9 Tips And Psychological Keys To Improve Customer Service
With the possible exception of donations and subsidies not linked to their own actions, each and every one of the businesses that exist can survive solely and exclusively thanks to their clients, be they individuals, companies, organizations or even governments.
The products or services offered must be attractive enough for the customer to want to come to us, but the truth is that a sale is not achieved solely thanks to the product: the attention that the user receives or the user’s perception and image of it also has a great influence when it comes to obtaining or maintaining clientele.
Thus, customer service is at all times a fundamental pillar of any company, being in many of them a pending subject and highly improvable. That is why in this article we are going to see a series of tips and keys to improve customer service
Serving customers may seem simple, but the truth is that it can be more complicated than might generally be expected.
And although some people have the advantage of having a certain mastery of social and interpersonal skills innately, this is not enough to know how to serve correctly. In this sense, it is necessary to take into account a large number of key aspects and elements, which we will see below summarized in a total of 9 tips and keys to improve customer service.
1. Listen and empathize
Regardless of the type of business we are in, two of the main keys to maintaining optimal customer service are active listening and empathy skills
First of all, it is essential to know how to listen to what they tell us, to be able to interpret it and even go further and try to detect what they need and why. But not only listening is important: we must put ourselves in the other’s place, empathizing with them and trying to detect how they feel, something that also helps to understand you and establish a good bond We must treat our clients as we would like to be treated, also being authentic as much as possible.
On the other hand, we must also take into account that the client is not us and may not have our same tastes or needs, making it necessary to be flexible and even if we are empathetic, not to mentally merge with him or her.
2. Maintain good customer relations
Another element to take into account is the fact that the client will be much more grateful for good treatment and the presence of kindness (as long as it is not excessive and false) and cordiality in treatment. In general an optimistic and positive tone is recommended focused on advantages and positive aspects and not only of the product but also of the interaction itself.
Even in cases where the customer goes overboard and goes into detail on aspects that are not relevant to the transaction itself (something common in many customer service calls), you cannot be rude and proclaim that your life does not matter to us. and simply stop attending to it: in that case we would have to redirect the situation by directing the conversation towards the aspects that interest us or leading to the end of the contact but always maintaining cordiality.
3. The customer is always important
They say that the customer is always right. Although this is not necessarily true, what is important to us is that the client must always be important to us: before the sale in order to know their needs and provide them with what they need, during the performance of the service or sale and after they have been used. services or purchased goods, in order to assess your satisfaction (something that can allow us to improve our product), correct and address possible complaints and incidents and help you get a good impression of us and the institution we represent.
It is about making the client feel valued above all else and not being seen simply as someone who pays us and who ceases to be of interest to us after that, but as a complete and valuable person in and of himself and whose well-being interests us. In this sense, it may be necessary to restructure the vision of the user or client that many professionals have regarding their relationship with users. Furthermore, secondarily, this can build loyalty and even create a good image of our business that can generate even more customers.
An endless message or one that does not make clear what it is intended for or what it can be useful for is a bad message: The information must always be clear and as concise as possible , highlighting the main elements without being redundant and not giving rise to confusion or different interpretations. Furthermore, a concise message is more easily retainable and interesting than a long one, making it necessary to reduce as much as possible (although without going overboard) the content of the message that we want to try to get across.
5. It’s not just words that matter
Many customer service services focus a lot on the oral message they transmit to the user or client, but the truth is that when it comes to offering a good service and making our message credible, it is essential to keep in mind that everything we do is communicative. .
That is to say, not only do we have to monitor the message but we also have to take into account that our gestures accompany and enhance it, the gaze, the posture and even the physical distance that we put with the subject (which should not be too little and be invasive). nor excessive resulting distant). Our tone of voice, the formality or informality used is also very relevant or the volume we use, among others. Likewise, not only us but also what the business or company does as an institution is relevant: how it behaves in general with customers, the reliability of its services…
6. Security and trust are key
Uncertainty and doubt are a big obstacle when it comes to maintaining a business. We must project an image of strength, security and reliability that must be based on a performance that is up to par and well planned and executed. We also have to be able to offer and defend our product as something of great quality and usefulness, knowing its advantages and disadvantages.
However, Do not confuse security with arrogance and obstinacy having to be able to be flexible when the situation requires it and be able to accept and learn from possible mistakes.
7. Offer solutions and prepare
Another aspect of great relevance comes from the fact that when a client or user comes to us or our business, they do so expecting a quick and valid response. It is very important to be prepared and have an action plan in order to be able to solve possible problems that may arise with our product or service. decisively evaluating different alternatives
8. Persuade but without harassing
Probably many of you reading these lines have found yourself on more than one occasion answering phone calls from companies that continue trying to contact you and convince you over and over again of the advantages of their services.
This type of behavior can harass the potential client, generating their anger and repulsion even to the point that they reject offers that under normal conditions could be interesting. When we are in front of a client We must try to be persuasive, but not become tiresome
9. Personalize
Closely linked to the previous point we find that it is often They use slogans and texts that are learned by heart and quoted verbatim (especially if the message is long), something easily perceptible by the potential user and that usually generates a quick mental disconnection and disinterest on their part regarding what is being said.
This is why it is very important to personalize the message that is offered to each user. Obviously we can and will need to tell him or her about the characteristics of the product, but first we must make them meaningful to him or her.
