Good things can come in small packages. A team doesn’t have to be large to deliver some of the most memorable experiences for customers. Instead, a person or team just has to be highly effective at what they do by incorporating a few customer experience hacks like these 5 tips:
Use the right tools:
No customer wants to have to repeat information about themselves or re-tell their story more than once. That’s why it helps to have the right tools available. The tools offer a way to pull-up the customer profile right while you are on the phone or messaging system. In this way, your small support team immediately knows who they are talking to and can acknowledge that in the communication with the customer.
Having the customer information quickly accessible and current makes it easier on your team and makes the customer feel special and alleviates any potential frustration on their part in having to explain and re-explain themselves to your team. It also tends to shorten the communication and leaves the customer feeling like they were taken care of and the matter was quickly expedited. Meanwhile, your small support team can rapidly move onto the next customer in the queue.
Show the real team:
It doesn’t take a lot of people to deliver honesty in every action and communication taken with your customers. You want your customers to know that you are perfectly capable of handling their questions and needs. However, don’t present a false image that you are a large group working in a huge office. Instead, opt to show your real team of agents in pictures on your website. This shows customers exactly who they are talking to and lets the teams personalities shine through. This honest approach to who you are and what you look like can create a more personalized experience for your customers.
Many customers and clients actually want to know that they are dealing with people that they can call back and ask for by name, rather than fear they may be tossed around to a pool of anonymous customer service agents who have handle time quotas to make.
Build an effective online help center:
It truly helps to create an online help center that integrates seamlessly with your website where customers can come and get many of their questions answered without having to stay on hold while your small team tries to rush through the queue of callers. Being able to immediately get a common question, or questions answered through helpful, easy-to-locate online content creates a much more effective customer experience than waiting on hold for 20 minutes.
Having this information-rich help center that serves as an educational resource or knowledge base also covers those customer needs when your small team may not be working — because a website is always open. Regularly add articles that address pain points that often are the subject matter your support team has been handling.
Set and clearly advertise consistent response hours:
If customers see that they have a specific time period in which they can reach you on the phone, they will feel confident in working with you and view it as a great experience. Your support strategy for your small team should outline exactly when you are available. Be sure to post this throughout your website. Post it at the top of the page or as a pop-up at the bottom of the page. The customer will be expecting a goofy ad, and there pops-up supportive information.
Focus on communication delivery:
It’s not only what your support team says. It’s also about how they say it that can make an extraordinary difference in how the customer views their experience. Avoid passive-aggressive language, slang and technical jargon. Stay away from the typical language often heard on a customer support call that nobody wants to hear. Things like, “your call is very important to us” or “you are being transferred”. No one believes they are important when they hear this phrase, (and it sets off an immediate bullsh** meter). People are also afraid that they will have to repeat their entire story. Instead, make the transition into an introduction if you do transfer their call. Let them know the person they speak to has their answer. Focus on using the most positive language and personalize every communication.
Try out these customer experience hacks and see how your small team can deliver a very large memorable experience to create more satisfied customers.
