How to Provide Excellent Customer Support

Customer service and support is a key ingredient for any business. The following offers steps for providing excellent support to your customers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A little patience!

1. Respond to client complaints/requests in a timely manner! You may receive correspondence from customers in a number of ways; such as phone, e-mail, or fax. Always try to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible, even if it is just to let the customer know that his/her correspondence has been received and is in the process of being reviewed. If you wait too long to respond, the customer may feel ignored or come to believe that your company’s customer service level is poor.
2. Be courteous and professional! In the customer service industry, your goal is to make sure that the customer feels at ease and to ensure him/her that you will do what you can to help. Always speak to the customer is a friendly manner. You may find that you need to be consciously aware of your tone. Believe it or not, people can hear your mood through the tone of your voice. To help improve your customer support voice, you can try little adjustments; such as smiling and maintaining good posture.
3. Match the customer’s level of knowledge! This is particularly useful if you work in a technical support environment. When a customer calls, he/she may not have a great deal of knowledge about the issue. As a result, the customer may not understand what you are saying if you use acronyms or lingo associated with your field. For example, instead of saying “Try making sure that the CAT-5 cable is plugged in securely”, say “Make sure the cable that connects from the modem to your computer is plugged in securely”.
4. Listen to what the customer has to say! Don’t interrupt the customer as this could offender him/her and give your department a negative image. Also, do not make assumptions about what the customer is trying to explain to you. If you assume to know what the issue is before the customer has finished explaining the problem, you may overlook an important detail that could delay resolution. Good listening skills can improve customer satisfaction tremendously.
5. Never make the customer feel inadequate! Stay away from comments that are accusatory or could make the customer feel ignorant, even if the customer caused the problem. For example, don’t say something like “you are experiencing this issue because you did this” or “that was the wrong thing to do”. Instead, walk the customer through resolving the issue and then provide tips. You could say something like “next time, try doing it this way as it can help you to avoid this problem in the future”.
6. Keep your cool with irate customers! Sometimes a customer may become extremely frustrated because something has gone wrong, so don’t take his/her anger personally. Instead, allow the customer to speak, empathize with the customer, and offer solutions. This does not mean, however, that you should allow abusive language. If the customer directs his/her anger towards you and becomes foul or threatening, politely (but assertively) inform the customer that you will disconnect the call if he/she doesn’t refrain from such behavior. If he/she refuses to do so, you have every right to hang up.
7. Roughly summarize the complaint/request! By paraphrasing the customer’s request, you assure the customer that you have listened to him/her and that you understand the problem. If you overlooked any details, this will give the customer an opportunity to correct the information you have and provide additional details that may be necessary.
8. Document the complaint/request process! A useful tool for any customer support group is a tracking system (such as a database) that contains all information pertaining to a customer’s call. When you provide support to a customer, document in detail the problem, what steps were taken, and the solution. By doing this, you form a reference guide for you and your fellow support representatives that may assist in resolving a customer’s issues quickly and more effectively should the customer call back at a later time.
9. Provide customers with status updates! Sometimes you may not be able to resolve a customer’s complaint/request immediately. In such a case, try to provide the customer with updates as to the progress of his/her request. This will keep the customer from feeling forgotten or feeling like your department doesn’t consider the request important.
10. Follow up with the client to make sure the complaint/request has been completed! Once you or someone else has resolved a customer’s issue, try to follow up with the customer to make sure everything is running smoothly. After resolution, wait a few days and contact the customer to find out if everything was to the customer’s liking. This gives the impression that your department does care about a customer’s problems and satisfaction.
11. Make use of teamwork! Teamwork can play a very important role in providing customer support. Always try to maintain a good rapport and level of communication with your co-workers as it can assist you with ensuring customer satisfaction. For example, suppose a customer calls because he/she is having difficulty setting up dual monitors. You don’t have a great deal of knowledge on this, but your co-worker Tom is an expert at it. Tom is able to assist the customer and teach you a few things about dual-monitor setup.
12. Remember you are providing an image of the department! You are basically a spokesperson for your group and a good rule of business is to make sure that your department comes off as knowledgeable and dedicated. By doing so, you can increase productivity, sales, and morale.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't break policy just to satisfy a customer!