Every solid business relationship begins with good communication. When your customers engage with your brand, they may be looking for quick answers. However, on a deeper level, they are also seeking reasons to trust you. Does your company care about them as individuals? Do you value their time? As technology continues to improve the customer experience, the human touch is sometimes lost. For this reason, good communication with your customers is the first step toward humanizing each interaction and winning their long-term loyalty. Here are six tips for effective customer service communication on every channel.
Personalization is key for customer satisfaction. Always treat each interaction like a conversation. The agent should introduce himself immediately and ask for the customer’s name if it is unknown. He should then take a moment to ask how the customer is doing before addressing the main problem. While short introductions save everyone time, it’s important to foster a personal connection right away. This makes the customer comfortable and builds trust. On voice or video channels, a friendly tone of voice is also essential.
The customer needs time to explain his problem. The agent must therefore listen closely to the situation without interruption before offering a solution. Customers should not feel rushed when asking for help and should feel welcome to ask questions at any time. Once the customer is finished explaining the problem, the agent should summarize the information and verify that he understood correctly. Then, he may offer a solution.
Agents should always convey a positive and confident attitude. For example, phrases such as “I will” and “I can” relay the agent’s ability to help and reassure the customer. If a customer is unhappy, the agent should also use language that shows empathy and a willingness to help. In such a situation, a simple “I am sorry” or “I understand” can appease the customer. At all times, the agent must avoid negative phrases and show a desire to find the best solution.
Customers may seek thorough answers, but they need to understand the solutions proposed. For this reason, agents must make sure to offer step-by-step solutions using simple language. As much as possible, technical language should be avoided. If it is necessary to use it, be sure to explain what the terms mean and ask the customer if he needs clarifications. The goal is to offer a detailed yet clear solution.
At times, the agent may need to seek information and pause the conversation. When this is necessary, the agent should always inform the customer and give an approximate wait time. If the agent is still active on the channel and waiting for a task to finish, he may continue to speak casually to the customer and explain what he is doing. The idea is to never make the customer feel that the conversation has been cut.
At the end of each conversation, ask the customer if he has any more questions. Once the problem has been fully resolved, be sure to thank him for his time and show gratitude for his loyalty to your brand. This is often an ideal time for sending the customer a survey. Ask the customer if he would be willing to respond to the survey, and then send it on the channel of contact. Great communication with a personal touch empowers your customers. Once they are able to trust your brand, they will support you for the long term.
