Customer service is the backbone of any successful enterprise. It affects everything from your business reputation and brand loyalty to repeat purchases, retention rates, and overall profitability. Despite the various communication channels available today, many customers still prefer email when it comes to addressing queries, questions, and concerns.
Whether you manage the constant flow of emails on your own or with a team, it can be easy to forget that there’s another human being on the other end, waiting for a response and solution. Regardless of what kind of support a customer requires, the way you deliver and execute it can make or break your business.
So, how do you connect with your customers on a personal level, solve their issues in record time, and still maintain overall productivity? Our expert author, Alex Lysak of Scanteam, has compiled five top tips for better and faster support management. Check them out below.
1. Take Advantage of Automation Tools
Speed is just one facet of support management, but it’s vital, especially considering that 96% of customers will leave a company for bad service. When someone sends an email to customer service, they want answers, reassurance that their issue has been acknowledged, and that a resolution is on its way.
Automated emails are crucial for acknowledgment, whereas canned replies are pre-populated messages. They can be customized to address common queries and answer frequently asked questions. Tailored customer service email response examples can also save support teams a significant amount of time. Here are some popular automation tools you can benefit from:
- Help desk software to centralize email and other support
- A ticketing system to manage queries efficiently
- Email templates to automate common responses
- Customer satisfaction survey templates to gauge brand sentiment
- Analytics tools to analyze and improve performance
- Self-service portals and knowledge bases to improve the customer experience
2. Communicate Like a Human, Not a Business
While there’s no doubt that automation is useful, it shouldn’t replace one-on-one human interaction. People want to feel seen and heard, especially in the consumer-driven landscape of today. According to Statista, up to 96% of industry professionals incorporate personalization tactics into their marketing strategies. The primary benefits include increased conversion rates, higher visitor engagement, and improved customer service.
The data also revealed that consumers value and expect personalization now more than ever. Why? It shows customers that you genuinely care about their issues and value their business. This, in turn, helps build trust and brand loyalty.
Therefore, framing support service emails as a conversation between people instead of a transaction between a client and a business is crucial. Some helpful tips include:
- Using your customer’s name at the beginning and end of every email
- Adding a profile picture to your emails so customers can see who they’re talking to
- Adopting natural language and a friendly, conversational tone
3. Stick to the Point and Keep it Simple
When clients need assistance with an issue, they don’t want a long, complicated trail of back-and-forth emails. Address their concerns in a concise manner and avoid using overly technical terms. If you need to include extensive information in an email, rather add a link to your website where they’ll find such information.
Incorporate helpful images and step-by-step instructions where required, but remember to keep it simple and to the point. As a general rule of thumb, a common query that requires more than three steps and pictures should be available in a knowledge base. Even basic instructions on how to email customer service, redeem a coupon, or complete a transaction can improve customer service and reduce tedious communication for your clients.
4. Be Consistent and Incorporate a Style Guide
Excellent customer service is defined by consistency and problem-solving. Poorly written emails, incongruous formatting, and an erratic tone may leave a long-lasting bad impression.
You can negate these issues and improve efficiency by incorporating a style guide for your team. Agree on the processes, rules, and reference points, and consider the following elements:
- Voice, tone, and personalization
- Structure and language
- Images and how-to videos
5. Always Thank Your Customers
Whether it concerns a booking, customer service email, product, or query, always thank your clients for reaching out. Some people don’t even bother with contacting a business once they’ve encountered an issue. The ones that do are giving you a golden opportunity to identify, address, and resolve problems or issues you may not have been aware of. Whenever a customer puts the time and effort into contacting your business, make sure you convey your gratitude and appreciation. This can help strengthen trust and build long-term loyalty too.
The Bottom Line
A customer-centric approach is crucial to any business, even more so when it comes to supporting management. If you want to boost productivity, streamline communication, and reduce response time, remember to:
- Use automation tools
- Adopt human language
- Keep it simple
- Be consistent
- Thank your customers
With the above tips, you can implement faster and better support management while ensuring the best possible customer experience.
