At OneDesk, we recognize that customer service management is not always easy. Our software was developed on the premise that the customer support team should always ensure that the company is providing stellar customer service in order to deliver a top-notch customer experience. In essence, we’d like to share our favourite customer service management tips with you.
Our top 3 customer service management tips:
Actively listen to everyone
Listen to everyone who comes into contact with your organization. This means customers, employees, and business partners. Have your team consider and evaluate each feedback and let those who provided feedback know that you are listening and that you understand them.
Instead of asking for one-way feedback, encourage cross-department collaboration. Tune in to the social web and listen to conversation they are having with each other. These will allow you to gain a deeper perspective as to how all sides feel about your business, products and services.
Observe what happens externally
Sometimes, it’s what they don’t say that counts. Many customers feel uncomfortable saying exactly what they think, especially if they deem it negative or socially unacceptable. Observing customers can give you valuable insight as to what motivates and frustrates them, which will help drive innovation. In this article, Glen Ingles gives the following example:
I recently watched as a young customer became frustrated going from one accessory display to another trying to find what he had come to buy. It was evident that this store’s lack of rack header signage made it impossible to quickly find the desired product category. Lately, some retailers have taken observation one step further, installing video cameras and hiring psychologists and even anthropologists to observe their customers and learn from them. You don’t have to be that elaborate, but you should make it a habit to objectively observe people as they shop in your store and even in other stores. You’ll never get it right if you just assume you know why people do what they do. Watch and learn!
Logically, observing your competitors can give you a hint of where market trends are heading, and a chance to outperform them.
Treat your staff as you would treat customers
Excellent customer service depends on two main things: Customers need to be treated with respect. It is also important that they feel valued. If you treat your employees with a courteous, and human approach, they are most likely to feel valued, and in turn, treat the customers they deal with the same way.
Just as you would ask for customer feedback about your product, it’s important to also ask for employee feedback. Engaging your employees into the development process shows that you value them. Employees who feel valued tend to work harder, provide better customer experiences and stay with your company longer.
Employ these customer service tips with OneDesk
OneDesk allows you to connect with customers, employees and partners and engage them in two-way collaboration to capture ideas and get started on producing market-driven products. Its innovation and ideas and social media monitoring applications allow you to listen to observe customers, and predict upcoming trends in the industry. OneDesk also allows you keep your employees and customers updated on the progress of the ideas they submit; this makes them feel like a valuable team member.
Do you have any customer service management tips? Please share them with us!