Customer service

Customer service is the support the company provides to its clients before, during, and after the transaction. Customer service is designed to ensure a smooth, frictionless experience for the client by resolving issues, answering questions, and closing tickets. Customer service goes beyond hotlines, as most clients now expect instant support via phone, live chat, social media, instant messages, and various other channels. Considering the value customer service generates, most businesses now treat it as a strategic development avenue and promote support agents' role to company advocates or brand ambassadors.

Good customer service metrics and characteristics differ across businesses and niches. However, some parameters are universal. For example, building solid and lasting relationships with clients is a sign of good customer service. The same applies to in-depth product and service knowledge necessary to provide informational support and answer the clients' questions. At the same time, good customer support entails professional and efficient complaint handling that helps transform client feedback into actionable positive changes that benefit the business image and brand reputation. Finally, well-thought-out customer support culture and training signify the company's dedication to keeping clients happy.

Customer service is vital because it helps achieve every business's primary goal - increase revenue. It can be achieved through breeding customer loyalty and ensuring clients return to make new purchases. At the same time, regular customers tend to spend more money, increasing the bottom line. Moreover, happy clients gladly refer their friends and acquaintances, serving as brand ambassadors without getting anything out of it. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool that quality customer service can promote.

The first step to improving customer service is research. You need to understand what your customers need and how to meet their needs. At the same time, improvement is impossible without establishing a baseline. That means assessing the current state of customer service and identifying bottlenecks and weaknesses that must be eliminated or improved. Once you analyze the data, a customer service plan can be established, along with measurable deliverables and deadlines. As new customer service practices take effect, you need to collect more data and conduct a renewed assessment to guide further changes. After all, customer service improvement is an iterative process that should never stop if businesses want to succeed in the long-term amid the ever-growing competition.