In any business, customer service is the key element. It can make or break a company. And when it comes to customer service, the pressure is on the team members responsible for providing it.
Unfortunately, this pressure can make team members feel overwhelmed and stressed out. This can result in poor customer service, making customers dissatisfied with the company. You can implement several things as a business owner or manager to help reduce the pressure on your customer service team and ensure that they can provide quality service to your customers.
By reducing the pressure on your customer service team, you’re making their job more accessible and improving the quality of customer service that your company provides. Here are a few tips to help reduce the pressure on your customer service team:
1. Improve your product shipping process
Make sure your products are shipped correctly and on time. This will reduce the number of customer service inquiries related to shipping issues. The benefits are twofold: your customers will be happy to receive their products on time, and your customer service team won’t have to deal with as many shipping-related inquiries.
Many companies offer these types of services. For example, kitting services by Rakuten work by physically bundling products. By selecting one kitted SKU rather than several individual SKUs, fulfillment expenses may be reduced, and efficiency improved. This can also help eliminate human error in choosing the products because a kit with many components is already prepackaged, making it less likely for workers to pick the wrong thing.
2. Have a clear returns policy
Make sure your return policy is concise, clear, and easy to understand. This will reduce the number of customer service inquiries related to returns. Customers should be able to find all the information they need quickly on your website or in your store. If your return policy is unclear, customers will be more likely to contact customer service with questions, which can lead to frustration.
Hire a lawyer or returns specialist to help develop a clear and concise returns policy. You can also use a service like Shipstation to automate your returns process. This can help you save time and money by reducing the manual steps involved in processing a return.
Invest in a quality returns management system to automate the process and make it easier for your customers and customer service team. A sound returns management system will streamline the process and make it easier for everyone involved.
3. Use the live chat
Offer live chat on your website or in your store. This will allow customers to get their questions answered quickly and easily, without waiting for a customer service representative to become available. Live chat can reduce the number of customer service inquiries and the time spent on each query.
Many live chat software options are available, such as Zopim and SnapEngage. Some platforms, like Shopify, even offer live chat as a built-in feature.
Live chat may seem unnecessary, but it can make a big difference for your customer service team. It can reduce the number of inquiries they have to deal with and the amount of time spent on each question.
4. Set up an FAQ page
An FAQ page can be an excellent resource for your customers and customer service team. It can answer common customer questions, reducing the number of customer service inquiries overall. An FAQ page can also save your customer service team time by providing them with a resource to refer to when answering questions.
When setting up an FAQ page, cover all the basics. Include information on your product, shipping, returns, and anything else that might be relevant to your customers. You can even include a visible link button to your FAQ page in your live chat software so customers can easily find the answers they need.
The bigger your FAQ page is, the more helpful it will be for your customers and customer service team. But don’t forget that you should always add to it over time. Start with the basics, and then add more as you go.
5. Offer self-service options
Self-service options have a few great options, such as a knowledge base or online chatbot, which can significantly reduce the number of customer service inquiries. These options allow customers to find answers to their questions independently without waiting for a customer service representative to become available. This can save a lot of your customer service team time and frustration and make your customers happy by providing them with a quick and easy way to get the information they need.
Many different self-service options are available, such as Zendesk’s knowledge base and chatbot. You can also use a service like Shipstation to automate your returns process. This can help you save time and money by reducing the manual steps involved in processing a return.
6. Train your employees
Ensure all your employees are adequately trained on your products and services. This will reduce the number of customer service inquiries overall and make it easier for your customer service team to answer questions when they come in. Proper training can also help you avoid negative reviews and social media posts by ensuring that your employees provide excellent customer service.
There are many different approaches to employee training, such as online courses, in-person training, and even video tutorials. You can also create a training manual or FAQ page for your employees to reference when they have questions.
Proper employee training is essential for providing excellent customer service. It can reduce the number of customer service inquiries overall and make it easier for your customer service team to answer questions when they come in.
There you have it! These are just a few ways to reduce the number of customer service inquiries you receive. Implementing these tips can improve your customer service process and make your customers happy.
Love this list of tips and for me tip 6 ‘Train your employees’ is key.
It’s all too common for businesses to put some of their young, trainees or inexperienced operatives in Customer Service roles.
Customer Service is easy right?
It’s a great training ground?
What’s the risk?
Well, THE RISK…is HUGE!
There’s the risk of upsetting and losing customers as they are not handled correctly AND probably worse still
there’s the risk of failure to the employee – putting them in situations they are not equipped for.
It’s about time that ALL businesses showed their front-line agents
they care about them as much as retaining customers and profits.
Guide them
Coach them
Invest in training for them
…don’t just fill a role and throw them in at the deep end, hoping they’ll figure it out for themselves.
They won’t!
– and you’ll probably lose some customers along the way.