesys)

Make sure that when you are planning customer engagement strategies for your business, you also take into account the use of mobile devices. The quickest and easiest way to ensure that your team is able to engage with customers as they happen is to ensure that they have access to such tools so they can work wherever they happen to be. This does not mean that they are restricted to working only from a computer screen.

 

It is estimated that about half of all consumers will use mobile messaging apps for customer support and service. (Source: Genesys)

It is clear that this is one of the trends in customer engagement that everybody knows about. However, your customer engagement strategy needs to revolve around such trends and facts in order to make sure that you are able to easily implement them for achieving successful customer engagement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A majority of millennials (72%) believe that a phone call is not the best method of resolving customer service issues. (Source: IBM)

Another point clarified by these statistics on customer engagement is another possible pain point for customers - phone support. It is extremely rare that we hear about customer complaints on the phone these days because companies have tools such as live chat software, ticketing software, and self-help centers. These tools are available to you as well. By taking advantage of these tools, you will be able to reduce the time it takes to reply to customer inquiries.

 

There is nothing more satisfying for your customers than being able to connect with a business no matter where they may be. The other side of the equation is that if you give your operators this facility to provide timely support and engagement services to customers, you'll be able to cover more customers in one go. Additionally, you will be able to make sure that you don't miss out on the customer support queries.

 

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The impact of customer engagement on sales

 

A hotel guest that is fully engaged spends 46 percent more per year than a guest who is actively disengaged. (Source: Gallup)

You will appreciate seeing your customers spending more money on your services if you invest in customer engagement strategies.

 

The current state of digital buyer penetration worldwide is 46.4% and will increase to 47.3% by the end of 2018 - this was estimated. (Source: Amasty)

There is a lot that can be said about how digital customers are important to a business, and while creating engagement strategies, don't forget to include such customers as well. When approaching your business, seek out various platforms that they are comfortable with.

 

As a result of the statistics under this section of customer engagement, you can safely assume that if you invest in building smart strategies, your sales will likely increase.

 

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Engaging customers in a personalized manner

 

There are 45% of baby boomers (age 55 and over) who value privacy over personalization. (Source: Genesys)

In the past, we have used customer engagement statistics as a way to understand how we need to better understand our customers so we can engage with them and provide them with awesome products. While getting to know our customers is important, the need to protect their privacy is also a concern, and they will not willingly give up their privacy to interact with a brand. It is also very important that you make sure that regardless of what kind of live chat software or customer relationship management platform you choose to use, it is secure enough to protect your customer information.

 

Marketers still rank personalization as the most important factor in their marketing plans, with 36% choosing to deliver personalized experiences in real time as their top priority, and 40% choosing to do so with their agencies.

(Source: Adobe)

In order to create a meaningful connection with your customers, it is essential to create a personal, engaging conversation so they recognize the effort you put forth. If you are going to do this, however, make sure that you are able to use the right customer service tools.

 

A total of 38% of all digital revenues are influenced by personalization.

(Source: Microsoft)

As an effective way to keep your customers happy with your services, you need to personalize conversations with them while interacting with them. This is because delighted customers are equivalent to more business for your company.

 

In fact, 70% of consumers say that understanding their individual needs influences their loyalty to a company, and 69% say that personalized customer care influences their loyalty as well. (Source: Microsoft)

Providing personalized customer service experience to your customers is a challenging task that requires operators to be very mindful of. Your customer service experience will have a direct impact on their purchase decision and thus your revenues.

 

The majority of consumers believe that getting a tailored experience across all digital channels within a brand is an important aspect. (Source: Microsoft)

It is always a good idea to use more than one channel for both support and sales in order to keep your customers engaged with your brand. If you want to personalize your website, make sure you maintain the same standard across all platforms.

 

The major part of your operators' responsibility, therefore, is to think about a wide range of factors that can have an impact on the decision-making process of the customers. The fact that your operators should think about securing customers' information and making them realize their importance through a personalized support process are just a few of the things they should bear in mind when engaging with clients.

 

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Engagement of Customers and Its Impact

 

There are 18% of those surveyed who stated that providing more personalized, targeted engagements and experiences for their customers will be one of their top three priorities in the coming year. (Source: Statista)

While providing customer support, your operator should focus on factors such as conversational personalization, constant engagement, and the overall experience when providing customer support.

 

There is a 147% difference between companies with highly engaged employees and their competitors. (Source: Microsoft)

This statistic indicates that you should also invest in your employees when it comes to customer engagement. You won't be able to gain a competitive advantage if you don't invest in your employees.

 

In the last year, 64% of consumers have avoided both brick-and-mortar and online retailers due to a bad experience with a particular brand.

(Source: Microsoft)

Engaging customers is a positive experience for any company. It is true, however, that certain practices like irregular updates, not being able to communicate on a customer's preferred platform and other practices tend to put off some customers. They tend to remember these bad experiences for a long time after these bad experiences have occurred.

 

DE AICI

 

Companies with above-average customer service perform better financially than their competitors in 73% of cases. (Source: Temkin Group)

It is important for business owners who want their business to perform better in terms of revenues, to ensure that the customer experience their operators build is always above average.

 

The above-mentioned statistics point out that there are various impacts of customer engagement which can be seen from them. However, when it comes to great revenues, happy employees, and a competitive edge, these are some of the major highlights that you ought to pay attention to.

 

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Customer Engagement in the Future

 

More than half of marketing professionals in North America looked to increase customer engagement as one of their top objectives when looking for ways to enhance customer service. (Source: eMarketer)

In addition, one of the future customer engagement trends is going to be how marketing professionals plan to focus a lot more attention on enhancing the customer experience.

 

In the next year, 32% of companies will increase their investments in planning and forecasting technologies, according to a survey conducted by the Enterprise Technology Council. (Source: Microsoft)

In addition, another customer engagement fact shows that companies plan to invest in technologies which will help them to predict and forecast the engagement trends in the future. By doing this, companies will be able to better prepare for upcoming communication challenges and understand the needs of their customers better.

 

It is evident that the future of customer engagement is bright, especially if companies plan to invest in technologies that will allow them to fully understand their customers' buying patterns. If they engage with the customer when it is appropriate and let them be on their own when it is not, they will be able to better understand when to engage.

 

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The Role of Social Media in Customer Engagement

 

 Millennials are more likely to use Facebook Messenger than other social networks, as compared to other platforms. (Source: Genesys)

Based on the social media statistics regarding customer engagement, one thing that we can take away is the fact that most millennials are easily found on Facebook. As a result, this is definitely a platform where you should think about including your brand as one of the platforms where you can effectively engage with your customers.

 

Approximately 75% of people expect a response in less than five minutes to social-generated inquiries. (Source: Oracle)

Social media platforms will allow you to engage with your customers easily as most people spend a lot of time on them. If you engage them, make sure you also answer their questions. If you fail to do so, then they may lose interest completely, and you will lose your chance at engaging them.

 

There are 18% higher rates of engagement on Thursdays and Fridays than on any other day. (Source: Invespcro)

For example, if you'd like to engage with your customers more actively, you should find out the days or timings during which they'd like to spend time surfing on social media platforms. Using this approach will help you capture a greater number of qualified leads and increase your business.

 

Facebook posts with fewer than 250 characters receive 60% more engagement. (Source: Invespcro)

To engage more people on your posts, keep them crisp, clear, and short. That way, they'll be able to make a decision more quickly. It leaves you with a great takeaway and a strategy for engaging with your target audience faster with this customer engagement social media statistic.

 

When your brand tweets more than three times a day, engagement on Twitter decreases. (Source: Invespcro)

It's great to engage with customers regularly. If you bombard them with too many social media posts in a day, they may become annoyed. In addition, they'll probably be forced to silent notifications whenever your brand posts something new.

 

Conclusion: The above-mentioned customer engagement social media statistics show how crucial it is for brands to use their social media handles effectively.

 

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Engaging customers through Live Chat and Customer Engagement

 

When it comes to interacting digitally with a company, online chat, and live support is the most preferred channel for 41% of consumers in Europe.

(Source: Statista)

Customers, not just in Europe, but around the world, prefer to communicate via live chat software when it comes to digital engagement. It is a very fast and efficient system, which helps customers get a quicker response to their questions and doubts.

 

It has been found that 42% of consumers prefer live chat functions over the telephone because they do not have to wait on hold. (Source: Inc)

One reason why customers prefer not to use legacy customer support tools is that they may have to wait or be put on hold. The use of live chat in the market is gaining more and more relevance because of this reason.

 

The important thing to remember is that engagement is good for business. Although it might not lead to the same results as engaging a customer as quickly as possible would. The benefits of live chat are that it helps you connect with your customers faster and provide instant solutions.

 

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Keeping Customers Engaged & Retaining

 

It is estimated that marketing professionals in the United States and Europe need to bring in five and seven customers, respectively, in order to equal the revenue of one repeat customer.

(Source: Adobe)

 

I feel that this customer engagement statistic is a clear indication of what needs to be done to keep our brand in the minds of our customers. To have a customer return to your brand in the future, you will have to get more than five customers before one comes back to you again.

 

Consumers are more likely to shop with brands who recognize, remember, and suggest relevant offers and recommendations to them, according to 91% of consumers.

(Source: Microsoft)

Using live chat software, you can let your operators know when a customer returns to your site. The tool provides you with the ability to see how many times they have been on a website and when was the last time they interacted with one of your operators.

 

The takeaway: Retaining customers is not rocket science. It does, however, require you to pay attention and be mindful. It is a good idea to not treat your returning customers as if they were new ones. In such a case, they might feel offended, and they'll most likely look for another alternative on the market to satisfy their needs.

 

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Loyalty & Engagement with Customers

 

Sixty-one percent of customers (across all sectors) have been with their current provider for more than three years. (Source: Verint)

Keeping in touch with your customers, telling them about the upcoming offers, and keeping them informed about a variety of factors is one of the reasons they stay loyal to your brand.

 

 96% of customers choose a brand based on its customer service. (Source: Microsoft)

In order to keep customers loyal to your brand, ensure you create the best experience possible.

 

France and Germany have the highest levels of long-term loyalty, with 72% and 66% of users staying with their current providers for three years or more. (Source: Verint)

Loyalty cannot be earned in a day or two. As the brand progresses toward success, you need to keep existing customers engaged. Customers should not feel left out as the brand advances.

 

Only 8% of all visitors in the US are returning or repeat buyers, which generate 40% of revenue. (Source: Adobe)

Make sure you have good engagement strategies in place in order to increase the number of returning or repeat customers. You cannot convince them to return to your brand unless you actively engage with them.

 

Make sure that your business curates the best engagement strategies to convert your customers into loyal ones. In order to engage your customers, you can't just send them an email about an upcoming product update or initiate a chat when they land on an important page. Taking the time to personalize your engagement with the customers is essential in order to actually make them brand loyal.

 

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Engaging customers and providing excellent customer service

 

17 percent of centers are able to identify problems that have a negative impact on the customer experience. (Source: IBM)

The goal of a customer service center is to identify issues that can have a negative impact on the customer's experience. By doing this, your operators have an easier time dealing with issues that they may face when engaging with customers.

 

62% of retailers state that they are creating a competitive advantage for their organizations by using data analytics and information (including big data).

(Source: Microsoft)

As soon as a company has a good amount of data at hand, they are able to easily make changes to their marketing and customer engagement strategies within no time at all. 

 

The bottom line is that customer engagement and service go hand in hand. In light of this, you should know that making changes to your customer service strategy will likely have a spillover effect on your engagement strategy as well, thus making sure that you plan accordingly.

 

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Engaging and interacting with consumers

 

 According to a survey of 46.5% of organisations published in 2018, employee engagement in customer experience (CX) is reactive and driven by an organization-wide culture framework. As a result of the survey, 29.3% of customers rated an organization's ability to provide good customer service seven out of ten (7/10). (Source: Statista)

The customer experience and employee engagement go hand-in-hand. Moreover, according to Statista, 29.3% of customers agree that they are more likely to engage with a company if they rate its customer experience capability at or above 7/10.

 

According to the MEA region, employee engagement in customer experience is largely reactive, with only 35.7% (42.4%) of organizations adopting a proactive approach in which employees actively (and even enthusiastically) live the brand as they deliver customer service. (Source: Dimension Data)

Based on the statistics above, it can be concluded that you need to be proactive when you make an effort to build an experience for your customers. So in other words, when your operators engage with your customers, suggest they be proactive rather than reactive. Often, proactive outreach to your customers has a benefit not just to the customer, but also to the company's revenue when done in a proactive way.

 

 Over half of consumers say the overall experience of using a product or service is one of the most important factors in their decision to purchase.

(Source: Deloitte)

It is a proven fact that customer retention is directly proportional to the quality of the customer experience. Thus, if you engage proactively and provide a great support experience to your customers, you will notice an increase in your sales and brand loyalty.

 

In a nutshell, this section discusses how great customer engagement experiences can help your organization build customer loyalty.

 

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Summary 

 

Any company, no matter which industry they are in, must ensure that they are engaging with their customers. In order to be successful as a business, you need to make your customers happy. With this list, we hope that you will learn something about what makes a business successful. That is because it is a good step forward in making your marketing strategy more customer-oriented. If you would like to know more about how you can engage your users, please don't hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have!

by Costi

The 13 Best Ways to Improve Customer Service for Ecommerce 

Increasingly, consumers are turning to online shopping as a means to purchase products and services, which has made ecommerce customer service a focal point for those in business.

Online customers have easy access to a myriad of social media platforms through which they can share their experiences with a business. Thousands of people can be immediately reached by tweeting, updating their status, or setting up blog posts in seconds.

You are at risk of destroying your brand image in one short negative review from a dissatisfied customer. In this respect, it is crucial that you provide the best customer service possible to your customers.

In order to ensure that your ecommerce business strategy is successful, customer service should be at the center of it because when you provide excellent service, you expand your customer base.

The following is a list of 13 best practices for your business that can help improve ecommerce customer service.

  1. Create an omnichannel marketing strategy

With an omnichannel strategy, you manage to reach, interact with, and build a relationship with your customers in a single place by blending and connecting different marketing and distribution channels. In order to implement a successful omnichannel strategy for retail, the end goal is often optimization for results - that's the thing we're after.

In terms of retail strategy, omnichannel retailing has become the norm

It seems that one of the greatest ways to improve ecommerce customer service is by switching to an omnichannel approach of retailing.

In the world of e-commerce, there is fierce competition throughout the world today, so when brands fail to determine what is the best channel to use in their customer service, they suffer.

Nonetheless, in order to achieve top-notch customer service, it is not enough to rely on just one channel. Customers are no longer limited to a few channels.

Can you find your customers on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp? Is it a matter of preferring to be contacted by email or phone? You're more than welcome. Please be sure to do so. When you create a multi-channel strategy, you make it possible to reach out to your customers wherever and whenever they need you.

According to a study conducted by Aberdeen Group, companies with the most effective multichannel customer engagement strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers.

Taking care of your customers is important, and you should not have to ask them for it - you should take care of it directly. Make their lives a lot easier by relieving them of the pain of waiting for a response for days on end.

As you set up these channels for customer service with your ecommerce business, make sure you let your customers know that they have options that they can choose from. And the most important thing to remember is to ensure that you are providing quality customer service across all your channels as well.

  1. Provide live chat services

The live chat application on a website is a fast way for customers to talk to customer service representatives as well as a convenient method of resolving problems quickly.

A live chat service can be beneficial to your ecommerce website for many reasons. Let me give you a few examples. First of all, customers love having live chat available. Econsultancy reports that live chats are amongst the most popular ways to assist customers.

The benefits of live chat solutions

With live chat in place, customers can quickly contact you to resolve any issues they encounter when they cannot complete a purchase on your website. If your customer faces challenges during this process, they may decide to leave your website. In addition to this, it acts as a perfect contact point for queries regarding the warranty, return policy, and the payment process for the product.

Obtain a live chat service

Having live chat as part of your customer service strategy is a no-brainer.

Check your ecommerce site's history periodically if you already use live chat to interact with your customers. You will notice if your chats are proving to be effective or not.

In this article we will explore some other strategies that can be used to improve ecommerce customer service.

  1. A proactive approach to customer service

The way in which customer relations are handled creates a positive impression on the customer. The best way to provide exceptional customer service is to approach customer service with a proactive approach, so that potential issues can be dealt with before they arise. This means that ecommerce firms operate in a way that their partners are not seen as abstract organizations, but as real-life partners.

An article states that 50% of customers consider it important to be able to resolve product or service issues on their own, and that 70% are expecting a company's website to provide them with a self-service option.

It provides customers with instant access to instant solutions if they are looking for answers to all the frequently asked questions without having to contact the customer support. The contact information on your website still needs to be clearly visible, however, so that customers can easily contact you if they cannot handle the issue themselves.

  1. Personalize your email campaigns

According to a study, 94% of business owners believe that personalization is the key to their success. Despite this, many ecommerce websites still send this type of email:

It is very easy for people to ignore emails that do not contain any personalization. In some cases, they do not directly address the customer - perhaps they even think it's an error, or simply that it has nothing to do with them. A personalized message that mentions your customer's name on the other hand, makes them feel appreciated, leading to a higher email open rate.

Here's a more technical way to improve ecommerce customer service.

  1. Predicting the amount of inventory that will be needed

You can fulfill customer demands on time if you forecast your inventory requirements in advance.

Calculate your reordering point - how much to order and at what time.

As a result of ordering excess quantities, we are obligated to carry the costs of inventory, whereas ordering less will encourage us to replenish our inventory more often.

  1. Automate and optimize the fulfillment of online orders

You should consider moving away from the manual order fulfillment system that you have been using to an automated order fulfillment system as soon as possible. Order fulfillment systems that are manually handled are prone to human error, slow, and inefficient. The use of an automated system that handles the entire process from the beginning to the end will pay off in the long run as it will improve productivity and customer satisfaction as well as save you time.

A perfect example of this is Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) - If you are using Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) for stocking and shipping, the service simplifies things by fulfilling orders on your behalf.

When using Amazon FBA, you can calculate the shipping costs from a variety of sources in real-time and choose the most cost-effective option that suits your needs.

The list of things we can do to improve e-commerce customer service is about half-done, so let's move on to the next item.

  1. Identify gaps in your order management process

The ecommerce industry faces this problem often. As soon as parts of the order management process system aren't stitched together properly, then issues can occur and there can be all kinds of errors.

An order fulfillment process that is transparent is the most important element of improving the success of an order fulfillment model. In the case of businesses that don't streamline their fulfillment processes, they can end up sending the wrong orders, or even miss out on deliveries entirely.

This issue can be avoided by automating the process as it eliminates the error caused by human error so often the cause of this kind of miscommunication.

  1. Tell a story to sell your brand

I am done with the sales emails, blog posts, and other marketing content you have been sending me. Make sure that you tell your brand's story in a manner that resonates with your customers so that they will want to buy from you.

It is not common for customers to be sold to, but engaging them with information that is relevant to them, while being consistent with your brand, will keep your brand fresh in their mind, turning them into advocates for your brand.

Instead of pushing your product or service on your customers, a content marketing campaign instead allows you to create value for them and encourage them to buy.

A great example of a company that tells a story is Dannijo, a jewelry brand started by sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder in 2008. Danielle and Jodie Snyder are firm believers that the key to building successful brands is telling authentic stories. Using Instagram, the sisters display photographs of their own lives, as well as lifestyle shots of their products and photos of celebrities or models wearing their products.

  1. Engage your mobile customers and stay connected to them

 

You need to make sure that you are as mobile-savvy as your customers are. To ensure that you accept payments on mobile devices, make sure your payment processor supports it. In fact, there are a number of ecommerce sites that don't offer mobile payment options, but it's a sure-fire way to lose out on sales. There is nothing more annoying than selecting what you wish to purchase, only to discover that you cannot checkout.

Providing your customers with a secure mobile payment system makes sense for your business. If you do not provide them with this service, you are doing your business a disservice.

  1. Provide a 24-hour phone support service

Customers prefer to talk to customer service representatives over the phone in some situations, especially when it comes to complaints. Develop a 24-hour phone support capability if possible to meet these needs and make sure customers remain engaged.

A number of products are available to take voicemails when you are not connected to the internet. By offering a live answering service that is available 24/7, however, you are enabling your customers to speak to a real person when they want.

An important aspect of the human experience is the human touch. Take the time to invest in this level of support, and you will see your ecommerce customer support inspire customers and drive more sales.

  1. Take advantage of e-commerce customer service software

Having a question from a customer spread across multiple representatives can be very frustrating. There is a real danger of customers not getting their questions answered properly if this is the case. In my opinion, it is not fair to force your customer to explain their issue over and over again.

Conversational customer experience software simplifies the process of resolving problems - the most common tool for handling problems is the use of tickets.

According to SalesForce, "CRMs are software programs that are used to manage all your company's relationships and interactions with customers and prospects. It enables you to stay connected to them, streamline processes, and maximize your profitability."

The best ecommerce customer service software will ease your life through automation and help you make informed decisions that will increase your return on investment as well.

  1. Assess the level of customer satisfaction

You should pay special attention to measuring your customer satisfaction since this is the most relevant metric for improving your overall customer service and marketing strategies.

As long as your company is using CRM software, after each customer support session you can ask customers to fill out a survey, indicating how happy they are with the service they received. You may even want to send a follow-up email asking for the client's experience or to write a brief review that you can place on your website or social media.

There is nothing complicated about it, but this type of feedback is extremely effective, as it provides insights into what you're doing well, and what you can do better in the future.

  1. Display billing history

Invoices, purchase histories, transactions, and inquiries are all items that customers expect to have access to. Their dashboards should show them all. Provide easy access to everything.

It's important to let them know why they can't access this data at some point so that they don't get unduly concerned.

A final word on ecommerce customer service

Your ecommerce business will grow if you provide an unrivaled experience for your customers. By using the ideas in this post, you can make your ecommerce business a success with proper planning, strategy, and implementation.

Have you improved ecommerce customer service through your online store? Which of these suggestions worked for you or did we miss something? Leave a comment!

by Costi

How To Scale Your Ecommerce Customer Service With These Tools

Upon entering a brick and mortar store, consumers are often greeted (hopefully) by friendly store associates who can provide them with assistance while they browse. There is no face-to-face interaction with eCommerce, but that doesn't mean online businesses should cut corners when it comes to customer service. When it comes to eCommerce, it's of utmost importance that the buyer experience is the best it possibly can be.

When it comes to finding the right tools to help you launch, manage, and scale your eCommerce customer support team, the process can seem almost overwhelming. It is a good thing, then, that these tools can help your customer experience team to better serve your customers, increase your reviews, and even help to boost referrals and overall sales.

1) Zendesk

In today's world, Zendesk is almost synonymous with online customer service. Known for its customer service solution for every step of the customer journey, this product has been adopted by some of the biggest brands out there, such as Uber and Shopify.

Among the features of Zendesk are:

  • An integrated ticketing system that allows you to manage customer tickets from a single dashboard
  • It is possible to install a live chat application on your website, which would enable better customer feedback and give the opportunity to communicate with your customers at critical moments during the journey
  • Ability to make calls from both landlines and mobile devices, as well as send text messages
  • The Zendesk service also allows you to design your own custom knowledge base to make it easier for your customers to find the information they need, as well as provide its own CRM. It also provides you with easy-to-use analytics and reporting tools.
  • You can integrate your Facebook Messenger account with your Zendesk service to generate tickets automatically and track them

2) Hubspot Service Hub

The Hubspot Service Hub is a customer support software solution that is a centralized one-stop shop that can be accessed from anywhere. You might be familiar with Hubspot as a marketing tool or resource.

Among its more important features are the following:

  • Providing all team members with a team inbox where they can collaborate on projects and be aware of what's going on at all times
  • Automation of ticketing that turns all incoming emails into tickets that can be handled using templates or canned responses
  • Customer support using a chatbot to answer routine queries
  • Data collection and feedback from your customers will help you continuously improve your campaigns and customer service
  • As a tip, Service Hub seamlessly integrates with all other Hubspot software so that you have access to a whole field of customer data from a single dashboard.

3) Freshdesk

In similar fashion to Zendesk, Freshdesk is also a popular and well-known customer service software.

Among the most notable features of the software are the following:

  • With a ticketing system, you can integrate multiple channels such as social media, email, website inquiries, texts and calls into the process
  • From a single location, you can access all of your customer inquiries
  • The ability to create a knowledge base of your own
  • The reporting process
  • There are two versions of Freshdesk: the free, basic subscription that offers basic functionality, and the paid version that comes with a wide range of additional features. If you have a small business, then you may only be able to use the free version of this software. Therefore, consider your needs before purchasing this software.

4) LiveChat

LiveChat is a useful live chat tool that can be integrated into a website so that you can chat with customers. I am sure that you have seen the little chat bubble that appears in the bottom corner of many websites so that visitors can contact the customer service team. The ease of use of the web chat is excellent for customers, but it's important to note that the customer service interface is equally easy to use and understand, so only limited training is needed.

To provide a personalized customer service experience for your customers, your customer service team can create individual profiles for each chat.

As a tip, you will be able to track the chats that lead to sales so that you can refine your pitches and sales approach by learning from the messaging used.

5) LiveAgent

Unlike the big players on the market, LiveAgent is made for smaller teams but don't let that fool you: it provides all the features that you'd expect from a bigger player. It comes with an inbox for your team, live chat, and an integrated call feature.

This is what makes LiveAgent different from other Customer Service tools because it brings gamification to your team through the LiveAgent interface. By completing tasks, agents can earn points and rewards, making it feel like they're on a quest rather than just picking up tickets at work. Additionally, you can choose how to reward your most successful members of the team based on their team ranking.

To foster employee satisfaction, which translates into a better customer experience, make customer support fun for your team.

6) SurveyMonkey

I am convinced that if you think customer service ends as soon as a sale is closed, you are missing out on an amazing opportunity to support your campaign as well as the success of your business.

SurveyMonkey offers a wide variety of survey templates that can be used to determine how your potential customers and leads feel about the business you run.

Thanks to its great analytical features and the fact that it provides access to a large amount of customer information, SurveyMonkey can help you make better business decisions by helping you analyze customer information.

It is easy to share SurveyMonkey's data via email or social media and it is also able to provide you with analytic reports that help you understand large volumes of data.

7) Acquire

Acquire is another live chat tool with a twist: it allows your customer service representatives to share their desktops with your customers in real time, without forcing them to download a piece of software for the purpose. That's neat, right?

By reducing communication time, this feature leads to a more streamlined solution which ultimately leads to a higher level of customer satisfaction. In addition to Audi and Samsung, Acquire is a trusted provider of online support to a number of well-known businesses.

Taking advantage of those screenshares, on both sides of the chat, fosters customer trust, so take advantage of it.

8) Salesforce Service Cloud

As a popular choice for customer support tools thanks to its wide range of features, Salesforce Service Cloud is powered by Artificial Intelligence and offers a variety of AI-based features.

  • You can get detailed customer analytics that can help you improve customer experience by analyzing relevant, real-world data
  • You will be able to make calls to a phone number directly from the tool itself and you will have access to specific customer data before making your call
  • Support that is offered in multiple channels so that customers can choose the method of contact that is most convenient to them
  • You will be able to access all your tickets in one place
  • The desk software can be configured to connect with a variety of other tools in order to meet your needs.

9) Referral Candy

Referral Candy, a brand ambassador building software, is the ideal solution if you are looking for a way to stimulate your customer service team to build brand ambassadors. You will be able to offer your customers a custom link, which they can share with friends, family, or followers in exchange for a reward you choose to offer them, from discounts to limited-time deals and more.

Using easy-to-use technology you can convert your happy customers into ambassadors of your brand

In the end, you need to determine what your overall business goals are so that you can choose the right customer service tool at the end of the day. You don't have to choose just one, and most of these tools offer a "trial before we buy" option for you to test the water without committing to anything in order to allow your team to find the most appropriate tool for their team, as well as for your customers.

If you use the right tool - or a combination of tools - you will be able to maximize the lifetime value of your customers, boost sales overall, and expand your customer base.

by Costi

Outsourcing customer service in ecommerce: 3 tips

Developing strong customer loyalty isn't easy. Increasing customer relationships can provide ecommerce leaders with a human touch that will benefit their customers.

Consumers, irrespective of their expectation that shopping processes will be automated and available on-demand, still want a customer service experience that involves personal interaction.

 

Building positive customer relationships and brand loyalty requires high-touch interactions such as custom thank-you cards, exclusive sales, and regularly empathetic customer service. But how can we scale these?

 

What steps do you take to ensure this is of the highest quality at all times, whether it is done by an internal team or an independent contractor?

 

Taking care of your ecommerce and social media customer service in-house is one way to grow your business, but it is very important that you consider these three points:

 

First, make sure that the company you are outsourcing to is flexible

 

The second tip is to avoid lock periods and overtime pricing whenever possible

 

The third tip is to understand how the vendor hires and trains its employees

 

–

 

Here are some basics to get us started. E-commerce customer service outsourcing is the process of providing customer service to an e-commerce site.

An e-commerce company that outsources its customer service will hire a third party provider to handle customer inquiries and communications. There are a number of inbound channels for marketing and technical communication, including email, social media, instant messaging, and live chat.

 

This type of outsourcing is now used by many companies in ecommerce and retail in order to lower costs, increase revenue, decrease workloads, and create customers who are "superfans."

 

It is possible to outsource customer service for retail and E-commerce through call centers or contact centers that keep agents who are trained to answer incoming calls.

 

Being able to provide first-class customer service to customers is one of the cornerstones of a successful business. Often, customers submit requests, complain, and also make purchases through it. Companies can perform their tasks efficiently with the help of a good customer relationship management platform. Whether your customer service department is surrounded by competitors or not, one of the easiest ways to distinguish yourself is by ensuring that your customers are satisfied.

 

A lot of business owners are wary about employing a third-party company to handle their customer success. In the end, pros and cons should be carefully weighed before a final decision is made.

 

Getting customers' needs met in a timely manner and improving the efficiency and profitability of your business shouldn't be thought of as cutting corners; rather, outsourcing customer service is about meeting clients' needs while improving efficiency and profitability.

Our brand is experiencing renewed interest and a new influx of clients. In the event of voicemail messages piling up, unanswered email messages, or unanswered live chat questions, you will lose out on brand expansion opportunities.

 

In the long run, all ecommerce companies, especially high-growth brands, must determine whether outsourcing customer service is a smart move.

 

Choosing the right time to outsource ecommerce customer service

You can decide whether to outsource your store's customer service by social media or technical support depending on your needs and resources. In the following four scenarios, you might consider transferring to a third party:

 

  1. If your startup is still in its infancy.

Let us say that you are the CEO of a startup company. As a small company with limited resources, you'd like to focus on the main market operations instead of spending a lot of time and resources on your CS operation. To deal with this particular responsibility in the short-term, a working business model is needed. If you wish to utilize a contract model for your contact us page and phone inquiries, you may wish to do so.

 

In the ecommerce world, networks and languages often play a key role in determining the complexity of customer service experiences. If your company uses multiple networks or your customers are from various countries, you may want to consider subcontracting your customer service. Taking the time to learn the language will save you time, increase revenue, and prevent you from neglecting your customers.

 

  1. When customer service must be provided in a variety of languages.

You may have customers all over the world. Only by hiring agents who speak your customer's native language can you provide an exceptional customer experience (CX).

 

You should collaborate with a company whose members work together when you receive a large amount of questions in various languages. As a result of collaborating on several tasks at the same time, we incur fewer expenses per project, which are then passed on to you, our client.

 

Jointly working with one agent across time zones and multiple languages is also a cost-effective way of covering a wide range of languages at no more than the cost of one in-house representative.

 

  1. In case you need a multichannel customer support system.

Each platform is viewed as a separate discipline. Social media sites are entirely different from phone calls, and text messages are entirely different from live chats.

 

For each channel to be successful, it requires a unique set of capabilities and infrastructure. An agency that is familiar with this new channel, and that is also equipped with the best digital tools and experts, makes sense if you are interested in expanding your omnichannel customer service offerings.

 

  1. If you require professional assistance urgently.

You can feel safe knowing that your partner has a lot of experience recruiting, managing, and managing customer success, so they will know precisely what is needed in every new hire.

 

The majority of e-commerce businesses outsource their support responsibility to third parties rather than build their own in-house support centers with all rights reserved.

 

Why is that? I believe this straightforward structure has many advantages. In this article, I will highlight five of them.

 

Outsourcing customer service can have many benefits for your business

 

  1. Create a positive image of yourself

With quality training and resources provided by your outsourcing provider, the customer service team can lead to high levels of loyalty, which is beneficial to your brand management. By doing so, a company's brand will be protected, and it will be prevented from receiving negative publicity due to a bad customer service experience, such as a delayed response.

 

  1. Improve customer satisfaction

Outsourcing will enable your company to improve customer service and customer relationship management skills, as well as improve its reputation. When people see your company as one that values customer satisfaction, your company will flourish and you will receive more positive customer reviews, which act as free peer-to-peer marketing. Furthermore, it will improve customer satisfaction KPIs such as net promoter scores (NPS) and customer effort scores (CES).

 

  1. Increase your company's profitability

Furthermore, outsourcing increases business profitability and effectiveness for your brand. If you contract with a third party to manage your customer service, you will be able to devote more of your time to other important tasks, such as sales, lead generation, market research, web content creation, and public relations.

 

A firm that provides outsourcing services has a reputation of being highly experienced and well-trained, as well as having a proven track record. Outsourcing companies offer programs that boost revenue and reduce costs at the same time. It is a great idea to hire a firm that specializes in customer support if you want to ensure high levels of efficiency while allowing you to focus your energy and time on capturing more business.

 

  1. Increase revenue while saving money at the same time

You can save money for your business by subcontracting your customer support roles. As a result of subcontracting customer care roles, you can now focus more on other aspects of your business that will benefit your brand financially. An excellent customer support system can actually boost a company's revenue and client loyalty.

 

Some companies might increase their savings and ensure a higher return on investment by outsourcing other business processes in addition to recruiting, engineering, sales, promotions, order fulfillment, web analytics, search engine optimization, information technology, and producing goods.

 

  1. Serve international customers

You should outsource your call center services if you plan to sell your products or services overseas. By contracting your customer service with the region where your main demographic is located, you have eliminated time zone challenges.

 

 

Now that you know some of the benefits and best times to outsource customer service, let's move on to our main course: how you can effectively outsource call center operations.

 

Three tips for outsourcing your business

 

The first tip is to make sure the vendor is flexible to your needs

When it comes to customer service, flexibility is the ability to adapt to changing conditions as they arise. Being able to cater to the diverse needs of the customer base in an efficient manner depends on managing the complexity of each unique customer experience.

 

When looking for a provider for your Ecommerce use case, the most crucial factor is to find one that can help you improve every aspect of the customer experience. Ideally, your vendor will be able to provide you with a wide range of technology integration solutions, from telephone support to customer service analytics software. Responsive and flexible vendors enable retailers to scale as they grow. As a result, retailers can easily adapt to changing customer expectations.

 

Tip 2: Do not lock your account for an extended period of time

Customer service providers for e-commerce websites should be flexible and not charge overtime during lock-in periods

Lock periods are a sign of inflexibility on the part of a company. Contact centers ignore one of the fundamental challenges facing customer experience today by continuing to use 30- or 90-day lock periods. The importance of flexibility has never been greater. From another perspective as well, customer support solutions that have lock periods are likely to be inflexible. Be extremely cautious in order to ensure that your vendor is familiar with the latest trends in customer experience in ecommerce.

 

Understanding how a vendor hires and trains its employees is a third tip

You will stand out from your competitors if you provide excellent customer service in any industry. Any business that wants to retain its customers must provide excellent customer service.

 

Please consider this question. When a customer calls customer service with a pressing question, I would like to know what approach you think would make him or her more satisfied and more likely to stay with the company. How do you feel about an email response that is standardized or a well-researched and tailored response from a company that cares about your success? Personally, I prefer the latter.

 

 

Training your sales team or marketing team properly and effectively is just as important (if not more important) than training your support team. The contact center services that you provide to your customers are what helps to keep their loyalty and encourage feedback as well as word of mouth referrals. It is imperative that you are very selective when selecting your CS company.

 

At the end of the day, the bottom line is

You decide what to do. The ultimate judge of the ecommerce customer experience will continue to be your customer base, regardless of whether you manage it in house or outsource it. Gather feedback from your customers and pivot accordingly so that you can come up with a customer service strategy that will drive engagement, loyalty, and success for your business.

 

Running an e-commerce store is not easy. A great product must be developed, a specific market must be targeted, an inbound marketing campaign must be planned, shipping and delivery methods must be identified, customer support must be maintained, and inventory must be managed... and that's just the beginning!

 

Do you really have the time to properly handle the customer side of things yourself, even if you had the time? Do you need a helping hand to take some of the weight off your shoulders and provide you with guidance?

 

Are you considering outsourcing your ecommerce customer service to an external company? Learn how to increase customer satisfaction, repeat purchases, and conversational commerce by turning your customer support team into a powerful revenue generator.

by Costi

The 25 Awesome Customer Service Tips That You Need To Follow In 2022

There are many proven ways your company can provide customers with an exceptional customer service experience by 2021 and beyond.

There is no denying that the situation is dire. The customer has a right to expect a great shopping experience. A company is opening itself up to competition if it doesn't have a truly customer-centric culture that enables it to deliver prompt support and memorable conversations.

What's the best way for companies to ensure they deliver the customer service they should be delivering?

If you're looking for some inspiration for your customer service strategy, check out these 25 customer service tips:

Smile

There's nothing more welcoming than a smile on your customer's face. This is what sets the tone of the conversation, making you more approachable. Walmart's 10-foot rule is one of the things that makes you more approachable. Within 10 feet of the sales executive, any potential customer will be greeted, smiled at and offered help. The company's tactics have been praised by industry peers.

I think the best thing is the fact that you also hear a smile over the phone. People understand when you talk to them in a relaxed and positive manner, with a smile on your face.

Making sure you use the right technology

The key to providing good customer service is to combine technology with the human touch. In today's digital world, companies have access to a wide range of tools and software to enhance the customer experience, and most are using those tools and software to enhance the customer experience.

As an example of a customer service technology that is popular, here are a few examples:

Adding a live chat feature.

Gone are the old days when we would sit back and fuss in hopes of getting a response to an email. You can use live chat to give your customers the ability to quickly engage in a conversation with a member of your team, and vice versa.

The Forrester Research study showed that 44% of Internet consumers say it is one of the most important features a website can offer if they are in the middle of an online purchase and can ask a live person questions.

The second option is to include a technical support system.

It is imperative to have systems in place to capture, convert and resolve customer inquiries from a centralized, unified platform.

Remembering past conversations with customers will allow you to pick up where you left off and be able to communicate with context. You can turn these conversations into actionable tickets by assigning them to the right department, defining SLAs and prioritizing them accordingly. Plus, you'll be able to collaborate with other team members.

Use a CRM tool

Leverage the data at your disposal by using CRM tools to deliver a personalized experience (e.g., wish your customer a happy birthday and offer a small discount).

With CRM tools, you can speed up response times. And when integrated with a unified communications platform, they do an even better job of improving internal and external communications by bringing together all the messages from emails, chats, SMS, voice calls, and storing them in one place.

Maintain a user-friendly and up-to-date company website.

It is essential to do this. There is no other way to make sure you have the most up-to-date information at your fingertips. You should never compromise on the quality of your website, as it is the face of your company on the Internet.  A/B testing different versions of your key pages can be one of the easiest ways to improve the usability and customer experience of your website, eliminating any frustrations and improving the overall customer experience. This ensures that your customers can access the most important information conveniently.

In addition, it's always a good idea to consult website design best practices to keep up with trends and think about the user.

Try to maintain a positive attitude at all times

Positive attitude can't be replaced by anything. An example would be Apple. A very detailed set of guidelines for employees outlines the very specific belief that a positive attitude is a crucial part of providing good customer service.

Friendliness is hardwired into our brains. We can't help but respond to friendliness: it's in all of us.

Make a lasting impression with your last words.

From the beginning of the customer experience to the end, the experience is customer-centric. There is no room for complacency.

Don't forget to leave the customer with a smile on their face at the end of the transaction. It may seem obvious to say "have a nice day," but a simple "have a nice day" can leave a lasting impression. Follow up with customers who have contacted you with problems, as well as potential customers you have spoken with. There's a chance they will buy in the future (or even better, refer others to you if they don't buy today).

Be sure to respond as soon as possible

Most customers believe that companies should respond to emails within an hour of receiving them. Companies are expected to respond even faster to live chat requests. You need to make sure that proper routing processes are in place to ensure that the correct agent receives the customer's request. It is also important to ensure that you have the right staff in place at all times (and if necessary, make use of chatbots for 24/7 service).

Be able to correct customers correctly.

The customer is not always right. People make mistakes. There is always the possibility that they are misinformed. However, it is imperative that you address them with a soft approach when it comes to correcting them. Try not to aggravate them. You can simply say that you would love to help. Remember that your goal is to educate them, not to argue with them.  The most important thing is not to antagonize them, put yourself in their shoes and try to understand where they are coming from.

The following is an example of a response:.

In a situation like this, I would understand your frustration. What seems to be the problem is that you were connecting with your personal email address, but you should add a business email address to connect. I'll be happy to help you sort it out."

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

It's straight out of the "Customer Support Rulebook". No matter what the problem is, when your company makes a mistake, you need to acknowledge it immediately.

Extend a sincere apology and let them know that you're taking steps to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. It's not at all difficult to get the tone right with the use of a ready-made apology email template.

Here are some other customer service tips that you may find helpful....

Listen to what your customers are saying

As soon as you hear this, pay attention. Customers like to be heard, that's why you address them. Be prepared to listen to what they have to say and take their concerns seriously.

The best way to learn is to pay attention to what is being said. If you keep your ears open, you will never know what information you may receive that is valuable to you. It can mean the difference between being able to solve the problem and not being able to.

Reward and incentivize your employees

Most businesses offer their regular customers loyalty cards or memberships as a way to reward their loyalty. A customer's perception of your company is profoundly influenced by the rewards and incentives you offer, as well as their desire to continue buying from you.

The best way to keep your customers happy is to reward them. Offer your customers incentives and bonuses to make them feel appreciated for their loyalty. A good example of this is Amazon's Prime membership.

Make sure you don't waste time

When a customer calls you, they have a real concern that needs to be addressed, and they expect you to solve their problem quickly. If you manage your customer service workflow effectively, you can delight your customers and improve their perception of your brand. If they don't find a solution in a timely manner, there's a chance they'll look elsewhere next time.

It's not acceptable to say "no."

A customer service agent speaks on behalf of the company. The customer service department represents the company as a whole when they say "no". The word "no" is never the end of an answer. Even if situations start with "no" or "I don't know," you can always find a way to put a positive spin on them as they develop.

Offer alternative solutions to the problem. If there is no solution, find another one that works. If, for example, you receive a request for a discount from a customer, think about how you would respond. Even if you have to turn it down, you can often do so in a way that is beneficial to both you and your customers.

There is always a way to solve customer problems, whatever the problem.

It's a customer service tip that acts on customer problems as soon as possible when it comes to customer service tips.

Act as soon as possible

It has already been mentioned not to waste customers' time, but what about your own?

The following are the characteristics of a timely resolution:

More time is available to spend on other activities.

It frees up resources to tackle the next problem.

It is important not to waste money and resources.

Do not waste the customer's time.

It is important to have an efficient team that prevents queries from piling up.

Find a solution without redirecting users to another page.

Most companies cannot solve a problem on the first contact. In fact, 80% of companies need at least two attempts.

This is neither efficient nor good for customer satisfaction. The customer expects to have a problem solved in a single interaction. You can achieve this through better IVR options, connecting with the right people and training your team. Don't let customers bounce from one department to another.

Teach your staff to believe in and understand your products.

Untrained support agents are the worst nightmare for customers.

Proper training is the key to avoiding this. Equip them with the confidence and tools they need. In training and development, employees must learn how to solve problems, communicate with customers and deal with issues. For them to deal effectively with customers, they must have a thorough understanding of the product.

Be empathetic

Customer service teams that demonstrate empathy excel. As a result, satisfactory resolutions are reached for all parties. The default approach in a real-time environment should be empathy.

There are a few phrases here and there that can reassure a customer:

"I understand how important this issue is to you."

The situation can be confusing, and we understand your situation."

"We understand how upsetting this must be.

We'll get it resolved as soon as possible, of course."

Empathy makes it much easier to establish rapport.

We're nearing the end of our customer service tips.

Keep customers informed

Staying on top of the latest news is very popular. Inform customers about the progress of support tickets, product updates and other processes that concern them, especially in cases of unexpected delays.

It is always a good idea to manage their expectations. If there is a change of plans, explain the reasons. If you want your business to grow, you must keep your customers constantly informed.

Be sure to address them on a first-name basis

It is estimated that only 21% of customer service representatives ask for the customer's name, according to a study by Contact Point Client. Here's a huge missed opportunity. Customers like to be called by their first name. Using their first name creates a sense of connection and familiarity with them.

Certainly, there are exceptions to this rule: if you are cold calling a potential customer, it is best to avoid using their first name. However, if you do, be sure to maintain your relationship with him.

Take a moment to say thank you

Thank you very much. This is a simple, but powerful idea. It's more than a simple courtesy. Thanking someone at the right time helps build trust between people.

It takes just one small step to make a big difference. We appreciate the information we receive from our customers. When you transfer them or put them on hold, say thank you. When you say goodbye, it is critical that you thank the caller.

Recognize and reward loyal customers.

It is estimated that an American household is a member of an average of 14 systems in a given year, but only deals with about 7 of them on a regular basis.

As a loyal customer, you want to be recognized for your loyalty. Your company should always be at the forefront of rewarding loyal customers. To achieve this, you need a strong loyalty program.

As an example, consider Virgin Atlantic's successful loyalty program.

Don't forget your new customers

In fact, if you play your cards right, your next generation of loyal customers can be your new customers. Offer a small gift in exchange for joining the company. Offer them a discount for joining the company. Send them a thank you note after they've joined. With some platforms, you can even send cards and congratulatory messages. Wouldn't it be nice to have a gift package of some kind? Something small, but meaningful, as a token of our thanks and appreciation.

The best way to get new customers is of course to have a great product in the first place, but of course that's not enough.

Here's a list of some of our top tips for customer service.

Use social media to solve problems.

It's no secret that social media is an essential tool for customer service, especially when it comes to handling customer complaints and inquiries. Large companies do it too. Take Whole Foods Market, for example.

On Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, some companies resolve issues almost exclusively on social media. Social media is a great way to solve problems.

The Nielson Company conducted a survey in which it found that nearly 50% of customers raise concerns via social media. This is a very important issue that needs to be addressed. It is a very powerful issue that cannot be ignored.

The use of social media can serve several purposes

Increase brand awareness

It is expected that half of your customers will require a social media presence. What are you doing if you ignore that opportunity?

Thanks to social media, businesses and customers are increasingly connected. A richer customer experience is achieved by sharing information about the product or service, or engaging through other channels.

The second part of the strategy is to engage with customers.

Respond to each comment, tweet and message individually. Let them know they are part of something special. Spending time listening to your customers is a sure way to keep them loyal to your company.

Share content that is relevant

New offers need to be announced and promoted. You can easily share information with your customers on social media at the click of a button and it will increase engagement.

Don't be afraid to go the extra mile - do something unexpected.

This is one of the most important customer service tips: successful companies always do something extra to make sure their customers are satisfied with their service. In some cases, you need to go the extra mile. Instead of simply offering a discount coupon, how about offering a discount coupon just to apologize?

In response to a request for a free Samsung Galaxy S3 phone based on the dragon theme, Samsung scored some epic points.

In stories like these, we can see how a brand can come out with its own personality, creating a connection with the public.

From the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Stables, here's another example of going the extra mile.

Consistency is the key to success

Your team demonstrates enthusiasm and courtesy from day one.

We offer discount coupons to our customers.

Day 50 has arrived.

There is a negative attitude on your team that throws ridiculous charges at your customers.

This is a big no-no. To provide exceptional customer service, consistency is a must. Maintaining a positive attitude at all times is a must. Therefore, keep the customer at the forefront whenever possible.

Support should be cross-departmental in nature.

Collaboration leads to efficiency, which in turn leads to faster response times, when combined with an integrated approach to customer service.

Having an interdepartmental support structure means:

Everyone must participate and help to make the project a success.

There is training and experience for everyone.

There is no question that everyone knows the product/service.

Create a bond and trust between the parties.

Achieving an emotional connection with customers is not an easy task. Understanding a few things can go a long way in gaining trust:

Instead of doing business with companies, people prefer to do business with other people.

Reaching out to others is very important.

Interacting with your customers is an important aspect of your business.

To answer their questions and solve their problems, you have to listen to them.

It is your responsibility to help them with things they don't understand and you have to advise them.

It is important that you are honest at all times.

To keep them safe, you have to look out for them.

It's your responsibility to meet the customer's expectations.

The point is, if all of this is in place, you'll have a much better chance of creating meaningful bonds and increasing loyalty.

Keep this in mind:

You can make sure your customer service team provides efficient service by following these 25 customer service tips. You should always be smiling, show empathy and treat customers well. As a result, you will not only have happy customers, but you will also have a happy business.

Tell us in the comments which customer service tip your team will apply first in the future. Also, you can share this information on social media so other businesses can learn how to improve their customer service.

by Costi

Tips for Improving Customer Experience

Having such a high level of customer experience is not surprising.

According to a survey conducted by American Express, 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for better service.

Recent studies published by the Temkin Group found that companies earning $1 billion a year can expect to earn an additional $700 million after an investment in customer service within three years of making this investment.

In just 36 months, the company's revenues have increased by 70%!

Bottom line:

To increase customer satisfaction, companies that have successfully implemented a customer experience strategy have reduced customer churn, increased revenue and reduced churn rates.

Isn't that what you are aiming to achieve here?

There is a surprising finding: less than half of organizations will invest in customer experience initiatives in the next year.

_________

How do you define customer experience?

Customer experience (also referred to as CX) is a process defined by the interactions and experiences the customer has with your company throughout the entire customer journey, from first contact to becoming a happy and loyal customer of your company.

CX is an integral part of customer relationship management (CRM), and it is crucial that companies place a high value on customer experience, as those who have a positive experience are more likely to become loyal and repeat customers.

In fact, according to a global customer experience study by Oracle, 74% of senior executives believe that customer experience has a direct impact on customer loyalty. If you want your customers to stay loyal, you need to invest in the experiences they have.

The longer they stay loyal to a brand, the happier they will be with it. Therefore, if you ignore customer service emails or treat customers poorly, you are more likely to lose them or stop doing business with them. That's why companies that offer a superior customer experience outperform their competitors in the long run, and that means customers will end up spending more money with your company (rather than theirs).

Taking a look at some statistics we've come across, we think they're worth mentioning:

Over the next two decades (and beyond), customer experience will be the primary differentiator between brands.
After just one bad experience with a brand, one in three consumers will abandon it,
There is no doubt that a customer will pay an additional price premium of up to 13% (and even up to 18%) if they are provided with an excellent customer experience,
An average of 49% of shoppers have made impulse purchases after experiencing a more personalized level of service.
The company with the highest customer experience score (i.e. 10/10) is more likely to spend 140% more and retain customers for up to 6 years.

_________

Poor customer experiences can have a significant impact on your business

When it comes to the perfect customer experience, the focus is on ensuring that all interactions and touch points with your business are easy, delightful and seamless. This is the opposite of what a bad customer experience entails.

Every year, $62 billion is lost as a result of poor customer service. According to another study, 91% of dissatisfied customers leave a brand without complaining if they are unhappy with the service they receive.

The situation is not likely to improve any time soon. Among consumers, only 10% believe that brands meet their expectations of a good experience.

A poor customer experience can be due to a number of reasons, including

Difficulty in the buying process
Customer service experiences that were negative
Compromising the security of the customer's personal information
Waiting too long on hold
Ignoring customer feedback

That said, the question remains: how can your organization create a great customer experience strategy?

What can you do to improve the customer experience?

Establish a clear vision of the customer experience.

The first step in building an effective customer experience strategy is to create a clear customer-centric vision that can be communicated to your organization. It's a good idea to create a set of statements that serve as guiding principles for creating this vision.

Zappos, for example, uses their core family values in their culture, including delivering wow through their service, being humble and embracing change; all elements that contribute to their culture.

Once these principles are established, they will determine the behavior of your organization. There is no doubt that everyone on your team should be aware of these principles and apply them in all areas of training and development.

_________

Make sure you understand who your customers are

To leverage these principles to improve the customer experience, the next step is to show how these principles apply to the different types of customers dealing with your customer service teams. It is essential that your organization is able to empathize with the challenges and issues your customers face to truly understand what they need and want from you.

To achieve this, one option is to segment your customers and create customer personas (or profiles). Make sure each persona has a unique name and personality. In this case, Ana is 35 years old; she likes new technologies and is tech-savvy enough to follow a video tutorial on her own, while Juan, who is 42, needs to be able to follow clear instructions on a web page.

Creating personas will help your customer service team recognize who each of your customers is and understand them better. Creating personas is also one of the first steps to becoming truly customer-centric.

________

Create a connection with your customers on an emotional level

You know the phrase "it's not what you say, it's how you say it"?

A good customer experience is achieved when a member of your team is able to create an emotional connection with the customer.

Here's a great example of how Zappos has created an emotional connection with its customers:

Following the death of a customer's mother, the customer was late returning a pair of shoes. Zappos immediately made sure the shoes were returned and had them picked up by a courier at no cost when they discovered what had happened. But that's not all Zappos did for the customer. The customer arrived home the next day to find a bouquet of flowers and a note from the Zappos Customer Success team sending their condolences to the family.

In a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, it was found that more than 50% of an experience is based on emotion, as emotional reactions shape attitudes that, in turn, affect behavior.

As a result of emotional attachment, customers become loyal to the brand they use because they remember how they feel when using a product or service. Companies that optimize emotional connection outperform their competitors by 85% in terms of sales growth.

In addition, according to a recent Harvard Business Review study titled "The New Science of Customer Emotions," emotionally engaged customers are the following:

At least three times more likely to recommend your product or service to a friend or colleague.

They are more than three times more likely to buy again (!!)

They buy less frequently (44% of respondents said they rarely or never buy)

There is much less price sensitivity (33% of respondents said they would need a discount of more than 20% before defecting).

_________

The ability to capture customer feedback in real time.

What are some ways to know if you are delivering a WOW customer experience?

It's critical to ask questions. And ideally, you want to do this by getting real-time feedback.

If you use live chat tools to engage in real-time conversations with customers, you can send a follow-up email to each customer using post-interaction surveys and similar customer experience tools.

Of course, there is the option to make outbound sales calls to customers to get more in-depth feedback from them.

In addition, it is important to tie customer feedback to a specific customer service agent, which shows everyone on the team how they are making a difference in the organization.

_________

For your team development you should use a quality framework.

After following the above steps, you now know what your customers think about the quality of your service compared to the customer experience principles you have defined. The next step would be to identify the training needs of each member of your customer service team.

There are many organizations that evaluate the quality of phone and email communication; however, a quality framework goes a step further by scheduling and tracking the development of your teams through coaching, eLearning and group training.

_________

Respond regularly to employee feedback

Almost every organization has an annual survey process that is used to gather overall feedback from your team; their level of engagement and their ability to deliver exceptional service.

However, what happens in the 11 months between these survey periods?

In most cases, nothing happens. I believe it is for this reason that ongoing employee feedback can be extremely useful, through the use of tools that allow employees to share ideas on how to improve the customer experience, as well as allowing managers to see how their employees feel about the organization.

For example, project management software or social networking tools can be used to create a closed environment where the organization can leave feedback in real time.

_________

Measure the ROI of delivering a great customer experience.

Finally, how can you be sure that all this investment you've made in your teams, processes and technology is paying off?

There is a direct correlation between business results and the answer to this question.

Make sure the customer experience is as personalized as possible.

You can give something away for free and you don't have to give a reason.

Make sure you are proactive. Prevent problems from occurring in the first place.

Every customer complaint you receive should be treated with gratitude. There is always something to be learned from every complaint.

The best way to celebrate your best customers is to acknowledge them publicly and personally.

Give the gift of omnichannel by giving the gift of omnichannel.

Make sure your response times are as short as possible to maximize the customer experience.

It is very important that you listen and learn from every single review your business receives.

Respond to customer requests in a timely manner.

It is important to make your mobile presence known.

The customer should be considered your brand ambassador.

Make customer feedback surveys an important part of your business by giving them more importance.

Make it easy: Make the customer journey as easy as possible.

Get to know your customers by asking them questions, no matter how small they may seem.

It's critical to monitor calls: Pay attention to peak times, call spikes and other trends. Give employees the tools they need to improve their performance.

Never put a customer on hold when it's avoidable.

Invest in the growing and changing AI technology that appeals to younger customers, so you can create smarter AI.

Let's change things up with chatbots.

It's important to say "thank you."

A well-trained, fast-acting agent makes for a repeat customer, and repeat customers translate into repeat revenue.

The key to engaging your agents is to ensure a mutually supportive environment for staff.

Happiness is not contagious.

Improve internal communication with #CoffeeTalk.

Make sure your general managers are on board with the culture of putting the customer first.

Complaints can be used as a learning tool.

Make sure you leave a lasting impression.

It's important to remember your customers' faces and locations.

Examine the data closely. Gather customer information from all channels.

It is important to read and listen to customer feedback. Pay attention to what they have to say. Don't take it personally.

It is possible to mine gold from customer data.

Apply what your customers want to see in the world: You are the change they want to see in the world.

Keep your promises: Deliver what you have promised.

Does your customer complain about the same thing over and over again? Do you feel you have to cut to the chase and find out what the problem is?

Every day is an opportunity to learn something new.

Create communities: Invite your customers to join through webinars and interactive tours.

Make sure you are up to date on CX technology (or you will perish).

It's never a good idea to rush a customer to hang up the phone.

Apologize to upset customers: Try to empathize with their situation.

You should never be afraid to ask for help or advice.

You should offer your customers the option to design or customize their experience with your brand.

It is important that all employees are on the same page about what your brand stands for.

Get rid of jargon and speak clearly to the customer.

Offer customers the option of online self-service.

Hire people who are passionate about serving others.

Use technologies that support both the customer and the agent.

Reassure customers by calling them back.

Listen.

It is important to create a quotable company mandate that everyone can get behind.

Maintain high standards in your work.

Study companies that excel in customer experience and take note of their successes to emulate them.

Maintain a positive attitude at all times. Providing a positive experience for your customers is the most important element in making your business successful. Make sure you are willing to solve their problems. Keep in mind that it is important to maintain a long-term relationship with each customer. A good reputation will lead to repeat business.

Actively listen to the customer's needs, concerns and frustrations. Before you begin to act, verify and clarify what you have heard from your customer. There is nothing more annoying to the customer than having to repeat yourself because the employee is not listening to what you have to say, or because you are wasting time (my experience at a printing company).

Keep in mind that your customers may be very frustrated and not at their cooperative best. Don't lose sight of your goal, which is to solve the problem.

In your communications, be sure to be honest and clear. Acknowledge when your company has caused the problem and provide unwanted information in a direct, friendly and positive manner when necessary.

It is important that you acknowledge the customer's frustration. Do not criticize the company when your own company is responsible for the problem.

Look for solutions that allow for a win-win situation. It is not acceptable to blame customers for their mistakes; sometimes we, as customers, make mistakes.

Verify that the customer's agreed-upon solution and the organization's customer service objectives are in line with the proposed solution.

Solve the problem. Make sure you deliver what you promised to do, keep the customer informed and follow up with them to ensure their satisfaction.

Make sure you go above and beyond what the customer expects.

Always thank your customers for their cooperation. To achieve your organization's strategic objectives, you must treat them as valued partners.

Describe the basic principles of customer service. Every time I walk through the doors of my favorite office supply company, I am greeted with a smile. It's always a cheerful, energetic greeting that makes me feel welcome.

Make sure all employees (both customer-facing and non-customer-facing) know the organization's goals and values as they relate to customers.

Here are some additional ideas for improving customer service

Get to know your customers and go beyond their expectations... make them say "WOW!". """"

You must be passionate about the relationship you have with your customers.

It is important to remember that only extremely satisfied customers are truly loyal; repeat customers are not necessarily loyal customers. Having a positive attitude toward your customers doesn't mean you have a reciprocal relationship with them (you may be the only one in town...right now).

Customers who feel appreciated, respected, valued and recognized are more loyal to your company because they have an emotional connection to it.

Use only technologies that support your relationship with your customers.

You must hire the best people to become the best: train and develop them and make sure you do everything you can to keep them with your company.

The services you offer must be above the norm within the industry in which you operate.

It is important to see mistakes as opportunities and not failures.

Try to experience your own business from your customers' point of view (have you seen Undercover Boss?).

In my opinion, you are probably not as customer-centric as you think you are (check your customer interfaces from all levels).

Take note of the small details: anticipate your customers' needs before they even realize they have them. You will be able to impress your customers if you listen carefully to what they say.

It's no good if your customers are satisfied. Being loyal to your customers is priceless.

The foundation of good customer relationships is in your culture, not in your programs or initiatives. As an example of this, how you treat your employees is a direct reflection of how you treat your customers.

It is important to design a customer-centric strategy that cultivates a relationship with customers that nurtures engagement and cultivates lasting loyalty (both ways). In other words, it's an attitude based on respect for the customer that relies on genuine and expressed respect from the employee. It is a way of extending your brand and instilling trust, confidence and reliability in your customers.

by Costi

How to Engage Your Customers - A Complete Guide

In this day and age, customer engagement is one of the most important aspects of business. It is ironic that even though companies readily admit that customer engagement is something they would like to improve, it isn't always obvious what they mean when they talk about it or how it can be best leveraged.

 

Let's take a look at this for ourselves and see what it has to offer.

 

How does customer engagement differ from customer service?

 

The term "customer engagement" refers to the bond created by the interactions between a business and its customers on a psychological and emotional level. There are several different channels and mediums through which these interactions may occur - both offline as well as online.

 

In order to build long-lasting relationships with customers, it is imperative to engage them positively.

 

Importance of customer engagement

 

Customer engagement helps keep your brand top of the customer’s mind by creating a strong tie with your company. In other words, engaged customers keep coming back.

 

The reason is simple: because of the way your brand makes them feel.

 

They enjoy the experience above and beyond just the product or service that you offer, and that persuades them to become loyal customers. That’s why companies with the strongest omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain an average of 89 percent of their customers, while companies with weak omnichannel strategies retain just 33 percent.

 

Loyal customers may even be happy to do some of your marketing for you by recommending your business to others, too.

 

Customer engagement tips

 

So, it’s clear that creating a customer engagement strategy is important to your business. But how can you best go about it?

 

It’s all about learning how to better connect with your customers.

 

Here are some ways you can do that:

 

  1. Ensure that you are transparent in your business practices

Having a loyal customer base isn't an easy thing to achieve. Oftentimes, customers believe that companies only look after themselves, and this is part of the reason for this. If you want to prove that this is not the case, then you need to show that your company has the best interests of your customers at heart. In some cases, it might be worth pointing a customer towards the product of a competitor if that product is more suited to meet the needs of the customer. Despite the fact that you may not be able to immediately see a financial benefit from this, you will be able to foster more trust with your customers and build better relationships in the long run.

 

  1. Make sure that you are using the right technology

One of the best ways to interact with customers and create engagement with your business is to use technology to help you do your job better and more effectively. Imagine that a consumer has a question regarding a product that they would like answered, but does not wish to have to send off an email and wait around for a response.

 

Technology such as live chat, or chatbots, can provide customers with the information they need in real time in this situation. So that your business can engage with potential or existing customers before they go elsewhere, you can engage them before they leave.

 

The use of other technology, such as cobrowsing, can go a step further. It is possible to provide an interactive visual tool that can help customers overcome obstacles, for example, when they encounter a tricky or confusing form. It is important to show the customer such care in order to ensure that they feel appreciated and that they remain loyal to you in the long term.

 

  1. Don't forget to put a human touch on it

I'm not going to lie, there is a lot to be said about technology and the benefits it brings, but there's no denying that the power of the human touch should also not be overlooked. The customer needs to have the opportunity to interact with a real person.

 

Furthermore, there is no reason why human agents cannot be empowered to take care of the complex customer service issues that arise as well. It is the perfect time to showcase the human side of your business by showcasing people from within the company to the public directly. It is possible, for example, to create digital marketing content, such as video content, that you can share and promote digitally, or even conduct in-person events to accomplish this goal.

 

  1. Use social media to your advantage

Nowadays, social media isn't an optional marketing tool for brands, because your customers expect you to be on social media. If you're in that position, you can't just throw up any old thing every once in a while and hope that it'll work. In order for you to be successful you will have to develop a regular cadence and develop relevant content. In social media interfaces, you can use analytics tools to determine who your audience is and what will be effective for them.

 

You need to ensure that the content you share on social media is inviting to them, as social media is also a platform for starting conversations. There are several formats you can use in order to do this, such as polls and quizzes. Do not feel shy about responding to comments from users as well, especially if they are negative. In this manner, you will be able to turn negative experiences into positive ones when you are interacting with customers.

 

  1. Make use of push notifications to your advantage

It is sometimes necessary to be proactive in informing your customers about what you have to offer in order to keep them interested. There are several ways to do that, such as sending them push notifications that informing them about special offers, product releases, and more. It is a great thing that because your customers must opt-in to receive such emails, they have already agreed to engage with you. As long as your notifications are persuasive enough, this will be a success. For this to happen, you need to nail your segmentation, your content, and your timing.

 

You must, however, be careful not to overburden your customers with too many notifications. You don't want them to get annoyed by too many notifications.

 

  1. Be sure to personalize, personalize, personalize

There are many ways to personalize a product or service. In order to create personalized recommendations based on past behaviors, companies such as Netflix and Amazon are utilizing algorithmic technology. Even though this is an extremely effective approach, you do not have to rely on complex technology to personalize the customer's experience.

 

Despite the fact that it's always possible to proactively ask customers at the very beginning of their customer journey what they are interested in so you will be able to adjust the content, products, and offers they are exposed to accordingly. The simplest methods, such as using customer names in emails, can help increase customer engagement.

 

  1. Offer omnichannel customer service to our customers

It is a vital part of keeping customers engaged that you are always available to them, wherever and whenever they need you. Nonetheless, if you want to make sure that your customers are satisfied, by going one step further you are essentially creating a consistent, holistic, and continuous conversation. This will enable you to efficiently create a true omnichannel customer experience. You will need to create a centralized repository of data, which will provide a single customer view, in order to achieve this goal. In this way, customers are able to pick up where they left off, no matter what channels they are using, saving them from having to repeat themselves over and over again.

 

  1. Make sure you know how engaged your audience is

As obvious as it might sound to some people, if you want to improve your customer engagement levels, you are going to need to know exactly how engaged your customers are. You will have to take measures to determine exactly how engaged your customers are. Fortunately, there is a profusion of customer engagement metrics out there that can be found for precisely this purpose.

 

There will be a number of factors that determine the exact metrics you use, such as the channel(s) by which you want to measure engagement (e.g. social media, website, email). It is important for you to keep in mind that engagement metrics may involve looking at a wide range of interactions with your brand, regardless of their precise scope. For example, in the case of emails, the open rate may be the factor, or in social media likes and comments could be the factor.

 

  1. Request feedback from your audience

Providing your customers with a voice is one of the best ways to foster engagement with your company. For this to occur, you must collect feedback from your customers. When customers feel that their voices are being heard, they are more likely to believe they are part of your business and that their opinion matters. You just have to make sure you put these ideas into practice.

 

Your ability to collect information is crucial in helping you identify areas of improvement and in getting a handle on the pain points that your customers are experiencing. Taking feedback effectively can be achieved, for instance, by using comment boxes, sending out questionnaires, and asking in live chat, among other methods.

 

  1. Be a great content creator

It is awash with information on the internet. In order to stand out against all of this noise, you must make sure that the content you provide is of the highest quality, as well as useful to your clients. As part of this content, customers can learn how to better do things, solve problems they come across or solve some of the problems they come across.

 

You can help ensure that your users stay on your website for longer by offering them video tutorials, self-service knowledge bases, interactive assessments and the like. Content geared towards B2C audiences is mostly concerned with generating awareness, whereas content for B2B audiences is more concerned about providing consumers with straightforward solutions that will also build trust.

 

  1. Set up a loyalty program based on your customers' preferences

I believe that keeping your existing customers rather than attempting to acquire new ones will be more cost-effective in the long run. A loyalty program that is well thought out can help you in this regard in a big way.

 

What structure is most relevant to your business will be determined by the way the business operates and by the industry in which it operates. You could reward your customers with a simple point system that rewards them for every purchase they make, which can then be redeemed at a later date.

 

The different types of customer engagements that exist

 

Customer engagement encompasses a wide range of activities. To begin with, there are a few different types of interactions depending on what is happening:

 

Engagement of customers across multiple touchpoints. There can be any point where a customer comes into direct contact with your company, for example your website.

Engagement with the product. In other words, the actual experience of using the product itself.

Engagement with the agent. A customer's experience when dealing with customer service representatives.

Engaging with a brand. As a result of the overall customer experience, there develops an emotional attachment between a customer and the brand.

It is also important to keep in mind that from the customer's perspective, the exact psychological reason for engagement varies. There are several ways in which customers can engage with your brand through the following different lenses:

 

Engaging in a context-specific manner

In order for engagement to be meaningful, it must take place in context. It is true that people aren't interested in something unless it is relevant to them. Using technology to help you understand an individual's behavior and what it says about their needs and desires can be very effective in helping you make this happen. Utilizing behavioral data in combination with other factors such as location, time, and so on, you can create a far more engaging and personalized experience for your customers.

 

Engagement at your convenience

Convenience is a very important aspect of life for many people. So, there is no doubt that you can increase customer engagement by making your customers' lives easier. There are several examples of this, one of which is Amazon's Dash, a feature that makes it easy to order products that are frequently ordered at the touch of a button. This leads to Amazon delivering the product they need directly to their door. Keeping the effort to a minimum will ensure that customers will be able to return to your business again and again.

 

Engagement on an emotional level

Human behavior is heavily influenced by emotion, which is the key driver of human behavior. In addition, there are a whole host of factors that influence decisions making that occur under the surface. This includes the way people feel about owning a product.

 

The ability to measure or manipulate emotion has traditionally been very difficult, but as customer experience management technology has improved, brands now have direct access to a vast array of data that can help them build this kind of understanding at an individual level.

 

Engaging in ethical behavior

The consumer has moved well beyond a materialist view of the world and is now much more aware of ethics than he or she has ever been. In our increasingly connected world, it looks like there's no place to hide. There are billions of social media users around the world who can expose poor practices simply by clicking a button. I think it is important for businesses to make their operating processes and manufacturing procedures transparent as much as possible.

Engagement with society

Customers who are deeply engaged may become advocates for your company. If someone has a positive experience with your brand, they share it through their social media channels, which influences others to seek out the brand as well. Engaging customers in this way is the real pinnacle since it breeds further engagement organically without requiring extra time and resources.

 

Engagement means committing to something

Engaging customers involves more than just improving what you already do. In order to deliver what resonates with your customers, you must understand how to make it accessible. You will only be able to maintain long-lasting customer relationships if you do this.

by Costi

9 Ways To Ensure That Your Saas Is Focused On Customer Success

As a startup, one of the most important things you should never lose focus on is the customers. Although it's hard to start from scratch and sometimes be cut off financially, it will ultimately make you much more successful in securing your company’s future.

Entrepreneurs and CEOs know that their startup must be customer-centric, but how does one ensure it? Industries the world over—whether they’re B2B or B2C—are building their livelihoods from a perspective of bottomless consumerism.

To build customer loyalty, it is important to know your customer’s needs. This will allow you to be proactive in innovating, solving problems effectively and understanding what they need most—customer advocates.

We’ve compiled a list of eight ways your small business can succeed from day one—all by putting the customer first.

1. It starts at the top

As a CEO of a startup, it is important to establish your company's philosophy on customer success from the beginning.

Employees are often willing to go the extra mile for employers, but this is especially true if there is a culture of customer-centric values from early on.

When your business is committed to its customers, the culture of customer-focused practices continues to grow as your company grows.

Successful startup executives know how to balance their time with customers in order to nurture and maximize relationships. When a customer is signed, it’s not just for the number on the contract—it’s for what that number will grow into.

Building relationships from day one with customers helps build loyalty that lasts long-term—and leads to referrals.

So where do you start? There are numerous ways for startup executives to be involved personally with each of their customers.

CEOs who choose to focus on loyalty will see recurring revenue which is based upon loyal customers. The relationship between these customers and business are continuous, so touchpoints are hugely important for businesses in order to succeed.

You may not think you're spending time reaching out to your customers, but it's worth setting a block of time on your calendar each week

Suggest that customer success managers provide an executive summary to their CEO about the current lifecycle of their customers monthly (or weekly!).

As the CEO, be sure to take notice of your customers’ successes. It is important to make time for acknowledgement in order to stay involved with your customers.

Being an early-stage company CEO comes with a lot of responsibility. Whether you're building your business from scratch or taking the reins from someone else, there are two things that will make life easier: frequent customer engagement and concrete goals.

Doing so will show customers that the company genuinely cares about them from the top down.

2. Empower everyone to use the “emergency stop” cord.

Having metrics in place to ensure the entire team is accountable to the goal you have set for your startup is great. However, a truly successful startup takes it one step further and ensures their team of employees are each accountable on an individual level – not just collectively as a company group – by holding each employee individually responsible for his or her contribution and

Giving employees the autonomy and responsibility they need to do their jobs well is a great way to increase morale.

As a leader, it’s about providing your team with the tools they need to succeed.

Due to the demands of their work, leaders often feel like they have to oversee every part of the assembly process.

The greatest challenge in managing your employees and their projects is knowing what tools to provide.

Remember, as a startup the business is moving fast. You need every leader on board to ensure success.

3. Keep an escalation plan

No matter how many safety steps you take, or what proactive steps are taken to avoid a problem, customer service will inevitably escalate— especially for the first group of customers.

Whether a client wants to complain, needs help with technology access, or just isn’t satisfied in general, you need a framework for handling these issues. Don't just have this map out on a handbook that's handed out at the start of service: Keep it clearly visible at all times.

It is crucial the company has an escalation plan that doesn’t just cover customer requests, but also supports new employees.

What does the process look like? There are a few steps in this plan that require good communication and transparency.

Set up three basics to any solution:

1. The problem or issue is to identify.

2. Progress: Clearly define the steps to reach a resolution.

3. Prevention: Put preventative measures in place to hopefully avoid the same thing happening again.

In order to be successful, your escalation plan must have a solid set of stakeholders for each phase.

Showing your clients that you not only care, but have a plan for their success - even when things go bad - transforms you from merely a vendor, to a partner.

How you handle an escalation could be the deciding factor in truly gaining the customer’s loyalty and advocacy.

4. Early customer journeys will inevitably have some rough patches.

If you’re a startup, however inexperienced or experienced you may be, it's vital to remember that your first clients are guaranteed to face some challenges.

The key to success is understanding what your customers want and catering to their needs. If you’re still new in the industry, remember that not everything will work out perfectly right away.

Even when you have a few problems, there will be success stories as well. Making winning moments even better is how you handle those hiccups. You might not know what I need, but that doesn't mean it's not worth figuring out. Building loyalty and customer satisfaction is making sure you go the extra mile to provide a solution for them.

Rather than wishing for flawless paths, make yourself a better driver by understanding the challenges of unpaved roads and their occasional hazards.

5. Calling all CEOs: You don’t have to do everything on your own.

Great leadership starts with understanding the strengths of each member on your team and trusting their abilities to do a good job.

CEOs must not do everything themselves, they need to focus on the entire team and include different people in their projects.

Employees at a startup company wear many hats, with the CEO wearing all of them.

If a CEO tries to solve every problem, the rest of the organisation will come to rely on him or her. You want your CEO to nurture other team members' abilities.

If you don't build the ability to successfully scale your business, then no matter how big it is today, it will never grow past a certain point.

This is particularly true when the customers are mid- to senior-level decision makers. You want to help them solve their own problems, not be a point of escalation for those who can’t do it themselves.

6. Map out the journey your ideal customers take

The most successful companies understand the customer journey from day one. Because of this, all employees are focused on meeting the needs and challenges that people have right when they start as a client, versus just showing up when there needs arise (like many other firms).

Ensure that your product, services, and sales team are aligned with the customer lifecycle.

As you know the various steps in your customer journey, it becomes easier to identify what goals need to be achieved across your organisation. Which then means that each team will know how they can contribute towards those goals.

Know your customer's desired outcome and you can anticipate their needs.

Always understand the customer’s perspective of their journey not only in terms of how it will help you but also to make sure your idea aligns with theirs. Grow with your customers so that you can refine what your ideal journey looks like over time.

7. Treasure your most active customers

At the outset of your business—as well as later down the line—you’ll have customers that want to provide feedback, whether you like it or not.

The best startups do not shirk away from their loudest or most demanding customers. They prioritize customer experience and improve accessibility to accommodate anyone with a challenge, regardless of size.

Feedback from customers can be a mixed bag; some of the feedback will validate your work and give you the confidence to keep this path while other feedback might provide lessons for improvement.

Encourage your team to have conversations with these vocal customers to understand their pain points. If you can address those, problems sufficiently, you will most likely solve issues other customers care about as well.

The most important customer feedback comes from those who have experienced your product or service.

Building customer loyalty can be a daunting task for any company, but it is especially difficult when your customers don't feel heard.

8. Know what to Prioritise

As an early-stage company, how do you balance staying hyper focused on executing your company vision while still satisfying customer requests

It's easy to make the mistake of chasing what your customers think they want instead of delivering what your customer really needs.

Recognize that your business isn't necessarily stacked to compete in every category, and set these customer expectations accordingly.

1. You need to maintain a balance between customer service and your other priorities in order to succeed over the long term.

2. Companies should plan is to include the vision, and consider how it fits with their current projects so they provide an ideal service.

Once you have identified your team's strengths and weaknesses, it becomes easier to know what you need to start doing more of and less of.

No task, project, or program is successful without a measurable success.

Conclusion

Consider why your startup originated: To solve significant problems for your customers and this industry. Customers also feel the same way about their company.

by Costi

10 Steps to a Successful Customer Support

A successful customer support has a connection element – satisfied customers feel like they’re part of our company, and they’d never leave.

 

In order to develop relationships with your customers and win them over, customer service leaders need to find out what passions drive their customers. This will allow the customer service agent to use these passions for a positive relationship with every type of customer no matter how difficult the situation is.

Every paying customer has a need that needs to be met. The type of need depends on the individual, but there is always some form of requirement for their business to satisfy them.

Someone who chooses a company to complete this transaction is taking a risk, since they are trusting the transaction will be completed.

Employees work together to fulfill this promise by targeting the same standard of customer service. Good customer service is integral to any business, and teamwork among employees plays a pivotal role in how it will be achieved.

An individual can have a position as either a trainer or member of staff.

Trainers teach company employees how to be successful with customers.

Staff members provide customer service whether they are interacting with a person face to face or over the phone.

When both customer-facing and back office staff work together to meet the needs of customers, successful service is always only a few steps away.

Step One: Determine the service's mission and underlying motivation.

Customer service professionals need to identify their own passions in order to come up with good customer service strategies that are based on the very things they enjoy.

For those who are unsure about the type of work they want, asking yourself a number of questions like "why have you chosen this field?" or "how does your work make an impact?" will help you find more clarity.

By finding their strengths, customer service staff can identify the key values that drive them to succeed. A true personal value must fulfill three criteria: Choosing (at least one of the client's core values), Prizing (how valuable this strength is), and Acting in line with it.

When crafting their company's policies, customer service reps should use a value that represents both the company and themselves.

When the employee knows this value, it must be one that they can highlight through their work and life. Acting this value out on the job is key to success.

Once a company identifies its mission, it's important for employees to understand how the process works. They should be able to create Mission Statements that illustrate their customer service approach and show them where they need make adjustments in order to uphold this ideology.

A customer service mission statement should be personal and brief, reflecting values and how they pertain to life, work, and others. These statements can even reveal hidden talents that staff members were not aware of, helping them find a more enjoyable place in the company.

Step Two: How would you define great service for your company?

A customer usually defines their perception of the company's service not with the business.

The easiest way for an organization to understand great customer service is by asking their customers about it. What do the customers prefer?

What drives customers to switch between brands? Why do they get attached and loyal to certain companies?

A company’s customers expect five specific behaviors from the companies with which they do business: 1) Reliability, 2) Responsiveness, 3) Assurance, 4) Empathy, and 5) Tangibles.

A customer-oriented approach to business takes reliability to the core of its dealings, which includes honoring promises it makes to customers in its advertisements.

Responsiveness is primarily a time factor, how quick the company can close transactions and perform services.

Providing expert service as an employee is a key part of customer satisfaction.

Recognizing the value in understanding and patience are just some of the qualities that make empathy a helpful trait for managers to have.

Tangibles are physical objects that help satisfy customers.

Companies are often concerned with the Tangibles, such as brand name and similar activities that will wow customers.

Most people remember great customer service from an individualized touch or a moment of unexpected kindness. Trainers can create these outcomes by holding sessions and making lists, but there are also staples to consider in the service industry.

These are the building blocks that fulfill great customer service.

Step Three: Build Strong Relationships

In customer service, the knowledge staff have with regards to their job role helps them establish rapport with the customer and fix any problems they may experience.

People are curious about how people behave, which is why many social theories exist that focus on professional behaviors and consumer-based relationships.

One of the most important concepts for customer service employees is reciprocity.

Reciprocity deals with balance in relationships, especially communication. When a customer gives information, he or she expects similar information back and that includes similar emotional, intellectual, and substantial responses.

There are two key principles to reciprocity.

1. Your actions should be of equal value to other people’s if you want to experience positive interactions on the road.

2. Giving of yourself comes at a cost that is often repaid in some way the giver deems to be valuable.

Customers often underestimate the customer service representative's ability to reciprocate in an interactive situation, so they provide more information rather than less.

Customer service professionals can also be thrown into an imbalance when they try to serve customers and provide all the information, but are unable to make customers feel satisfied.

Building reciprocity is easy in most service relationships. Customers typically greet smiles with smiles, regardless of how they’re feeling. Listening is also crucial; customer service staff should be prepared to listen and understand a client at all times.

The staff should not take for granted any customer response. Whenever a customer complements or thanks an employee, the staff should react with appreciation.

Step Four: Help foster trusting relationships that last

Trust and time are always changing variables when it comes to customer service.

Trust is intrinsic to each customer service relationship. Sometimes employees can earn a customer's trust in seconds with a simple offer of help or simply smiling.

Other customers are less willing to speak with you and may keep their distance for much longer.

The first step is to listen seriously and with your full attention. Listening is important for every aspect of customer service, but when it comes to building a trusting relationship, listening is the most powerful tool you have in your arsenal.

Employees should first turn off their cell phones or any other distractions before they interact with customers. If an environment is noisy, employees should find a quieter place to talk to the customer one on one.

Customer service staff should listen to their customers on an empathetic level, hearing not only what they have to say but what they need and the entire scope of their problem.

Service staff should paraphrase and repeat what the customer said to make sure they understand, setting up trust between them. The more the service employee understands, the easier it will be to ask questions that will address their needs.

A customer service representative typically has a choice between asking closed- or open-ended questions.

An open-ended question allows the customer to expand on a certain point in their own words, often beginning with, “Can you tell me more,” “What happened,” or "How did."

"What would happen if," is not an example of an effective open-ended question.

Close-ended questions focus the respondents answers to a single yes or no and start with “Did you” or “Can you.

Staff members can also lead with questions designed to focus on a particular type of information, like a more thorough definition of the problem (When this happens what do you do?), a relay question to get the customer’s thoughts on the matter (What do you think?), or past success questions.

Step Five: Improve your mood and outlook on life by becoming more positive.

The Law of Attraction is an age-old theory in business that speaks to the power of positive thinking.

The law of attraction is the principle that one's thoughts, intentions and words can attract desired effects.

People who think positively get more positive things in return. When people consider the world around them, it has a beneficial impact.

The law of attraction is not a zero-sum game; it cannot account for negative modifiers. When employees state, “I will not listen to gossip today” they are actively attracting thoughts, events and words related to “listening to gossip.

Employees using the Law of Attraction should focus on positive thoughts given that these attract more people.

Administrators should encourage staff to believe that they are capable of being excellent at their jobs even with the challenges.

Employees should never argue with customers, no matter how angry.

Instead of telling customers “no,” employees should find alternate words to use when speaking with the customer.

Rather than saying, "You left this off," a customer service person can rephrase their response with something like,"I'm sure we can find what happened."

The company representative might say, "Let me clear up that point for you.". This helps the customer and the service member focus on positive aspects of their relationship with each other, which strengthens the relationship.

Every customer service representative should be personable while they answer the phone. They should speak at a comfortable voice level and remember to smile!

Be succinct, clear and explicit when communicating via email to avoid confusion.

Step Six: Solve problems quickly and aggressively, even difficult ones

Issues between customers and companies are usually caused by problems with communication or organizational structure. Customers are easily angered by misinformation or lack of communication.

When businesses change, oversights in service or technology and even a new person at the helm could create complications.

When faced with a customer complaint, service staff should remember these five steps:

1. Managers should seek to describe the problem at hand to either their employees or their customers.

2. Next, employees should look for reasons such as the root causes of the problem, and how it can be solved in order to understand what is going wrong.

3. After researching the situation, employees usually have a number of solutions in mind. They can talk to either customers or managers about their ideas and what types of outcomes they hope for.

4. Once the problem is resolved, staff should also consider other possible solutions if the same issue ever arises again. The more options they can offer to their next customer, the better impression they will make.

5. As the date approaches, employees should also look for ways to improve customer service and ensure everything runs smoothly. Businesses should plan in advance by looking for solutions to any problems that may arise.

Step Seven: If you've made a mistake, own up to it.

Mistakes happen. The goal of recovery is to regain the loyalty of a customer after they have been burnt by one too many errors or unsatisfactory experiences.

Build rapport with your clients by gracefully handling any mistakes.

The first step in resolving a complaint is to apologize. This does not mean the company or the customer service representative did anything wrong; it just acknowledges that you are aware they are dissatisfied with the business' actions so far.

When apologizing to the customer, the representative should use their information to figure out what went wrong and how it can be fixed.

An angry customer assumes that the company has broken a promise. The service member should react calmly and avoid arguing with an angry customer.

It is better to provide a credit, take back damaged merchandise, and break company rules than create negative word of mouth.

When a customer has a problem, they expect some type of compensation. The staff should be prepared to offer the best solution possible, whether it was their fault or not.

Once the problem has been resolved, staff should follow up with a customer by phone to ensure the issue was fully dealt with. This is often an unexpected and refreshing gesture, so it’s an effective way to turn even angry clients into satisfied customers.

Step Eight: Give Customers and Yourself a Break

Different people view the world differently. There are many different personality combinations, and every customer has their own distinctive set of characteristics and habits that affect how they see things.

Some people are more demanding than others and a well-trained staff will be able to better handle these customers.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test (MBTI) is one of the most popular personality tests. The MBTI divides people into four different combinations of preferences like perceiving, thinking, judging and feeling.

Customer service representatives can be more effective if they know what type of personality they are dealing with.

Customers with differing communication styles should be met with different types of responses. Extraverts respond best to listening, open-ended questions and new solutions. Introverts best respond to enthusiasm and patience.

Confronted by empathetic people? Staff should be prepared to concentrate on the big picture, provide reasons for their own viewpoints, and repeat details as needed. Thinkers require a more efficient approach and prefer being well-informed.

Step Nine: When Things Get Hot, Keep Cool

When customers become angry at customer service representatives, it's typically the result of prior interactions with company staff or policies. Customers may go through three stages of anger before coming to a resolution.

Customers who attempt to solve a problem but fail, then feel powerless and overrun with frustration. This is followed by anger when customers start blaming the company for their problems.

There are three steps to keeping calm when you're confronted with an angry customer.

1) Listen to the person's frustration.

2) Sort their complaint into major and minor complaints or problems, so that you can address them one at a time.

3) Be sure to thank them for bringing up any issues that they have and let

Dealing with customer problems is essential, but one of the key tips for calming frustrated customers is listening to their concerns attentively.

Customer service personnel should be assertive when necessary.

In some cases, a customer may need to be calmed down and some feedback helps the customer realize their actions are not practical.

When dealing with a customer who is very angry, service agents should not take advantage of them. The agent can help diffuse and calm the situation by remaining impartial.

Step Ten: Be Your Own Best Customer

In order to provide customers with the best possible service, customer service employees should always be happy. In reality, members of staff should view themselves as one of their customers and treat themselves kindly.

Constantly working without time for simple pleasures in life can lead to depression and reduced customer service efficiency. If it seems like people are becoming a hassle, it may be time to address personal happiness.

Treats like catching up with friends and taking a break from work could help improve your customer service, specifically in the workplace.

by Costi

How to Build & Scale a Customer Support Team

Customer success is a must-have for any company that builds products oriented around the customer experience. Software providers know this best, where great customer service is no longer a nice-to-have; it's an essential component of their day to day business operations.

As corporate solutions become more complicated and business teams engage in investment into more platforms, it is becoming critical to take advantage of all the tools they have at their disposal.

Sales teams and account executives initially managed customer relationships for businesses, but the advent of new software led to a greater demand for Customer Success specialists.

In addition to benefiting customers, a customer success role is just as beneficial for the company.

Below are a few eye-opening stats from Invesp Consulting:

Experienced customers are more likely to try new products and spend 31% more than new ones.

Increasing customer retention by 5% can have a total impact of up to 95%.

Around nine out of every 10 companies see customer experience as a key factor in driving customers’ loyalty and the retention.

One of the biggest mistakes many companies make when it comes to customer success is including it too much as an afterthought.

Most SaaS organizations start with a product idea, bring in sales reps to grow revenue, and then think about building a customer success team once there are customers on board who are asking for more.

In reality, customer success should be included in initial conversations concerning either products or sales.

Creating and keeping long-term relationships with your customers should be an immediate priority for any company

Part 1: Building Your Team

Starting out, you should have your customer success team involved in every process at your company. This often means working with sales, product, support and other departments to establish a process that works well for both the employees AND the customers.

As you scale your department, and customers want different things from your team, it’s important to get clear on what they value most.

This is the list of what to do when you are building a customer success department.

1. What your company considers to be customer success?

Building your team can be a confusing time. It is important to establish expectations about customer success from the start.

Concerning customer success, there are many ways to interpret the overarching theme. Consequently, your team can customize this meaning how you see fit.

Perhaps your customer success team will mainly be focused on onboarding and serving new clients.

Working with a customer's lifecycle directly affects your team. Your team should be aware of when to intervene on behalf of the customer, and when to refer them to other departments for help.

2. You need to have competent customer service representatives to manage your customers accounts

Now comes the fun part: finding the right people to actually manage your customers. Once you know what success looks like and how you’re going to get there, it’s time to put these plans in place.

Due to the increased complexity in today's' market, an effective CSM goes one step beyond the traditional role.

Customer service managers are responsible for the success of their organization because customer retention, satisfaction and loyalty is so key to success.

CSMs typically have a multitude of tasks, some more demanding than others.

We are first and foremost responsible for welcoming new account holders, training our users, and helping them realize the value of both their relationship with us as well as our product.

Customer service managers are the main point of contact for customers and other departments. They answer customer escalations, help with questions and concerns, and perform complicated projects in between these responsibilities.

Even if CSMs are not responsible for closing renewals or upsells, they still need to keep customers happy and guide them towards these conversations.

Customers want to work with vendors who are willing and able to help. CSM's keep a constant eye on accounts, regardless of the time they have been customers, and speak as advocates during important conversations or decisions.

Yes, the lives of CSMs are stress-filled. They have to keep track of a lot for even one account and some CSMs may be dealing with up to twelve accounts at once.

The right members of your Customer Success team are crucial to the success of both your organization and its members.

3. Measure the achievements of your KPIs and metrics.

Understanding your organization's metrics and what 'success' means for the business will help you keep track of customer success.

Every company has their own system for tracking customer success metrics.

How often are users actually logging in and using your product?

Has your product gained traction with users and are they committed to using it?

Customer engagement - how often are customers interacting with your team?

The customer pulse, or gut feeling, is the perception that the service team has about each individual client's likelihood of staying a customer.

• Net Promoter Score: a measure of customer willingness to recommend your company's products

4. Ensure that customer success is an integral part of your company culture.

This last process in putting together a customer success department is one of the most important parts for your company and client relationships.

To ensure lasting success, everyone in an organization-from the executive to the lowest level employee-need to be mentally invested in your customer.

Why invest time and effort into gaining new customers, just to see them churn a few years later?

In order to create a profitable, scalable customer success department, customer success managers should have a seat at the table – but they also need the ear and assistance from other departments.

Here are a few reasons why a company's customer success is essential to its long-term health:

• Review metrics and review goals to track success with clients.

Other departments may have already considered the idea but this department has the chance to implement it.

• Goals are aligned to the broader office and each department.

• Customers feel good knowing that the entire company is focused on their success, which keeps internal and external stakeholders happy.

When you can’t see the customer up close and personal on a regular basis, being able to rely on data from your team will allow you, as an executive or board member, to focus on the success of those accounts.

Part 2: How to Scale Your Team

Once your customer success team is in place, it’s time to start building and growing value for your internal team. This will involve processes that are customized to the needs of both teams.

A customer success team should rely on their own processes and procedures to ensure cracks in the complexity of customer accounts don't slip through.

1. Make sure your manager and customer service representative have the skills to service clients, provide support, and retain them.

A customer success team's growth starts by setting up shop with the right people and skills. There is no one straight-forward process to guarantee customer satisfaction.

While not every customer success team will have access to these tools, there are some fundamental principles that every single one should follow.

Building repeatable processes: Successful customer success teams are responsible for a lot. From keeping clients happy to facilitating onboarding and training to working with executives to close renewal deals, there's a lot going on.

This is also why cultivating repeatable procedures will be invaluable. Your team can seamlessly manage all of the day-to-day CSM work with ease by quickly bringing new team members into play when necessary.

Balancing new and long-term accounts: Many customer success teams struggle to scale while juggling in the meantime.

On one hand, new customers require a lot of attention and assistance with account setup when they are first brought into the company. On the other hand, long-term accounts might be neglected which may lead to lost opportunities for upsells.

As your customer base grows, making sure you have an account management strategy in place will ensure that both new and existing accounts are equitably addressed.

Re-engaging with dormant customers: If your team has been around for a while and you have some strong customers on the roster, they might not need as much attention as new or finicky ones.

One of the potential issues that often arises is an organic lapse in communication. However, as much as possible, it's important to re-engage with your customers.

When you first start thinking about how you'll engage with customers, it's important to take a big step back and consider the following questions: What is your company's annual sales price? Will a model that has many customer service reps actually support revenue growth or will you need an engagement model that’s less touch?

There is no foolproof way to prevent customer churn, but putting the right safeguards in place can help. Once an account starts getting close to canceling, CSMs should put a freeze or other limits on their account so that they don’t end up losing them at the last minute.

3. Create a compensation plan that can grow with your company.

CSM compensation plans start to look more and more like sales salaries in that they are inherently tied to performance and target revenue goals.

Compensation models for CSMs are typically three:

• Base salary with no bonus or variable component

• Base salary with bonus opportunities.

• The base salary will include a variable component that both rewards for performance and provides an opportunity for greater earnings over time.

Based on your company’s compensation plan, putting a system in place that makes sure CSMs are rewarded for lifetime customer value with an additional variable component.

3. Ensure you have the right tools.

Hiring employees is one part of the growth equation, but it's not the only key component. As important as bringing on new people are ensuring that you have the right tools in place to help your current customers.

When a business grows, finding the right customer success platform to support this growth and managing any difficulty with improving customer relationships is critical.

4. Look for a point in which to scale.

When deciding when to scale, think about these three things:

• Annual Contract Value targeted per CSM

• Product Complexity

• Quantity of Customers Per CSM

Three key factors contribute to a customer service team’s success: the number of employees, (ARR), their individual skill level (complexity) and volume.

When it comes to budgeting your business, you will need to take different factors into account. You may not fit in one of the three categories above and find that your company needs to be modeled differently.

Signs that your company needs to improve customer service include shallow relationships with customers, overworked CSMs, lack of insight into the customer base and an increase in churn.

5. Put your customers on the path to growth.

Another step toward scaling a customer success team is preparing your customers to grow with you. No matter how well prepared your team may be, unless the customer is committed to your product and long-term partnership there's nothing that can be done.

The key to when you’re starting a company is focusing on customer loyalty and long-term success.

  • Having a long-term outlook, right out of the gate – for example, during your sales calls or kick-off meeting.
  • Being accessible to customers when they need you and having the answers on-hand or knowing who to ask for help.
  • Understanding the long-term success expectations of each customer is vital to provide excellent service. Listening and research are important where defining these expectations.
  • Flawlessly executing every possible customer hand off between departments so that the customer is always made to feel at home.
  • You should have a long-term vision for success to reach customers, starting with your initial meeting.

Part 3: Optimizing output

Having a customer success team in place can make the difference between satisfied customers and those who are not.

One of our first thoughts when optimizing a team may be to look at CSM performance. Let’s say you manage a team with varying degrees of success and retention rates among clients.

Low-performing representatives receive more attention in the average organization, whereas they should be treated like high performers.

Understanding how high-performing employees organize their days, communicate with clients, work with other departments, and measure success can help maximize the output of your entire team.

Here are some strategies to transform your customer success team into the best ever:

  • Use live chat as a way to communicate with your customers and provide a link to helpful content in case they need more context.
  • Repeating the same webinars and demos for new prospects is not enough. Host client-specific meetups, forums, and demonstrations to highlight new features, products, and provide space for clients to share their experiences with others in a setting where they feel comfortable.
  • Work with your marketing team to create a strategic customer marketing plan that connects advertising best practices to the rapport of CSMs.
  • Create an online system where customers can interact with each other and ask questions.Your customers will be able to share tips, tricks, and advice.
  • Install pop-ups and notifications on your platform or in your product to let customers know when there are new features, products, or updates available.

Important takeaways

Use these tips to ensure your customer success team is fully prepared for their day-to-day duties.

  • Ensure customer success is clear by having a single idea of what it means for each person in the company.
  • It is important to match customer success managers with the appropriate personality traits in order to convey empathy and satisfaction.
  • Setting strong goals so that your team, department, company, investors and customers know how things stand.
  • Business owners should make their customers’ satisfaction with the company a priority, not just of marketing and customer service staff but of the whole organisation.
  • CSMs help customers reach their highest potential by focusing on customer skills and tools.
  • Laying the foundation for long-term relationships that mutually benefit both the company and their customers by being transparent, trustworthy, and providing a value.
  • No matter how long a customer has been partnered with the company, you should always look for ways to surprise them.

Fortunately, your customer success team is successful in large part do to the efforts of their CSMs.

Great customer success managers take a while to form, and require the company's focus on bolstering their skills and growing the account.

by Costi