Customer support departments hold the faith of any company in the palm of their hands. One wrong move on the part of the agent can cost your company a lot, not only in the form of money but reputation as well. A consumer can overlook a mistake that occurred with the services they have a subscription to, but when it comes to customer service, it can turn the whole game around and they might even reconsider doing business with you.
According to Salesforce research, 78% of customers will continue doing business with a company, if the customer support is excellent, even if they encounter a mistake on the part of other services. This goes to show the significance of this highly integral department of any company.
Therefore, we have compiled a list of some of the biggest mistakes your company should avoid in customer service. So, without taking up much of your time, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Mistake 1: Failing to Understand the Needs of Customers
One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is either failing to understand or constructing misjudgments about the needs of customers. As a company, it is your responsibility to cater to the needs of your customers. According to a study by Qualtrics XM Institute, almost 90% of customers trust a brand that takes care of the needs of its consumers. As a result, they rate them as “very good”.
For this, you can take pointers from a telecom company called Optimum. Its commendable internet, cable TV, and phone services are one thing, but the customer support department takes its reputation up a notch. This company not only offers support to English speakers but also understands the needs of its non-native speakers. A person of Hispanic descent can contact the CS department of Optimum en Español and get all their queries answered in their native language.
By evaluating and understanding the needs of your customers and providing your services as per their demands, you can avoid losing a large demographic of target consumers.
Mistake 2: Waiting in Line
Do you know what puts off the customers the most? Making them wait in line for so long. Put yourself in their shoes – in the current times, people don’t have enough time on their hands to call customer support let alone wait in lines to get their queries answered. It comes across as unprofessional on your part.
If your company is guilty of doing this, then you need to find out the core reason for it. Hiring more people should do the job, however, if you continue getting this particular complaint, then you need to talk to your sales agent about it.
Mistake 3: Absence of Empathy and Compassion
Adding a human touch can go a long mile. The absence of empathy and compassion can tarnish your brand image more than you can imagine. 12.5% of customers identify this as a common mistake they observe generally in customer support departments.
This does not only make the customers lose faith in your company but it can also escalate the issue since the tone and words of agents can infuriate them. Showing the customers you understand where they are coming from and what they must be feeling can only help you in building a strong relationship with them.
Mistake 4: Not Asking Questions
The agents need to understand that customers don’t always know what kind of problem they have encountered, it is the job of an agent to go deeper and pinpoint the issue. Asking questions in simpler terms can help you with it. It also shows that you are working to resolve their problems.
To understand the issue, you must listen to them actively, give them room to express themselves, and then ask the questions necessary to find out the issues and come up with a solution. It helps you uncover the information needed to deliver the right kind of service. Moreover, it can give you clarity on the issue in question and enables you in solving them more efficiently.
Mistake 5: Not Delivering What You Promise
Don’t make promises you cannot keep, this statement not only helps you in life in general but in customer support as well. Making promises only to fail to deliver them looks highly unprofessional. It can put the reputation of your company in jeopardy. More often than you might realize, agents take this thing lightly by promising the customers something your company does not offer.
It is, however, better to over-deliver something, than to not deliver something you promise the customers with. Always remember, customers, remember everything you tell them – every offer you make. This is why the agent should be mindful and say things that align with the company’s policies.
The Bottom Line
To err is human but when it comes to customer support, one error or one mistake can cost you more than you can imagine. This is why it is better to avoid any mistake that can put your brand in a bad light.
To do this, check out the mistakes we have mentioned above and make a mental note not to commit them in any case. This way, you can build a robust CS department.