What is good customer service?
Excellent customer service includes the following elements:
- The service is friendly and consistent, regardless of the customer service representative.
- The customer feels heard and understood and knows what will happen next.
- The matter is resolved in a single contact.
- Listening to hold music is kept to a minimum.
- There is something in the interaction that exceeds the customer’s expectations.
The excellence of customer service should always be measured from the customer’s perspective. Only after that should internal goals and needs be considered.
Think, “What does good customer service mean to me?” or “How would I want my mother, father, or grandmother, grandfather to be served?”
What does customer experience mean?
Customer experience is, as the name suggests, the customer’s experience. It refers to practically all interactions between the customer and the company during the customer journey.
The importance of customer service in creating the customer experience is extremely significant. Customer service can save the customer experience if it has been weaker elsewhere. On the other hand, customer service can also ruin an otherwise excellent experience.
This is why it is important to create a model for customer interactions that clarifies to everyone what is expected from customer interactions and why. By focusing on certain key actions, it is possible to not only meet and exceed customer expectations, but also achieve the company’s internal goals.
How to set clear goals for customer interactions?
The best way is to create a Customer Interaction Model.
In the Customer Interaction Model, the company’s goals for customer interactions and the practical, concrete means to achieve those goals can be defined if desired.
When everyone is clear on what is expected from customer interactions, clearer expectations for customer experience outcomes can also be set. At this point, internal quality assurance should also begin, enabling the evaluation of practical actions and coaching them to align with both company and customer expectations.
This ensures that customer interactions are consistent, regardless of the customer service representative. It guarantees that the customer receives excellent service in a way that also supports the achievement of the company’s goals.
Measuring the customer experience also becomes significantly easier when customers provide feedback based on the customer interaction model, rather than the individual service representative.
What is good customer service?
- The customer can quickly reach a human when desired.
- The service is friendly and consistent, regardless of the customer service representative.
- The customer feels heard and understood.
- The customer is kept informed about what is happening.
- The issue is resolved in the first contact.
- The company’s internal goals are aligned with delivering excellent customer experiences.
