Providing high-quality timely assistance is vital for client satisfaction. As stated in the research by Bain & Company, more than 80% of businesses can grow their revenue if they prioritize customer support.
With the rising popularity of social media and diverse messengers, customer service has evolved from conventional phone calls to proactive omnichannel communication. Now, clients can get in touch with their favorite brands using a website chat form or dropping a line via a social media platform. So, what should your company undertake to succeed?
By using various customer support tools and following the best practices, you can give rapid solutions to clients’ queries, boost conversion rates, and let your visitors have the experience they deserve. If you offer amazing customer service and adopt an individual approach to every user, your marketing strategy is about to make much headway.
Now, we’ve just scratched the surface. Let’s shed more light on surefire customer service methods that may come in handy for a thriving business.
Smart strategies on how to increase sales with customer service
#1 Fine-tune your live chat software
When a user lands on your website, they wait for professional support. Consider including contact center technology to assist you in customer happiness If you provide them with well-thought-out help, it’s the first step to converting random visitors into valuable customers. This can do wonders as people will feel they’re important and that you care about them. As a result, you can boost customer engagement and push up sales.
Incorporate some cutting-edge live chat tools into your website or mobile app and follow these unique tactics:
- Personalize your online interactions. Users prefer talking to a real person as chatbots can be annoying. Even if you use chatbots, add a human touch to your workflow as this is one of the sales improvement secrets. On the other hand, live chat outsourcing agents are the face of your brand, so make sure it looks flawless. Train your staff hard and explain effective communication skills.
- Be proactive. Don’t wait for your prospect to click a button: start chatting before your visitors decide they want to talk. Lead the way every time they’re about to abandon their cart or leave a website. For that, you can set up a custom proactive chat invitation on any page to encourage customers to start a conversation with your support team.
- Drive prospects in real-time. The rule of thumb is that response time matters when it comes to customer retention. With live chat, your clients can also multi-task: browse your website when a support rep is preparing for a talk. Besides, you can determine business hours so that your staff can cater to clients’ needs when they want it. All in all, 44% of customers appreciate a real-time conversation with a qualified live rep.
- Customize your live chat interface. No one expects to talk to a no-name expert in a run-of-the-mill chatbox. It’s time to show your creativity: tweak the colors of your live chat widget to make it fit your brand identity, add customer support team pics for a real human connection, and customize messages to match your communication style.
#2 Hone your customer support team skills
Apart from choosing the best help desk tool for your projects, you should pay attention to your team. Who can imagine a successful customer support rep without strong soft skills? A help desk specialist should obtain a set of essential skills to manage clients’ needs to the best extent:
- Patience and empathy. Negative feedback happens, and there’s no way to get rid of it for good. However, you can take advantage of it instead. By addressing your clients’ complaints, you show respect and commitment. Mention your client’s name, say thank you, express your understanding of the concern, and tell you will do your best to handle the issue. With a little effort, you can create a reputation for your business as one that cares, which is great for your growth potential. It’s that simple!
- Time management. Users appreciate it when a customer support rep sees the root of their problem and knows how to handle it as fast as possible. At the same time, your staff has to keep time management skills. Don’t spend too much time serving one client while the others are waiting. Prioritize goals to gain the right balance.
- Flexibility. Every client is different, and some may change the mood week after week. Your staff should be able to cope with surprises, sense the client’s temper, and react accordingly. Besides, it’s about a wish to constantly learn – providing stellar customer service is a continuous educational process.
- Confidence. Confident employees are the reflection of a company. They can improve your brand’s credibility and build trust. Clients will have faith they’re given the right problem-solving measure in the long run. Internal communication on how to solve customers’ issues can help develop such a feeling. For that, arrange weekly meetings on conflict situation settling.
#3 Change customer advocacy into referrals
More than two-thirds of clients (68%) claimed that a pleasant agent was key to their positive service experiences. If clients are happy with your product, and mainly the support you provide, they will refer your brand to friends and colleagues.
Figure out what works for your company best using these amazing methods to increase sales:
- Reward loyal customers with discounts, exclusive offers, or loyalty programs;
- Engage customers to follow your company on social media, so they’re more inclined to mention or share your content;
- Create refer-a-friend loyalty programs and let your customer support direct your visitors there;
- Ask your happy long-standing clients to leave their frank reviews of your products.
Spreading the word is the core of referral marketing. Some companies often neglect it, which affects their sales. Thus, if your customer service is outstanding, why don’t you let clients speak about it and enjoy a massive boost in your revenue?
#4 Consider cross-selling
If you’re still racking your brains on how to improve sales through customer service, a cross-selling technique may not go amiss. This practice is about offering new items or services together with those a customer was initially interested in. For instance, if users purchase a phone and a sales agent encourages them to go along with headphones or a case, that’s cross-selling. The more products you suggest, the more deals you close. But there’s another side of the coin.
Clients may be annoyed and unsatisfied with something. In this case, cross-selling may play a trick. It’s customer support reps who spot clients’ demands as they interact with them every day. They know better if it’s appropriate to offer something more. A well-trained agent should sense the customers’ unmet needs and serve them without selling products a client doesn’t want.
#5 Showcase positive customer feedback
Modern social media rests upon clients’ thoughts about products or services. In other words, your satisfied visitors can give you one of the most valuable marketing instruments – customer testimonials.
Pleased users make a bigger difference for your marketing efforts than even the best-written landing page because they can share their feedback. So, take the trouble to collect and then showcase positive, sincere reviews about how wonderful your company is. They may be posted on a landing page, customer support section, or wherever you think it’s necessary. Always show feedback from real people or industry experts otherwise your brand might lose all credibility.
#6 Work out user onboarding tools
Driving new customers is a tough nut to crack. Today’s digital industry is brimming with technologies created to streamline customer sign-up success. Usually, they help empower prospects with effective self-service tools.
The process of transforming new sign-ups into loyal customers, also known as onboarding, highlights your business value, educates users, and guides through your website or app features. Check out some full-fledged user onboarding tools that can boost customer experience, retain more clients, reduce support costs, and increase revenue.
However, customer service plays a crucial role in the onboarding process. Encourage your reps to assist people proactively at different tool installation stages, check at what phases clients face most challenges, and contact them first. Otherwise, they’ll leave your tools behind and cross over to your competitor.
#7 Send holiday and birthday messages
The biggest chance to stand out from the rest of the customer service teams is sending your clients customized complimentary emails or cards. Offer them a small gift with their next purchase or a discount a week before and after the holiday. For that, you can use a variety of special customer service apps, such as Happy Birthday Email, for instance. It collects your clients’ emails and automizes the whole process. If you wish a customer a nice day or a merry holiday season, it can go a long way as they feel valued.
#8 Design an in-depth FAQ section
Along with proactive customer support, create a detailed FAQ page. In fact, 40% of shoppers prefer self-service to communication with agents. A thorough written FAQ section can motivate your clients to anticipate their needs before they ask for help. Look through the best practices a FAQ page should include:
- Give additional information about your company – let your clients get to know your business better;
- Cover common support questions – save your customers’ time by analyzing some issues based on your client experience;
- Keep your answers simple – don’t make your customers misunderstand you avoiding buzzwords and jargon.
Wrap it up
Nowadays, the quality of service you give may have considerable influence on your brand’s image. So, customer service is your surefire way to happy clients who are ready to leave their feedback and recommend your company to friends. All that’s needed is high-quality, proactive, and timely support. Consider building bridges between clients and a customer service department as it can lead to sought-after success. That’s why it’s better to invest in your support team first and revel in financial return after.
Author’s bio:
Lidia Bondarenko
Lidia is a PR and outreach specialist at HelpCrunch, an all-in-one customer communication platform. Her professional experience encompasses customer service improvement, social media marketing, and SEO. Her free time she spends searching for new marketing trends and TV shows and practicing yoga. Follow her on Twitter @Liya_Bondarenko.
