The essential foundation of good customer service is a thorough
understanding of who your customers are, and what it is they want from
you. What's the most effective way of achieving this, and seeing concrete results?
Understanding customers
Collecting relevant, accurate information about your existing customers
is the first step. Looking at the goods and services they are purchasing
from you, in what quantities, and the revenue this generates. Going
deeper, you can look at who they are regarding personal interests,
lifestyle and income. This approach also applies to potential customers,
what new markets are you looking to enter?
Everyone will have their own idea of what constitutes acceptable
customer service. This is also affected by the type of industry you are
operating in, and the price levels you’ve set. Consider what you’re
willing to spend on market research in terms of return on investment.
Levels of service
A customer’s expectations will depend heavily on the level of service
they’re paying for. Providing different packages from a basic to premium
is a good way to manage this. It gives the option of moving up to a
higher level if required and encourages new customers who are happy with
a “no-frills” service at a lower cost.
The different tiers of service can be decided on by factors such as
customer care, available hours, personalisation, as well as add-ons and
extras. Be careful that these additional features and bonuses are
relevant to your industry and are something your customers are actually
interested in.
Falling short
Sometimes expectations won’t be met, and its important to see where
you’ve gone wrong as an organisation before rectifying the problem.
Repeating past mistakes could lead to lost business and damage to
reputation. Train staff to head off these problems before they arise and
emphasise the importance of quality customer service.
Having a dedicated, online customer service portal helps with these
efforts, by taking the pressure off of employees expected to respond to
calls and emails, often distracting them from other urgent tasks.
How SwiftCase helps
SwiftCase is a cloud-based business process management platform that can
help you identify and fulfill customer requirements and expectations in
an efficient and cost-effective manner.
- Automatically gather business data in real time, in one centralised system to analyse customer
behaviour - Configure business processes for your entire range of products,
including extras and add-ons - Provide an online customer service portal, to prioritise and respond to
complaints and enquiries promptly
Get in touch with us today, for a free, no-obligation demonstration.