5 common mistakes
Being a customer support representative, you will encounter different kinds of customers throughout the day. While some will be easy going, others will be full of anger, waiting to lash out at you out of frustration. You never know what mood they are in, so it’s important to always try and figure out what you’re working with, objectively and professionally. Followed by this, always be conscious of your words and how you deliver the message.
According to the studies, 78% of customers forgive mistakes if they receive excellent customer service. This means you can protect your brand reputation and help the customer resolve their issue in one fell swoop. Here are some common but critical mistakes you must avoid while talking to a customer.
Here are the 5 common mistakes to avoid while talking to a customer:
1.Over-reliance on the script
Customer service scripts come in handy for a beginner who is learning to assist customers. However, it can only help you with initial greetings and closing lines; beyond that, customer support reps need to use their expertise and experience in helping customers. Every customer will have a different issue they need to resolve, so instead of blindly following the script, it’s important to understand the customer’s problem first. Use the script as far as it makes sense; beyond that, try to customize your assistance based on the customer’s needs.
2. Providing resolution without proper investigation
It’s almost impossible to resolve a customer ticket without knowing the complete information about the customer you are talking to. So, instead of assuming anything, it’s better to have complete background information about the customer, their recent purchase, and the nature of their issue. Having incomplete data or not being confident with the details can give a very bad impression. In the case of long-term customers, you ought to have some information in your system which you can pull up to find out more. The more information you have, the better are your chances of thoroughly understanding and resolving the issue.
3. Not actively listening to the customer.
Just imagine right after you finished telling someone about your worst experience, which made you sad, and they reply to it with, “oh, sorry, can you repeat what happened?” yeah, I know, you wouldn’t be feeling like repeating it as it would have frustrated you to the core.
The same happens in customer service. Customers are no longer reaching out to you only to get a solution. They need to be heard, valued, and feel cared about. This means you have to be an excellent active listener. Pay attention to what your customers say, put yourself in their shoes, and feel what they’re feeling. Only then you would be able to provide them with the best solution.
4. Longer resolution time
Customers expect immediate solutions to their problems. If not immediate, try to resolve their query in not more than 2-3 minutes. Leaving them hanging on a call for longer than that can give rise to frustration, and they might change their attitude towards you once you again pick up the call. In worst cases, they may cut the call, which may backfire.
Instead of leaving them on a call for a long period, try to ask more about their issue and involve them in the solution. This will keep them engaged and help them feel better about being part of the solution.
5.Closing conversation without any call to action
Providing a solution isn’t a job done. You need to ensure that after the call, the customer won’t face any further issues and make the most out of your product or service. The first step of doing that is ending your conversation by giving some call to action to follow up on. Guide your customers on what they should try doing and how they can fix a problem on their own. In addition, you can ask them to rate and review you and your customer support services as a whole to bring more engagement to your social media and website.
Closing lines
It doesn’t matter if you are new to the customer support role or an experienced one; there will always come a time when the customer will surprise you with a challenging issue. Whatever the problem is, you must always be backed with proper background research, practice active listening and professionally represent your brand.
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