How to handle customers effectively and efficiently

By handling customers effectively and efficiently you’re delivering excellent customer service, which will have massive benefits for your company, such as powerful word of mouth marketing. This cannot be underestimated. Traditional advertising can be effective, but nothing is as likely to lead to a sale than a recommendation from a trusted friend.

To achieve this consider the following points:

Be available on many channels

One of the key points to consider is availability; it’s really frustrating for customers who struggle to find ways to get in touch. Some websites hide their telephone number, their email address, and don’t have any presence on alternative channels, such as social media. Failure to provide points of contact really is an opportunity missed. The more frequently we engage our customers, the more we build our brand and the loyalty associated with it.

Regardless of whether feedback is positive or negative, it’s always important to understand customers’ thoughts. If you are unapproachable then you could be missing out on information that can help shape your business and develop it further.

A simple call from a customer can help to get straight to the point, and the customer receives an instant response, or is given a time frame in which someone will get back to them. If your company does not display a phone number, it could have negative implications for your customer service. Similarly if you don’t have a contact email address, or you have one and fail to respond in an adequate time frame, it can create a bad customer experience.

With developments in technology you can now get a professional Internet phone service at an affordable price, so there is no excuse not to provide a number.

Increased use of social media means news travels fast – especially bad news! Therefore it’s important to be active and deal with any customer complaints or issues as they arise. Failing to stay on top of things and deal with negative word of mouth could dent your company’s reputation. Spending a small time responding to queries could have massive benefits for your customer service reputation.

Choose a suitable support ticket system

If you provide an online service, in order to manage customer service effectively you need a good ticketing system. This allows your team to receive emails and create phone cases for customer queries, and delegate them to the relevant individual or team.

This helps keep things in order, and allows you to track any updates that may have happened on the ticket. It stops multiple responses to the same person and also shows which cases need working on.

Offer quick response times

Customers also get frustrated with long response times, as it seems you are too small to handle the demand, or too busy doing other things rather than helping them. Try to offer excellent response times, as customers will waste less of their time waiting for a solution, especially if your company is responsible for the issue.

Aim to answer calls as soon as possible and try to reduce overall wait times.

Measure email response times, and the time it takes to close cases.

Respond to good and bad feedback

It’s important to keep on top of feedback, whether good or bad, and respond accordingly. If someone’s taken the time out to praise your product or service then it would be nice to show your appreciation and build on that relationship with the customer.

Negative feedback can be harmful for your business. Try to get to the bottom of it and find a resolution that will send the customer away happy. Trying to get to the root of the problem, and making an effort to resolve the issue, often diffuses the situation, and shows any spectators on social media that you take your customers satisfaction seriously.

A happy client that receives excellent customer service is more likely to talk about their fantastic experiences and promote your company for free. They will also remain loyal to the brand and continue to support your business.