Your customers’ expectations are increasing. Experts say this is one of the top challenges companies will face in 2023. And in today’s day and age, you might feel overwhelmed by the number of communication channels and platforms with which you must connect with your audiences. How do you figure out the best way to “show up” for your customer base?
In truth, customer service is what makes or breaks a business. It is the foundation for success and growth, something I have experienced first-hand at my company. Prioritizing customer service continues to be the best decision that I have ever made, as our cloud-based solution and, more importantly, our staff, is consistently recognized on a regional and national scale for customer service excellence. Our dedication to the client experience has greatly contributed to our tremendous growth. Below are a few techniques we’ve employed at Rentec Direct, which you can implement at your business too.
Related: The 3 Skills You Need to Build Better Customer Relationships
1. Identify your best communication channels
Communication is how you build trust with your customers. When you respond promptly, customers feel valued and respected. That is why it is critical to identify the proper communication channels that will resonate most with your specific audience.
You may be surprised to see that many customers still want the option to speak to a customer service representative over the phone. Speaking to someone in real-time provides peace of mind and gives the customer your undivided attention to work through issues together.
For some customers, email may be the most convenient option because they can ask a question any time of the day. Chat is also great for one-off requests that don’t require a lot of explanation. It allows customers to get their questions answered in real time, and it’s typically faster than an email response.
At my business, every phone call, email, chat and support ticket is addressed personally, and we guarantee a same-day response if received during business hours. We’ve found this value-add to your customers helps us stand out in a space where competitors place a lower value on personal connection with their clients or charge a premium for in-person contact for customer service support.
Related: 5 Strategies for How to Make Customers Trust Your Brand
2. Empower your employees
Employees are a company’s greatest asset. It is important to offer your employees training and education on your company’s values, products and services and your industry as a whole. They are on the front lines when customers have questions or need information. They are responsible for upholding your brand’s reputation.
When employees are happy and engaged at work and also have the right training and resources, they will be confident to take on any challenge that comes their way. This is how you earn trust with your clients, which builds reputation and loyalty. Every one of my customer service team members has industry-relevant experience in real estate or finance, so they truly understand our client’s needs.
3. Provide educational resources
Your customers will likely have questions during all hours of the day, and perhaps at night too — when your team may not be available. An educational database is helpful to ensure your customers get the information they need.
We offer a variety of educational resources, like video tutorials, webinars, blogs, and other materials for our property manager and landlord clients. Given their busy schedules, they need to be able to access resources on demand. It is a great way to ensure that clients feel supported and have access to important tools outside of business hours.
We also provide free onboarding support to all of our new software clients and share timely real estate news, trends, and advice on our website, blog and in industry publications to spread information and knowledge far and wide.
Related: 12 ways to deliver excellent customer service
4.Give your customers the time they deserve
Customers deserve your undivided attention, no matter the question or situation. It is important to take the time to understand and address your client’s needs versus adhering to traditional cell center metrics, like quotas and call times.
Taking the time to listen to your customers’ needs and preferences gives you the tools and information to identify opportunities for growth and innovation. It can also help you develop new products and services to meet your customers’ needs. Handling all customer support in-house versus directing to a third party has worked well for us because it makes our service faster and more personalized.
Providing excellent customer service is critical for any business that wants to succeed. Focusing your efforts on effective communication, employee training, and resource development can help you achieve your goals. Make it a point to listen to your customer’s needs, and you can improve customer loyalty and drive business growth. Growing a business can be hard work, but if you prioritize and build your business with customer service at the center, you will reap the benefits.
客户的期望值越来越高。专家指出，这将是企业在2023年面临的主要挑战之一。如今，面对琳琅满目的沟通渠道和平台，您或许会感到应接不暇，不知如何才能更好地与客户互动。
事实上，客户服务决定着企业的成败。它是企业成功和发展的基石，这一点我在自己的公司亲身经历过。将客户服务放在首位是我做过的最明智的决定，因为我们的云解决方案，更重要的是，我们的员工，在区域和全国范围内都获得了卓越的客户服务认可。我们对客户体验的专注极大地促进了公司的蓬勃发展。以下是我们在Rentec Direct采用的一些技巧，您也可以在自己的企业中加以运用。
相关阅读：建立更佳客户关系所需的3项技能
1. 确定最佳沟通渠道
沟通是建立客户信任的关键。及时回应客户，会让客户感到被重视和尊重。因此，找到最能引起目标受众共鸣的沟通渠道至关重要。
您或许会惊讶地发现，许多客户仍然希望能够通过电话与客服代表沟通。与真人实时交流能够让客户安心，并让他们获得您的全部关注，从而共同解决问题。
对某些客户而言，电子邮件可能是最便捷的选择，因为他们可以随时提问。聊天也非常适合处理无需过多解释的一次性请求。它允许客户实时获得解答，而且通常比电子邮件回复更快。
在我的公司，每一通电话、每一封邮件、每一次在线聊天和每一个支持工单都由专人处理，我们保证在工作时间内收到的工单都能当天回复。我们发现，这种为客户增值的服务方式，让我们在竞争激烈的市场中脱颖而出。因为竞争对手往往不太重视与客户的沟通，或者对面对面的客户服务支持收取额外费用。
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2. 赋予员工权力
员工是公司最宝贵的资产。为员工提供关于公司价值观、产品和服务以及整个行业的培训和教育至关重要。当客户有疑问或需要信息时，他们是直接接触客户的第一线人员。他们肩负着维护公司品牌声誉的重任。
当员工工作愉快、积极投入，并拥有合适的培训和资源时，他们就能自信地应对任何挑战。这正是赢得客户信任、建立声誉和忠诚度的关键所在。我的客户服务团队的每一位成员都拥有房地产或金融行业的从业经验，因此他们真正了解客户的需求。
3. 提供教育资源
您的客户可能在一天中的任何时间，甚至在夜间（您的团队可能无法提供服务时）都会提出问题。一个教育数据库有助于确保您的客户获得所需的信息。
我们为物业经理和房东客户提供各种教育资源，例如视频教程、网络研讨会、博客和其他资料。考虑到他们繁忙的日程安排，他们需要能够随时获取这些资源。这是一种确保客户感受到支持并在工作时间之外也能获得重要工具的绝佳方式。
我们还为所有新软件客户提供免费的入门支持，并在我们的网站、博客和行业出版物上分享及时的房地产新闻、趋势和建议，以广泛传播信息和知识。
相关内容：提供卓越客户服务的 12 种方法
4.给予客户应有的时间
无论客户提出什么问题或遇到什么情况，他们都应该得到您全心全意的关注。重要的是花时间了解并满足客户的需求，而不是一味地遵循传统的呼叫中心指标，例如配额和通话时长。
花时间倾听客户的需求和偏好，能让你掌握识别增长和创新机会的工具和信息。它还能帮助你开发新产品和服务，以满足客户的需求。我们选择内部处理所有客户支持工作，而不是将其转交给第三方，因为这样能让我们的服务更快捷、更个性化，效果也更好。
对于任何想要成功的企业来说，提供卓越的客户服务都至关重要。将精力集中在有效的沟通、员工培训和资源开发上，可以帮助您实现目标。务必倾听客户的需求，这样才能提高客户忠诚度，推动业务增长。发展业务并非易事，但如果您优先考虑并以客户服务为核心来构建业务，您必将收获丰厚的回报。