When it comes to customer service, quality is what every business should focus on first and foremost. However, a key component of great customer service is developing routines and strategies that improve the overall efficiency.
Here are 3 keys to consider to help improve the efficiency of your business.
#1. Speed
One of the key aspects of good customer service is speed. It is important to both customers (who want solutions to their problems as fast as possible), and the business itself (who wants issues resolved quickly because every minute spent on a problem is costing them money). It is a good idea to experiment with different routines in order to achieve the best possible response times without sacrificing anything in quality. Do it right and it will lead to both higher customer satisfaction and a lower cost per issue for your business.
#2. Automation
Another important part is automation. The more that can be processed automatically, the faster the service will be for the customer, and the easier it will be for the business. However, automating every little part of the whole customer service process may actually not be the optimal way to do things. Some issues cannot be handled properly with automation; meaning that if you take away the ability for customers to easily get in touch with a live person, it may cause much confusion and frustration among them. So, know when to automate and when not to.
#3. Statistics
It is also important to try to build statistics over the most common issues and complaints customers reach out to you with, in order to build out efficient routines for them. Most businesses have a pretty good idea about why the majority of customers contact them, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to construct efficient routines for those situations. Keep in mind though that there needs to be some flexibility built into the routines, as while many situations might be similar, there will still often be little details that differ between them. If you’re trying to squeeze all of those situations into the same rigid routine, you may end up with a situation where no issue is optimally resolved and no customer is entirely satisfied.
[tweetthis]3 keys to develop strategies that improve efficiency for great #CustomerService[/tweetthis]
These are just a few things to keep in mind when trying to increase the efficiency of your customer service. The most important thing is to keep improving and trying new things. Also, never be afraid to ask your customers what they think – after all, they’re the ones that are going to use your customer service.
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What are ways you improve your efficiency to create a better customer service experience?
Deidra Miller
Administrative and Marketing Consultant
