What is Customer Service?

Customer service is a set of human, technological and organizational means that aim to meet customer needs before, during, and after the act of purchase. This term can also designate the division of the company which is in charge of the relationship and customer care. Either way, the goal of customer service is to maximize consumer satisfaction and enable them to have positive experiences with the company, the brand, and its products.

The nature of customer service activities may vary depending on the company’s industry. While some will focus on pre-sale relationship management and intelligence, others will play an assistance role or an after-sales service and support role.

Difference Between Customer Service and Support

While these two concepts generally go hand in hand and are complementary, assistance and customer service are two very different things. Support is sort of a branch of customer service.

If customer service refers to all interactions with consumers aimed at improving their experiences and relationships, support is only part of the answer to these issues.

Assistance (also called support) helps individuals optimize their use of and relationship with the company’s products. Its purpose is to understand the problems encountered by buyers or prospects and to resolve them to facilitate their relationship with the offer.

The quality of the customer relationship has never been so important

We live in an experience-based economy. Business challenges are changing. Customers now expect product and service offerings that meet their needs as well as high-quality experiences.

Time and time again, studies have shown that people are willing to pay more for better experiences and that many buyers turn away from a company following a bad experience.

Moreover, every interaction a consumer has with your company strengthens, or conversely, ruins their loyalty to your brand. In other words, good customer service skills and quality customer care are essential to ensure the success of your business in a sustainable way.

Despite these proven facts, even today, many companies do not allocate enough resources to customer service. American companies lose an average of $62 billion a year due to poor customer service This argument alone should convince you to maximize your CX and your organization’s customer care.

But then how? The answer is simple: by developing the skills of your customer service members and improving your management of this part of the company.

10 tips for developing the skills of customer service staff 

The call center, after-sales service (SAV), and customer care team personnel who are directly in contact with customers, whatever the communication channel used (chat, telephone calls, email, networks social, or face-to-face) represents the company in the eyes of consumers. It is therefore essential that the responses that these employees provide to customer questions or complaints are qualitative.

If you are part of a customer relations service, follow these tips to optimize the satisfaction and experience of the individuals with whom you are in contact:

• Practice active listening
• Learn to empathize with customers
• Use positive language
• Improve your technical knowledge
• Develop the expertise of your offer
• Look for common ground
• Communicate clearly
• Be solution-oriented and advice-oriented
• Admit your mistakes
• Be proactive

Whether you are a small or a large business, you owe it to yourself to provide quality customer service. Whether it’s customer support or customer care, EmpireOne Contact Center can help you turn every contact into an acquisition or retention opportunity.