• by Ananth Satluri

How To Develop a Successful Customer Service Strategy

Customer service organizations usually rely on multiple channels to build and nurture strong customer relationships. When trying to effectively satisfy their customers’ demands, these firms may fall short. Often, poor customer service may be to blame. A good customer service strategy is an elaborate plan to effectively handle your customer interactions and boost the customer experience.
 

The ripple effect of a good customer experience results in a bigger and more loyal customer base. Increased customer loyalty means the firm can get referrals and get more business. In light of the potential benefits of a good customer service strategy, every firm should strive to create one. We shall highlight the best practices a firm should observe to create a good customer service strategy!

Your Customer Service Strategy Should Be Customer-Centric

A successful customer service strategy should place a lot of focus on customer happiness. A “customer-first” mindset creates an environment where teams perform better at their jobs. A situation where every team member works with the customer experience in mind means that a firm can offer high levels of customer service. Also, a customer-centric approach gives a firm the capacity to remove organizational silos. It means that information can flow quickly between the customer support team and other teams in the firm. Customer service delivery, therefore, becomes more efficient and thorough.
 

Assume a scenario where a customer has complained about a company’s product packaging or the speed of its delivery services. A customer-driven strategy ensures you avoid such situations in the future because you get their feedback faster and can respond even faster.   

1. Your customer service strategy should identify all customer touchpoints.

To identify all your customer touchpoints, you need to analyze all your customer interactions effectively. For example, you can:

• Establish the amount of time it takes for customers to contact you after purchasing products from you.
• Establish how frequently these customers contact you.
• Identify the platforms they use to reach you.
• Identify the most recurring queries.
   

A firm can benefit massively from the insight resulting from the above queries in the following ways:

• It can improve its products or services to reduce customer complaints.
• The firm can predict customer needs and allocate sufficient resources to satisfy their needs.
• The firm can minimize customer churn and boost its lifetime value.

A firm puts itself in a good position to match and exceed customer expectations.

2. The best customer service strategy should identify customer service KPIs to monitor

Your customer service strategy should explicitly identify the Key Performance Indicators you should track and improve. A firm can therefore meet its goals faster. Meeting these KPIs shows that your customer service strategy is effective.

Some of the best Key Performance Indicators a firm can choose to analyze include:  

• Customer satisfaction score (CSAT) measures the overall customer happiness
• Net promoter score (NPS) that shows the power of its referrals
• First response time that measures the duration your customers are on hold
• First contact resolution is a measure that estimates how many customers have to contact the firm/organization/business more than once to get a solution for their problems
• Customer retention rate measures the level of customer loyalty your clients have for your products and services.

3. Your customer service strategy should come with a great customer service toolkit.

A good customer service toolkit comprises competent customer service and multiple channels to access the firm. Customers usually like a situation where their concerns can be addressed the first time that they raise them. Therefore, a firm or business has little margin to err when it comes to offering the best customer support to your customers.

On top of their competency, the support team should provide cutting-edge tools and technologies that comprise help desk software and VoIP. A VoIP phone system can help the firm manage an extremely demanding omnichannel environment more efficiently. Phone support, live chat, and email will also come in handy.

4. Your customer service strategy should comprise a consistent feedback loop.

Having a reliable customer feedback loop is crucial as it means that you can keep improving the efficiency level that you serve your customers. Your feedback collection strategy comprises the feedback from your customers to your customer service reps and the input from your customer service reps to you.
 

A good customer service strategy will require you to listen to your customers through different channels, including surveys, polls, social media, etc. Information from the customer service representatives regarding how they interact and serve the clients can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your customer service strategy and take the most appropriate actions.

Final Take Away

A good customer service strategy should be one of the key areas in which firms heavily invest their resources. In today’s digital era, merely offering good services will not guarantee a firm an easy path to success. The best customer service strategy will help an organization build greater customer loyalty, get referrals, generate more revenues, and boost its brand image. Follow these best practices to create the best customer service strategy that will take your firm to the next level!