Tips to Step Up Your Customer Service Game

In this blog, you’ll learn (well.. Hopefully lol) a few customer service tips to help step up your customer support! Sometimes handling a customer’s issue can feel more like a day long marathon instead of a quick sprint. I’ve rummaged through my brain, picked a few of my colleagues' brains, and did some quite extensive internet searching to give you the best customer service guide possible. 

Treat your customers like a VIP. 

Remember, customers aren’t typically chasing an immediate resolution. They appreciate it when the CSR (customer service representative) is: kind, transparent, and goes above and beyond to offer personalized customer experience. 

It is important you don’t take things personally, they only see you as an extension of the company (remember, you may be the only person from the company they speak with). They aren’t attempting to attack you, they are in problem solving mode. Take this time to focus on the issue and turn it into a positive interaction. 

Always lead with positive language.

It is all about how you say things. Even when delivering bad news, there is a way to sugar coat things making it seem less like a problem to your customer. If your company is out of a product there are 2 different ways you could tell the customer: “We don’t have that product right now, sorry.” or “This product will be back in stock on Monday, what would be the best way to contact you once it’s back in stock?” In the second scenario, you are automatically offering the customer a solution to the issue, not really making it as much of an issue for them!

Don’t waste their time & show plenty of empathy.

This is a big way to win your customers over. When a customer calls with a problem, they expect it to be handled quickly. Be knowledgeable in your position and understand your role in the business. An effective CSR will be able to build rapport while resolving the customer’s issue. A few example phrases to help your customer feel at ease are:

• “I know how important this issue is to you”
• “Of course, we are going to resolve this as soon as possible”
• “We understand how difficult your problem must be, here is what we can do to help…”

Showing empathy, smiling (even though they can’t see you, they can 1000% hear it), and using the customer’s first name are all super simple ways you can change the customer from having a mediocre interaction to a positive conversation that even possibly changed their negative view of the company.

Finally, always say “Thank you”

So simple. So powerful. A thank you at the right time, builds trust. Start small, thanking them when they give you their account number, anytime you put them on hold, and especially at the end of a phone call. 

As you can tell, providing top notch customer service isn’t exactly rocket science. Customer service is about giving each customer the experience you would hope for, every time. There isn’t exactly a perfect representative, just one who is consistently learning and bettering themselves. Being a CSR can be tiring and pretty easy to feel unnoticed by the big guys. Just remember, you are the voice of the company and that is all your customer knows. Have you ever received life changing advice? If so, feel free to share in the comments.